tampa movers

The stress associated with moving, sometimes, can be compounded by the need to locate storage, but finding short term or long term storage need not be difficult. The following is a set of suggestions to help locate the storage facility which fits your needs.

• Search on line for “storage units” in the city in which you would like to store your belongings.

• Make a list containing:

1. Companies’ names, phone numbers, locations, prices, and relevant details (e.g. Dimensions of unit, climate control available versus non-climate controlled units).

2. If you are having your belongings professionally moved, the company you hire may be able to help you determine what size unit you will need and whether you need climate control or not.
(climate controlled units are kept at a unit temperature of 80 degrees).

3. Ask facilities if they have regular pest control services.

4. Ask facilities if they offer move in specials? (e.g. $1 move in, half off first month, free second month.)

5. Do the facilities provide insurance on their units and your belongings in case of damage or loss?

6. If the unit does not provide you with insurance can you purchase or use your home owners insurance?

7. Ask the cost of a lock for a unit?

8. Ask facilities’ access hours? some facilities offer 24 hour gate access while other facilities have specified hours of which you can access your storage unit. This can be very important when it comes to moving day as you do not wish to store on a truck overnight if the access hours end at 6 PM and your movers cannot get to the unit before 6 PM.

9. Ask if facilities are secured by coded gates?

10. Ask for the monthly rates of your desired size unit and
whether rates are guaranteed for the duration of your stay.

11. Ask if facilities offer prorated charges for those moving in
during the middle of billing periods.

12. Do not provide your phone number when researching
facilities because you might receive many unwanted calls
attempting to strong arm you into committing to certain
facilities.

• After you have asked the above questions to each storage facility on your list, evaluate the information you have acquired and choose accordingly. Keep in mind what the customer service was like when talking to each location as the initial service will probably be continued throughout your stay with the facility.

Selecting any service provider is a tricky task however, with the right tools, you can make the right choice for your move!

• The state of Florida requires all movers to be licensed and insured, so ask to see their license number. It will be indicated as FL IM (Florida Intrastate Movers). For instance, Woody and Sons Florida license number is FL IM 1805 We are licensed, insured, and registered with the state as required.
• Checking the number that is provided to you to ensure that it is active and legitimate can be going to the following Florida state website; http://www.800helpfla.com/moving.html. Once you arrive at this site you:
  1. Click on “Business Complaint/Lookup”.
  2. Input the license number and click search.
  3. The status of inputted license number will come up.
  4. Assessing the business credibility of any moving company can be accomplished by checking Angie’s List and Better Business Bureau.

• Ask all of the moving companies which you contact if:
  1. They will perform a free on-site estimate.
  2. They will provide a quote to you in writing and include all charges that are applicable.
  3. They will honor all communications – phone calls, letters, emails.

1. When shopping for a mover, evaluate how you were treated.
2. Was the communication friendly and personable?
3. Were they willing to answer all of your questions to help you be more comfortable making your decision?
4. Did they seem more interested in selling you their service than taking care of your needs?

• Remember when having your move quoted, be as detailed as possible about:
  1. The inventory of items you are moving.
  2. Residence details such as third level, two level, long walking distance from truck to door of the home. Movers can only provide you with an estimate of how long they think the move will take based on their experience with inventories and details of residences.
  3. Every move is different, however, movers should be more than willing to provide estimates in writing.
  4. Ask for referrals as a large portion of our business is word of mouth and who better to talk to than previous customers?

The more prepared you are for your move, the more money you will save because organization can save you hundreds, and perhaps, thousands of dollars.

When preparing for your move, the two most time consuming issues are:

• Disassembly/assembly of Furniture Items
  1. You can save time on your clock by disassembling and assembling your own furniture items. If you are unable or unwilling to disassemble and assemble your items, we will be happy to do so for you!
• Wrapping your Items to Protect Them
  1. Remove any breakable items from drawers including any in vanities.
  2. You may leave clothes in drawers of the dressers. All other drawers should be emptied e.g. desk drawers. Anything other than clothes adds unneeded weight and liability issues to the furniture in which items are stored.
  3. Put all valuables such as meds, money, and stocks and bonds off by themselves or packed in labeled boxes so that there is no question as to where these items are located. Jewelry boxes or cases can be transported by our movers however, we do ask customers stand with our movers while items are wrapped and padded. Customers are responsible for unwrapping these at the destination to ensure that nothing is missing.
  4. Clear any room in which the movers are working. We do not want to put children and pets in harm’s way because our movers have tripped over your loved ones.
  5. Please clear walkways/pathways of debris and/or clutter to ensure safe movement of your items and to prevent injury to our team or your family while walking about the home to and from the truck.
  6. Create a game plan and know where you want your items placed prior to arrival at your new home. Our movers are happy to place your furniture but make for terrible interior decorators.
  7. The more prepared you are the more likely you are to have a smooth move to your new location. We are all one team on moving day and together we will make a great moving experience!

Moving is never fun but it doesn’t have to be stressful. There are a few things that you can do in order to assure you are organized and prepared for a smooth move:

• Do not over pack your boxes because heavy or overstuffed boxes can slow your moving time and, possibly, cause damage to the packed goods.

• Fill any boxes that are not completely full with newspaper to make the box structurally sound and able to support the weight of boxes stacked atop it.

• Use small boxes when packing your kitchen because canned and dry goods can add pounds quickly.

• When packing dishes, china, or crystal make sure you label the box as FRAGILE so that it is not placed on the bottom of the stacked boxes within the truck.

• When packing dishes, stand your dishes upright rather than laying them flat – dishes are like eggs, fragile when lying flat and stronger when standing upright.

• Coordinate boxes with the rooms in which they will be placed in your new home by labeling them with markers or color coding them with color dots. If you choose to color code, put the same color dot on the doors of the designated rooms to simplify, and thus speed up, your move.

• Florida movers are not allowed to move chemicals or flammable liquids, thus, please label all boxes with these materials and place them aside for transport in your own vehicle.

• Place all of your packed, coordinated boxes in an area closest to your front door or your garage. This allows easier and quicker loading. Many movers load boxes into the front of their trucks.