Where can I get free advice about moving abroad?

Reloux® International Moving offers free, no-obligation advice if you’re moving household belongings abroad from the UK. You can speak to a move consultant while you’re still considering dates, comparing removal quotes or waiting to find a home overseas. For questions about living in another country, the UK government’s country guides are a good starting point. For permission to live or work there, check with the destination country’s immigration authority.

Knowing whom to ask can save you several rounds of emails. Suppose your UK tenancy ends on Friday, your flight leaves on Saturday and you’ll spend your first month abroad in a furnished flat. A move consultant can help you work out when to pack, where to keep the furniture and what a second delivery would cost. Your letting agent can tell you whether the building accepts deliveries. Those two conversations give you a plan you can actually book.

Where to get free moving advice at a glance for moving abroad?

Start with the decision you need to make. The following comparison shows who can help, what to ask and which details make the answer more useful.

What you need to know	Where to start	What to ask or have ready
How to move your belongings overseas	Reloux® move consultant	Give your UK postcode, destination, approximate dates and the main items going. Ask which services fit.
Why two removal quotes differ	The consultant at each moving company	Send both companies the same inventory and delivery details. Ask each to identify exclusions and optional charges.
What to organise before leaving the UK	GOV.UK’s moving abroad guidance	Look up the UK offices relevant to your circumstances, including your council, pension provider or benefits office.
Where to find information about living overseas	GOV.UK’s country guides for UK nationals	Choose your destination and follow the links for topics such as residence, healthcare and driving.
Whether you can live or work in the country	The destination’s immigration authority or consulate	Check the guidance for your nationality, purpose of stay and intended duration.
What paperwork your shipment requires	Your mover’s customs team and the destination customs authority	Explain who owns the goods, why you’re moving and whether the shipment is for a main or second home.
Whether a removals vehicle can reach your door	Your building manager, landlord or local parking authority	Check unloading arrangements, lift bookings, vehicle limits and who can arrange a permit.

The government pages are free to read, and Reloux offers its initial moving advice and video survey free of charge. If a question leads to an application, permit or specialist appointment, check the fee with the organisation providing it. GOV.UK guide to moving or retiring abroad · GOV.UK country guides

What should I tell a move consultant first?

Tell them what you already know and which decision you’re trying to make. “We’re moving from Bristol to Bordeaux and need to hand back our keys on 28 June” gives the consultant more to work with than the number of bedrooms alone. Add whether you have a delivery address, how much of the home is going and who will be available at either end.

It’s fine to describe your belongings in everyday terms. “One double bed, the contents of the kitchen, two bikes and most of the sitting room” is enough for a first conversation. If you’re unsure whether to include a particular item, name it. Asking for the cost with and without a bulky sofa can help you make that decision before the inventory is finalised.

Mention any commitment that would be expensive to change. Perhaps your employer has booked flights, the landlord has arranged an inspection or a relative can receive the delivery on only one afternoon. The consultant can then explain which parts of the move can fit around that commitment and which dates still depend on another party.

I know when I’m leaving. When should my belongings go?

Work backwards from two dates. The first is the last day the crew can collect from your UK property. The second is the earliest day someone can let the delivery team into your new home. Your flight sits somewhere between those dates, but it rarely answers either question on its own.

Take a family leaving London on a Sunday. Their tenancy ends on Monday morning, and they need Saturday to clean and return a borrowed bed. Asking whether the crew can finish packing and loading by Friday gives the family a workable collection plan. If furniture has to come apart, ask how many working days the crew needs and which rooms can remain usable until the final morning.

At the other end, ask what starts the quoted transit time. A sea estimate measured from vessel departure answers a different question from an estimate measured from collection. Ask when the destination team will contact you, how much delivery notice to expect and whom to tell if the key handover slips. Write the answers next to your travel dates so everyone in the household is planning around the same information.

Which transport option suits my move?

For a UK-to-Europe road move, a shared load, also called a part load, lets several households share vehicle space. It can suit someone moving the contents of a small flat who has a choice of delivery dates. Ask how wide the collection and delivery windows are on your particular route. A lower price may suit you perfectly if a family member can receive the goods while you’re at work.

A dedicated vehicle is reserved for your shipment. It is worth discussing when you have a larger household or particular timing needs. If your building has offered a lift booking on Wednesday morning, tell the consultant before accepting the quote. Ask whether the company can commit to that appointment and what happens if the vehicle is delayed. A date shown as an estimate needs a different plan from a confirmed booking.

For a longer overseas move, ask about sea freight, and consider air freight for a small selection of time-sensitive belongings. Picture your first working week in Singapore. The furniture can wait if you have furnished accommodation, but you may need specific equipment for work. List those items individually and ask for a separate air price. You can then decide whether earlier arrival is worth the cost and confirm that the carrier accepts each item. Compare air and sea options for removals to USA

Why have I received two different international moving quotes?

Look at the inventory before you look at the price. One surveyor may have included the loft, garden furniture and contents of the kitchen cupboards. Another may have worked from photographs showing only furniture. If one quote allows 12 cubic metres and the other allows 16, request both volume breakdowns. Check which items account for the difference and send each company the same corrected list.

Next, read the delivery wording as though you were giving instructions to the crew. Which entrance should they use? Which floor are they going to? Does the service include carrying furniture into the rooms, reassembling the bed and taking away discarded wrapping? “Unpacking” deserves a question of its own. Opening cartons and placing their contents on a surface takes different work from unwrapping the furniture and removing packing materials on delivery day.

Consider an illustrative comparison. Company A quotes £2,400, with the customer packing the cartons and delivery priced to the ground floor. Company B quotes £2,850, including carton packing and delivery to the customer’s second-floor flat. When asked to cover the same work, Company A adds £250 for packing and £200 for the stairs. Both totals are now £2,850. These figures are examples only. What looked like a £450 saving was the combined cost of two jobs the customer needed.

Finally, ask each company to identify charges it can price now and those that would arise only in particular circumstances. A known parking permit can be investigated before you book. A possible customs examination is a different type of cost. Getting the distinction in writing helps you set aside a sensible contingency without treating every possible charge as part of the agreed price.

What should I show during a free video survey?

Start in the room with the most belongings. Open the cupboards whose contents will travel and tell the surveyor which pieces belong to the landlord. Show one full bookcase from top to bottom. A photograph of its closed moving boxes later will tell the team much less about the work involved. Follow the same route through the house, finishing in the shed, loft or storage unit.

Pause on anything awkward. For a large mirror, show the frame and explain whether it can be removed from the wall before the crew arrives. For a stone-topped table, show the top and base, give the measurements if you have them and ask whether a specialist crate needs to be made. This gives the consultant time to check the handling arrangements and include them in the proposal.

Take the camera outside as well. Walk from the front door to the nearest place a vehicle can safely load. Show steps, narrow turns, gates or a long path. For the overseas address, a photograph of the street entrance and the lift dimensions may be more useful than a photograph of the living room. If you cannot get them yet, ask the consultant to write down the access assumptions behind the quote.

What if my overseas home won’t be ready?

Ask for two versions of the journey. In one, the mover collects your belongings and stores them in the UK until you have an address. In the other, the shipment travels earlier and goes into storage near the destination. Compare both using the same assumed storage period and the same final delivery, including any stairs or access restrictions you already know about.

Suppose you expect to spend six weeks in temporary accommodation. Request the total for six weeks, including collection, entry into storage, removal from storage and delivery inside your home. Then ask what one extra week would cost and how much notice the warehouse needs to release the shipment. This makes it easier to budget if a completion date moves by a few days.

Think about access to individual pieces while everything is stored. If you might need a desk or a child’s bicycle before the main delivery, ask whether it can be retrieved and what handling would be involved. It may be simpler to send a small first delivery to the temporary address, provided the building can accept it. Set those items apart before packing starts.

Who can help with customs paperwork and packing questions?

Ask the mover who will coordinate customs clearance and when that team needs your documents. Explain whether you’re transferring your main home, furnishing a second property or sending belongings to somebody else. Those details help the team identify the questions to put to the destination authority. Ask for a written checklist for your circumstances and a contact for anything you cannot supply by the requested date.

If you want to pack your own cartons, ask about acceptance before buying boxes. Tell the consultant your route, the service you’re considering and what the cartons will contain. Find out who prepares the inventory, whether the crew needs to inspect the contents and what cover is available for owner-packed goods. A clear answer now can save you from reopening sealed cartons on collection morning.

Bring up unusual belongings individually. A cordless drill, its spare battery and a box of workshop supplies are easier for a consultant to check when they appear as separate items. Likewise, give framed artwork its dimensions and flag any piece that needs special packing. Ask the mover to confirm acceptance and preparation instructions for the proposed method of transport before you put those items on the final list.

Frequently asked questions about getting free moving advice

Can I speak to Reloux before choosing a destination city?

Yes. Give the country or cities you’re considering and explain what you want to compare. A consultant can discuss transport choices and what information you’ll need next. If you later choose a rural property instead of a city flat, send the postcode and access details so the delivery team can check the final leg.

Can I get advice if I’m moving only a few boxes?

Yes. Count the boxes, measure their outside dimensions and give their approximate weights if you can. Mention any fragile or unusually heavy contents. Ask whether the proposed service has a minimum charge and whether delivery means the cartons will be carried inside. Those details can matter more than the headline rate on a small shipment.

How can I get an estimate while some decisions are still open?

Separate the confirmed inventory from the optional items. For example, list the bed, clothing and kitchen cartons in the first group and the dining set in the second. Ask for a written estimate for the confirmed items and the price difference if the dining set goes too. Check how long the estimates are valid.

What if my employer is paying for the move?

Ask your employer what it will approve before requesting the quotation. Some questions are straightforward: who signs the acceptance, who receives the invoice and whether packing or storage needs a separate price. Give the consultant the written brief so the quotation contains the information your employer needs to make its decision.

What should I do if my inventory changes after the survey?

Email the consultant a short itemised list of additions and removals as soon as you know. Include a photograph and dimensions for anything bulky. Swapping six cartons for a wardrobe can change the handling at both addresses, even if the estimated volume looks similar. Ask for an updated inventory and written confirmation of any change to the price or collection arrangements.

How do I arrange delivery to two addresses?

Make a separate list for each stop and mark the cartons before the crew arrives. Give the consultant both postcodes, access details and any opening hours. A storage unit may close earlier than a private residence. Ask for each stop to appear on the quotation so the crew knows which items to unload first.

Can someone else receive my delivery overseas?

Raise this with the destination team in advance. Ask what authorisation it needs, who can sign the delivery paperwork and whom the crew should call for directions. Give your representative the room plan and identify anything that needs assembly. Check separately whether any customs appointment requires your own attendance before deciding you can be away.

Where can I check advice I’ve seen in an expat group?

Use the post to identify a question. A neighbour’s experience can help you discover that your street has timed unloading, for example. Confirm the hours with the building manager or local authority. For residence and immigration questions, start with the official country guidance and check which rules apply to your own nationality and circumstances.

What should I expect after a free consultation?

You might leave with an answer to one question, a request for a few photographs or an invitation to arrange a video survey. If you ask for a quotation, check that it records the inventory, addresses, service and dates you discussed. You can consider it in your own time and request corrections before deciding whether to book.

Get free, no-obligation advice from Reloux® International Moving

If one unanswered question is holding up your move, start there. A message such as “We’re leaving our two-bedroom flat in Leeds in July, moving to Lyon and staying with family until we get the keys. Could you compare storage in the UK with delivery into storage in France?” gives a consultant enough detail to discuss practical options.

Reloux® International Moving offers free advice for people planning a household move abroad from the UK. Share what you know so far, whether that’s a firm collection date, two quotes you’re trying to understand or a delivery address with difficult access. If you’d like a written quotation, you can arrange a free video survey. There’s no obligation to book. Ask Reloux® for free advice about your international move.