What people ask
before booking.
Taken from real HA6 enquiries. If yours is not here, the quote form has a notes box and we do read it.
Removals questions, answered
Do you survey larger houses in person?
Yes. A video walk-round is fine for an apartment, but a substantial detached house with a cellar, a loft, a garage and a garden room is not something anyone should price from a phone screen. For those we come and look. It takes half an hour and it is the reason our quotes hold.
Our road is private. Does that complicate things?
It changes the arrangements rather than the job. Private roads and gated estates — Moor Park in particular — often have their own rules about vehicle access, delivery hours and where a lorry may stand. We check with the estate rather than assuming, and we do it before the day rather than at the gate.
How discreet are you?
As discreet as you would like. Some people want the vehicle out of sight of the road and the crew to keep to the side entrance; others do not mind at all. It is a perfectly normal thing to ask for in this area and we would rather you said so at survey than hoped.
What about antiques and pieces we care about?
Tell us which they are at survey and we will handle them separately — wrapped properly rather than blanketed, carried last, and kept together. If something is genuinely exceptional we may recommend a specialist for that one item rather than take it on ourselves.
Do you cover Watford, Pinner or Ruislip?
Our patch is HA6 — Northwood, Northwood Hills and Moor Park — out to Rickmansworth and Harefield. Watford and Pinner have their own firms in this network who know those streets properly, and Ruislip is covered separately too. Ask us and we will point you at the right one rather than stretch.
What is different about the houses here?
Size and age, mostly. Northwood has a lot of large detached property from the interwar period — mock-Tudor, arts-and-crafts, substantial Edwardian — with the awkwardnesses that come with them: galleried landings, narrow original staircases serving very large rooms, and furniture that was built before anyone thought about getting it out again.
Do you handle pianos?
Uprights, with the right equipment and enough people. Grands, and anything that has to come down an external staircase or out through a window, we assess first and will tell you honestly if it wants a piano specialist. Given the housing stock here, grands come up more often than in most areas.
Can you store things between dates?
Yes — containerised and inventoried in and out. Chains in this area often involve substantial properties and long completion windows, so storage is part of the plan more often than it is an emergency. Ask early so the space is held.
Do you pack?
Full, part, or just the fragile end of it. In period property we would generally recommend at least letting us do the glass, mirrors, pictures and anything with a polished finish — those are what get damaged, and in houses like these they are frequently the expensive items.
What about a garden room, garage or outbuilding?
Mention them at the outset. They are where a Northwood quote most often grows, because the house gets surveyed carefully and then somebody opens a garage that has been accumulating for fifteen years. It is not a problem; it just needs counting.
Are your crews vetted?
The crew who arrive are our people, and on a local move it is the same team from start to finish. We are not going to make claims about checks we cannot evidence to you — if that matters to you, ask at enquiry and we will answer specifically rather than in marketing language.
Are our things insured?
Goods in transit and public liability cover are in place, with the limits and claims process set out in the booking contract. Items of exceptional value — art, antiques, instruments — must be declared in advance to be covered beyond the standard limit. In this area that conversation comes up often and it is worth having properly.
Do you move people out of the area?
Frequently. A good share of Northwood moves are families going further out — Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, the Chilterns — or leaving London entirely. Same service, longer drive, loading order planned around the unload at the far end.
What if the completion date moves?
Tell us as soon as you know. It happens constantly and we would much rather re-plan than lose the slot. Where the chain has gone sideways entirely, storage bridges the gap.
How far ahead should we book?
Earlier than most people do, and earlier again for a large house — those need a bigger crew and more vehicles, and there are only so many of both on any given Friday. Summer and month-ends are the crush.
What will you not carry?
Fuel, gas bottles, aerosols, paint, solvents and anything flammable. We do not handle asbestos — that needs a licensed contractor, and it turns up in outbuildings and garage roofs of this age. Cash, jewellery, deeds and passports should travel with you.
Still not sure?
Put the question in the notes box on the quote form, or email it. Better answered now than on moving day.