Frequently Asked Questions
No. BAR is a trade organisation representing leading professional removal companies in the UK and abroad. Find out more about BAR here.
All BAR members meet stringent criteria and are regularly inspected to ensure that their staff, vehicles, premises and facilities meet the required standards set out in our Code of Practice. By using a BAR member you can be confident that the company will be properly and professionally equipped to carry out your move, whether domestic, commercial or international. Furthermore, in the event that you experience any problems, BAR offers a free advice and conciliation service. However, we draw your attention to certain limitations should your move be contracted with a removal broker and not directly with a removal company. For further information click here.
BAR recommends that you approach around three separate moving companies to quote for your move. To find BAR movers in your local area click here.
Firstly - look for the badge! Your mover should display their badge on their vehicles or literature. If you can't see the badge then use our member search function to check whether they're a member. Type their name into our search box and look them up. If you're still unsure please contact BAR.
All BAR members are able to offer and arrange storage for your possessions for certain periods of time.
BAR offers a dispute and conciliation service between movers and customers. To find out more about the service please contact BAR.
It should be noted that BAR members based outside the UK have a lower level of membership and may also be trading under local contract terms. Therefore such companies may not be bound by BAR’s full conciliation and arbitration service.
There is an increasing trend for independent firms, often web-based, acting as removal consultants or facilitators, to offer removal services to the public whereby subcontractors are used to carry out the actual removal service.
Whilst many of these subcontractors are reputable removal companies belonging to regulatory bodies such as ours, you should be aware that the contract you will enter into is likely to be a contract between you and the removal broker, not the subcontracted removal company. In these circumstances, even where the remover is a member of BAR, there may be limited redress available through our conciliation service should any difficulties arise.
It is recommended that you make direct contact with one of our members if you wish to ensure that you benefit from the full range of services available from BAR. For this purpose you are invited to locate a current member through the Search Directory.
Contact your local BAR Remover up to one month before you hope to move even if you don’t know exactly when the big day will be. They will tell you exactly what they offer and the areas you need to think about. This way you can plan your time and concentrate on the essentials.
We recommend that you approach around three separate moving companies to quote for your move. To find BAR movers in your local area click here.
New BAR Website – Proposed Site Map v2 Packing is not expensive therefore if you can afford to have it done professionally, do so. BAR companies use a range of appropriate packing materials and employ fully trained staff who will pack your things professionally and safely.
New BAR Website – Proposed Site Map v2 BAR offers a dispute and conciliation service between movers and customers. To find out more about the service please contact BAR.
All BAR members are able to offer and arrange storage for your possessions for certain periods of time.
Yes. Some items in your home might not be permitted in the country you’re moving to; your BAR Overseas mover will know the rules & regulations and will help you decide what to take and what to leave behind.
Your BAR mover will discuss with you the best and most economical method of shipment - sea, air, road, or perhaps a combination of all three. The company will then tell you how much it will all cost and give you an estimate of the expected time of arrival at your new home.
Your removal company will appoint a Destination Partner to look after your goods when they arrive. They will organise customs clearance and delivery to your new home. The company will also arrange temporary storage if required. The Destination Partner is a real international moving company that works with your chosen BAR Overseas Remover regularly on shipments both to and from the UK. Trust them: they are familiar with the local regulations, conditions and culture.
Shipping pets is a specialist business: ask your BAR Overseas Remover to recommend a reliable animal shipping company to help.
Your removal company will pay the freight charges to the shipping line and so will ask you to settle your bill before the shipment leaves the UK. This advance payment policy is standard practice throughout the overseas removal industry, but to safeguard customers, members of the BAR Overseas Group provide an Advance Payment Guarantee which covers you in the unlikely event of your moving company ceasing trading while your goods are in transit.
Before you start, be certain what has to go, what needs storage or what needs to be scrapped. A thorough evaluation of furniture and equipment is helpful to both parties. Produce a written statement, which can be referred to by both parties.
Do you really need more than three or four companies to tender? Having more than this takes up a lot of time and unnecessary expense for both your company and the moving company. It is also highly unlikely that each company will be quoting on precisely the same parameters so your eventual estimate will not be as accurate as it should be.
Take each moving contractor around your premises separately; making sure that the same member of your staff carries out this exercise each time. The specification given to each contractor should be consistent as this will help you evaluate the proposals put forward.
It is essential that factors affecting freedom of movement are known to the contractors. You should provide full details of lifts, parking facilities/restrictions and any limitation on hours of operation at both origin and destination.
Agree a timetable and programme within your own company and then commit it to writing, supplying a copy to each moving contractor. Bear in mind that summer and weekends are peak periods in the moving industry - you will save a lot of money by planning your timetable carefully. Give as much notice as possible, as both sides need time for planning.