Move managers

What a move manager does

Most work to a plan agreed with you at the first visit. A typical job covers some or all of:

• a room-by-room plan of what is coming, what is going to family, what will be sold and what will be given away
• measuring the new home and working out which furniture will fit
• arranging valuers, auction houses, charities and house clearance for everything that is not coming
• booking and supervising the removal firm
• unpacking, making the beds and hanging the pictures so the new home feels like home on day one

They are particularly useful when family live far away, when one of you is unwell, or when the house has forty years of belongings in it.

Questions to ask

• Are you insured, and can I see the certificate?
• Do you belong to a trade body? Many are members of the Association of Senior Move Managers or the Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO).
• Do you charge by the hour, by the day or a fixed price for the whole move?
• Who actually does the work, you or staff, and are they DBS checked?
• Do you take a commission from the removal firm, auction house or clearance company you recommend?

Good to know

A move manager is not cheap, but compare the cost with what it would take for family to give up several weekends, and with the stress of doing it alone. Ask for a written quote and a written list of exactly what is included.