10 Hidden Moving Costs, Including the Cost of Using a Moving Company
Hiring an expert moving company can be a substantial expense you must prepare for. Moving to a new location is costly, and your spending plans may take a significant hit because of all the typical costs involved. To make things even more complex, some movers have a good number of hidden prices of relocating, locally or long-distance. So it’s essential to know these to manage your budget most feasibly.
So, what are the hidden expenses of moving to a new residence?
Listed below are the top 10 hidden costs of moving, which may come as a surprise. Preparing for what to expect is vital, especially when money is involved.
1. Expense of packing supplies
When packing up your home for moving, you recognize that you have two reasonable choices: 1) load your things without expert aid, usually with the help of good friends, or 2) work with expert packers that will do it for you.
The thought of paying an additional cost to professionals for something you can do on your own will probably sway you to select choice 1, leaving you with the result that you’ll save money in the long run. Packing by yourself can undoubtedly save you money. However, it would help to remember to include the hidden costs of packaging materials in your budget plan. Think about the cash required to purchase the four primary packaging materials: cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper, and tape.
According to analytical data, the number of boxes the average home will require to move to a new home is 60. You likely will have the ability to get a few of those boxes for free, but you’ll probably end up purchasing a lot of boxes, as well as other supplies.
When deciding whether to pack up your belongings yourself or hire a professional moving company, remember that the price of all packing supplies is typically included in the rate charged by full-service moving companies.
2. Furniture disassembly charge
Speaking of the hidden costs of moving, you may not realize that moving your large furniture items may incur extra fees, should those items need to be disassembled to be taken out of your current home or fit into your new home. Items may require disassembly if the furniture needs to be better secured in the moving vehicle. Also, there may be a need for things to be smaller to be more easily carried and loaded into the moving truck.
Suppose you’re planning to move any big furniture pieces in your home. In that case, you should be ready to pay a furniture moving company additional fees for having things such as your bed, cabinet, wardrobe, work desk, or sofa taken apart for risk-free transport. Appropriate furniture disassembly requires time and effort, so you shouldn’t be stunned when your relocating firm charges you extra for that added moving service.
To avoid this often unanticipated cost of relocating, you can either skip moving several of your large furniture pieces or ask friends to offer you a hand with the furniture disassembly job.
3. Cost for dealing with cumbersome things
There are often fees for handling the moving of very large items, so you should be prepared to pay additional costs when your moving company has to transport cumbersome products.
You may believe you have everything figured out from an economic perspective until your relocating company hits you with an additional fee for handling these bulky items. Large furniture products, oversized and heavy household devices, pool tables, hot tubs, and heavy metal, will most likely all get an additional cost added to your final bill.
Pianos are among the most common cumbersome items that specialist movers transport to a new home. So, if you possess a piano and decide to take it with you, you need to be ready to cover an extra expense. In most cases, your piano mover will provide you with a price estimate that includes all piano moving costs. Be smart and discuss with your movers in advance by asking them about extra charges for relocating bulky items in your house.
4. Elevator cost
Suppose you will be moving out of or into a high-rise apartment. In that case, there’s another relocating charge you may not understand and incur, which is the lift fee.
Often, a lift in high-rise buildings is used to move people in and out. However, if that lift is out of order on your move-out or move-in day, your movers must carry all of your home’s items up or down the stairways. This requires far more effort and time for your hired movers. You will more than likely have a lift fee that will be added to your total cost. If an apartment building does not have an elevator, you should anticipate paying an additional fee.
Call the building supervisor to request a date and time to use the building lift on your moving day.
5. Lengthy carry fee
Everyone understands that relocating is an expensive event. Still, things can get a lot more pricey if the moving vehicle cannot park right in front of the entryway of your home or apartment building. An extra relocating cost you may not be aware of is the long carry charge; the typical price is around $100 for a distance of 75 feet from the vehicle to the residence entry.
Understandably, the impossibility of the moving vehicle parking close to your residence will force the movers to carry your household items some distance, thus spending more time, effort, and energy on your move. That extra fee is a very common hidden moving cost in big cities where even regular car parking is constantly struggling.
An excellent way to prevent your moving company from charging you that added relocating cost is to attempt to schedule a parking space for the moving vehicle on the day of the move. If required, obtain a special parking authorization from the city to ensure that the moving vehicle can stop as near your home as possible.
6. Relocate cancellation charge
Also called a move termination charge, this fee is incurred after canceling your scheduled move. A down payment to reserve a slot with a moving business is among the typical moving expenses. Many relocating companies request down payments from their clients as a two-way guarantee that your move will go as scheduled from start to finish.
However, life is uncertain, and you may have to make changes to your moving plans, and you may be required to terminate the booked move for some reason or another. If that happens, you’re most likely to be charged an action termination charge for breaking the terms of the preliminary arrangements.
Generally speaking, if you terminate the relocation more than a week before the move-out day, you shouldn’t owe a termination cost. If you cancel your move about seven days before your moving day, your moving company might charge you between $50 and $100. For a scheduled move cancelation before five days, a moving firm could charge roughly $300 or keep the moving deposit. Relocate cancellation charges differ from company to company, so you must be familiar with your moving firm’s termination policy.
7. Storage space cost
When making a list of costs of moving to a new home, do not forget the possible moving expense of paying a storage charge if you cannot immediately move into your new home after moving out of your old one. In a case like this, you may have to store your household items for a period of time.
A situation like this can arise due to a residence remodeling or repair or other problems such as documentation and contract issues. The moving day might need postponed with your moving company, or arrange for them to move your items into storage. Billed as an added fee, the moving company may have a storage space center you can rent. They can move your items to your chosen storage facility if they don’t.
Ensure you discuss that concern with your moving company in advance to understand ahead of time whether the company has a storage center and how much you’ll be billed for this type of situation.
8. Express distribution fee
Compared to the delayed distribution charge, if you wish to have your household things moved sooner than your moving company’s standard timetable, you need to anticipate paying more cash in the form of an express distribution fee.
There is a share distribution cost, among the surprise expenses of moving to a distant location. Unfortunately, most people do not know that most cross-country moving firms often consolidate numerous clients’ items into one moving vehicle, provided there’s enough room for them. The reason for combining the client’s items is to reduce transportation prices.
Ask your moving company the typical time window of the move and the option of expedited service. Paying extra for the unique use of the relocating vehicle may not be essential or needed.
9. Traveling charge
Among the unexpected hidden moving cost is the so-called Travel charge. This can be a somewhat surprising fee that local moving firms charge their customers to get from their main office to the customer’s home address.
For the most part, this added expense usually equals one additional hour of moving labor. The average price is around $30 to $40 per hour per mover. So speak with your local moving company about the travel cost, and whether there’s any way you can avoid it.
10. Bonus stops charge
An additional moving company expense you may not have considered is a bonus stops charge or added stops fee. When you ask for unplanned stops to pick up or drop off extra items during the move, this additional fee will be added.
The bonus stops charge will depend mainly on the moving fees of the relocating business you hired. On average, you should expect to pay around $75 for an added stop along the way. This additional charge can be much higher depending on various elements, such as distance, details of the stop, and the time of year.
Once again, your ideal option to minimize your moving expenditures is to discuss all additional costs, fees, and charges before you accept their offer and sign a contract. Ask for an accurate estimate from the professional moving company in writing and whether it is a binding cost price quote. It should consist of all moving company expenses you’re most likely to encounter throughout the process.