How to Do a Removals Survey That Does Not Lose You Money

What a survey is actually for

A survey is not a sales visit, although it is often treated as one. It is a measurement exercise that produces two numbers: volume, and time.

Volume determines how many vehicles and how many loads. Time determines how many crew and how many days. Everything else in the price follows from those two numbers.

If either is wrong, the job is mispriced before anyone touches a box.

The four things that go wrong

1. Volume

The most common failure, and the most expensive.

Volume is usually estimated in cubic feet or cubic metres. The error tends to run in one direction, because customers underestimate what they own and surveyors are reluctant to appear to be inflating the job.

The places volume hides: loft space, garage, garden shed, under beds, the contents of wardrobes and cupboards that appear empty because they are closed, and anything already boxed by the customer which is almost always denser than it looks.

An underestimate of twenty per cent does not cost you twenty per cent. It costs you an extra load, or an extra day, or overtime, which can wipe out the margin on the entire job.

2. Access

Access determines how long the volume takes to move, and it is where experienced surveyors add the most value.

The factors that matter: floor level and whether there is a lift, distance from the parking position to the door, width of staircases and doorways, whether the vehicle can get close at either end, parking restrictions and whether a suspension is needed, and any restricted vehicle access such as a weight limit or a narrow lane.

Access at both ends. A ground floor origin and a fourth floor destination is a fourth floor job.

3. Special items

Pianos, safes, large mirrors and artwork, antique furniture, garden machinery, aquariums, pool tables, gym equipment, and anything requiring dismantling and reassembly.

Each one carries either specialist equipment, additional crew, additional time, or additional insurance. Missing one at survey means absorbing it on the day.

4. The gap between what was said and what was there

Customers do not intend to mislead. They forget the loft. They assume the garage is not included. They intend to have decluttered by the moving date and then do not.

The defence is to record what was surveyed and to have the customer confirm it. If the inventory says what was agreed, a change on the day is a conversation about a variation rather than an argument about the price.

The method

Before the visit. Establish the basics on the phone or through the enquiry form: property type, number of bedrooms, floor level at both ends, dates, and whether packing is required. This tells you how long to allow for the survey itself.

Room by room, in the same order every time. Consistency is what makes a surveyor reliable. Working to the same sequence in every property is what stops rooms being skipped.

Record, do not remember. Photographs and an itemised list at the point of survey. Anything reconstructed afterwards from memory will be incomplete.

Ask the four questions that catch the omissions. What is in the loft. What is in the garage or shed. What is going into storage rather than to the new address. What is not coming at all.

Assess access properly at both ends. If you have not seen the destination, ask specifically and record the answer, because you are pricing on it.

Confirm what was agreed. Send the inventory back with the quote. It converts a disputed variation into a documented one.

Video and remote surveys

Remote surveys are now normal and they work well for smaller jobs, straightforward properties and quick turnarounds. They save travel time, which for a surveyor covering a wide area is significant.

They are weaker on two things: volume in dense or cluttered spaces, and access. A customer holding a phone will not show you the parking situation, the width of the staircase, or the lane the vehicle cannot get down.

The sensible position is remote for simple jobs, in person for large, complex or high value ones, and always in person where a corporate client is involved.

The measurement that improves everything

Compare what you estimated against what the job actually consumed. Volume estimated against volume moved. Hours estimated against hours worked. Crew planned against crew used.

Do it on every job, and patterns appear quickly. A particular surveyor consistently under by ten per cent. Flats consistently taking longer than the model allows. Storage jobs consistently over.

This single practice does more for pricing accuracy than any amount of experience, because experience without feedback just entrenches whatever error you already had. We have written about measuring estimate against actual separately, because it is the most underused number in this trade.

Frequently asked questions

How do you estimate the volume of a house move?

Room by room, in cubic feet or cubic metres, working to the same sequence in every property. The volume that gets missed is almost always in the loft, garage, shed, under beds, and inside closed wardrobes and cupboards. Items already boxed by the customer are usually denser than they appear.

How long should a removals survey take?

It depends on property size and complexity, but the survey should take as long as it needs to record everything rather than being fitted into a fixed slot. Establishing property type, bedroom count and floor levels beforehand lets you allow the right amount of time.

Are video surveys accurate enough?

For smaller and straightforward jobs, yes. They are weaker on dense or cluttered spaces and on access, because a customer holding a phone will not show you the parking situation or the width of the staircase. In person remains appropriate for large, complex, high value or corporate jobs.

What should be included in a removals inventory?

Every item to be moved, room by room, with special items identified separately, plus access details at both origin and destination. The inventory should be sent to the customer with the quote so what was agreed is documented.

Why do removals surveys underestimate?

Two structural reasons. Customers underestimate what they own, and surveyors are reluctant to appear to be inflating the job. The error therefore runs consistently in one direction, which is why measuring estimate against actual matters more than experience alone.

Sources and further reading

• Moovi guide to pricing a removals job, for how survey outputs feed the quote
• Moovi guide to measuring estimate against actual