Moving house can be daunting and stressful for many. Not only does one need to plan and organise weeks in advance before the move, but you also have to decide on the right moving services for the load you’re moving. It would be easier to determine whether you would require professional home movers to help you move if you can gauge the size of the move.
Besides home movers who specialise in professional home moving and packing services, there are other options to explore that might save you some money, especially if you’re not moving your entire family and home.
Moving Small Items And Personal Belongings (No Furniture)
If you are moving into a place that is already furnished, e.g. you’re planning to move into your partner’s place and stay with your in-laws, you might not need full moving services. However, you may need to gauge how much space is available to accommodate you moving in.
For example, when I recently moved in with my in-laws, I packed about 1 large luggage bag, 1 small luggage bag and a computer monitor that I hand-carried. I mostly packed a range of work clothes, home clothes and gym clothes. I also brought along 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of slippers and some other personal items. For this move, just a car is enough. You can even hire a Grab if you do not drive. While over time, I also moved more personal belongings over, it could be done easily over multiple small trips. Likewise, for those who are planning to move into a fully furnished apartment, this is also a moving option to consider.
If you’re not in the position to carry the items yourself or require a vehicle, there are a few logistics solutions that you can consider hiring.
Lalamove– Lalamove allows you to pick the vehicle that best suit your load. For loads under 20kg, there’s the car option which will cost you $12 + $1/ km for the first 4km. Subsequent distance will be calculated at $0.45/km. If your load is over 20kg but under 50kg, like small appliances and electronics that are too big for a car but do not require a van, you can select the MPV at $19 + $0.50/ km.
Pickupp – You can use Pickupp for parcel under 30kg and the total dimension of the parcel is under 200cm. Take note that they will not do same day delivery. The base price is at $3.2 with no addition cost base on distance.
GOGOX – For parcels under 70 x 50 x 50cm and not heavier than 20kg, the car delivery service would cost $25 for the 1st service hour and an additional $3 per 10mins thereafter, which means they will charge you for the time it takes to load, unload, travel time, moving and any waiting time.
Of course, unlike Grab where you can be a passenger, these delivery services typically will not take on passengers. So, you would need to arrange your own transportation.
Moving To A New Place With Some Furniture
For those declaring independence from their parents or just someone who needs to move out and need to clear all their belongings, more preparation is required. If you’re taking your mattress, computer desk, chair, bicycles and other bulky items, you should be considering van options then.
Lalamove – Van options from Lalamove accepts loads from 350 to 500 kg. The base price is between $30 to $38 and covers $0.50/ km. While you won’t have to pay extra for the driver’s help, additional manpower can be hired at $30 per helper. Moving services are limited to 2hours, and they will charge you additional overtime of $5 for each subsequent 10min, per driver and helper (capped at $200). If you require furniture to be dismantled and assembled, there will be additional fees. These additional services require negotiation with the driver and they’re not obliged to provide them.
GOGOX –GOGOX charges a base price of $24 to $38 for the first 1.5 service hour and an additional $5 per 10mins thereafter. There is a max weight of 500kg, with max dimensions of 2.3 x 1.2 x 1.2m. If the move requires additional manpower, they will charge you $30 for each additional mover.
TheLorry – At a fixed price of $250, TheLorry provides 5 free boxes, shrink wrapping service, three furniture disassembly and assembly and two movers (driver and helper).
Read Also: Expats’ Guide To Migrating To Singapore: Here’s What You Need To Know Before Moving
Moving The Entire Household With Furniture And Heavy Home Appliances
Many people at this stage of moving would declutter and organise their items into ‘discards, ‘donation’, and ‘to bring over’ before calling in the movers. And while saving money could still be on our minds, ensuring our furniture and items are safely moved without damage may take precedence over saving money.
Engaging a professional moving service that provides the whole works such as dismantling, assembling, wrapping of items, packing materials like boxes, PVC tapes, bubble wraps, etc, would likely be necessary, especially if you want to ensure your items arrive at your new home undamaged.
In general, professional movers tend not to have standard pricing shown on their websites and will only quote you based on the volume of items and situation. They will arrange for a site visit for the quotation and survey what you want them to move over (this service is free). As every household is unique, quotations can vary. As a broad reference, one would expect prices to range between $400 to $800 for moving a lorry’s load. Moves that require larger vehicles or multiple trips will incur more costs. Bigger houses with complex furniture will also be taken into consideration for the quotation.
Shalom Movers – Shalom Movers is one of those household names that we’re familiar with. Their vehicles mostly come with a tailgate except for the van and the open truck. Their site visits tend to take around 20 minutes, but if your house is bigger or even have multiple levels, the survey may take longer.
The Helping Hands – The Helping Hands works with Singapore Prison Service and employs ex-offenders to help them integrate back into society as contributing citizens. They offer full service of house moving and 20 free boxes when you hire a 14ft lorry. They can pack and label your belongings and unpack them in your new house for an add on fee. The team comprises of 4 to 5 movers and 1 supervisor to ensure a smooth move.
Soon Seng Transport & Movers – Movers and packers at Soon Seng Transport & Movers are all trained and qualified to handle delicate, specialised and high-value items such as piano, antique furniture and fragile items. They will include wrapping and protection in their quotation and will return deposit for cartons that are returned to them. On-site surveys will be arranged to get an accurate quotation.
Moving Fragile, Delicate And Specialised Items
Every home is different and unique, and some may have instruments or collector’s item that should be handled with extra care. For such items, it is best to check with the mover themselves to see if they can handle the item properly. And if they can’t, you would need to look for a separate mover specialising in relocating such items.
Instrument movers – Moving your piano is a back breaking job and needs to be handled by professionals or experienced movers who know what they’re doing. There are a few piano movers in Singapore such as VS Movers, Piano Movers Singapore, Jie Transport Service, etc. According to Jie Transport Service’s website, depending on whether your piano is a digital piano, upright piano or baby grand piano, the costs can range from anywhere between $80 to $300 with additional fees if the movers are required to carry through stairs.
For fragile and delicate items like vases, flowerpots and expensive china sets, besides bubble wrapping them, you can mark them as fragile and highlight it to the moving company to take extra care of it. Moving companies also tend to have insurance coverage as add-ons, so have a chat with the moving company and find out which insurance coverage is best for your move.
Read Also: Is Your HDB Home Insured? Here’s What You Need To Know Before Moving In
