Moving Home in West Hampstead - What 30 Years in Removals Has Taught Me By Dennis Rogers, founder of Redpath Moving & Storage

I’ve been helping families move home around North and North West London for more than 30 years and, together with some brilliant people I’ve worked alongside over that time, I’ve been involved in more than 50,000 moves. So, it’s fair to say I’ve seen quite a few moving days.

West Hampstead is an area I know particularly well. It’s a lovely part of London, but from a removals point of view it can sometimes be a little more complicated than people expect.

NW6 has everything from large Victorian family houses and converted properties to those beautiful red-brick mansion blocks around West End Lane and Honeybourne Road. There are upper floor flats, narrow roads, controlled parking and often not much room for a removal vehicle.

None of those things are a problem if you know about them beforehand. The problems normally start when nobody has thought about them.

So, if you’re moving into, out of, or around West Hampstead, these are a few things I’d think about before moving day.

In West Hampstead, think about parking first

It might sound strange coming from a removals man, but before worrying about how many boxes you need, I’d think about where the removal vehicle is going to park.

Anyone who lives around West End Lane knows how busy it can get. If the vehicle can park directly outside, great. If it ends up 50 or 100 metres down the road, that’s a very different move. Every box, sofa, mattress and piece of furniture has to travel that extra distance.

So, if a parking suspension is needed, arrange it early and don’t forget the new address too. There’s no point having everything beautifully organised at one end and discovering we can’t get anywhere near the front door at the other.

Those beautiful mansion blocks can be interesting on moving day

One of the things that gives West Hampstead so much character is its architecture. Buildings such as Alexandra Mansions and Cumberland Mansions and the red brick blocks around Honeybourne Road are fantastic buildings with tons of charm. But, they aren’t always the easiest places to move furniture in and out of. I’ve lost count of the number of times a customer has said, “Don’t worry, there’s a lift.” Then you look at the lift and realise the larger furniture definitely isn’t going in it.

Older mansion blocks and converted houses can have narrow staircases, awkward turns, small lifts and several flights of stairs. That’s why a proper pre-move survey matters. An experienced surveyor should be looking at the building as well as the furniture. We sometimes measure furniture and doorways because I’d much rather discover during the survey that something needs dismantling than have four men discover it at noon on moving day.

If there’s a porter, concierge or managing agent, check the building rules too. Some lifts need to be booked, some buildings have specific moving times and others want removals to use a particular entrance. Five minutes asking those questions can save an awful lot of aggravation.

Sometimes a smaller removal vehicle is actually better

People quite reasonably assume that the biggest removal lorry must be the best option. It isn’t always. There are roads around West Hampstead where two smaller specialist vehicles make far more sense than one enormous lorry. If you already have access to the new property and it’s local, a few trips in a smaller vehicle can sometimes work brilliantly too. The vehicle needs to suit the move and the road, not just the volume of furniture.

After 30 years in removals I’ve learnt that the easiest moves are normally the ones where these decisions have already been made before the crew arrives. You really don’t want to start working out the logistics with a lorry sitting in the road and the neighbours trying to get their cars out.

Don’t leave all the packing until the last minute

Packing is a crucial part of the move and nearly always takes longer than people think. If you’re doing it yourself, start with the things you don’t use very often and label boxes properly. Not just “bedroom” if you have four bedrooms, write which room they belong in. It makes an enormous difference at the new property.

We have put together a helpful video to help you with your packing which can be viewed here: packing video

Please don’t fill large boxes with books. Our crews are strong chaps but they have their limits too. Use smaller cartons for heavy items and keep passports, medicines, keys, chargers and important paperwork with you.

Around 50% of our clients ask us to pack for them. A good packing team can work through the property systematically and leave you free to deal with everything else that comes with moving home. It’s often not as expensive as people imagine and can completely change the moving experience. At Redpath Moving & Storage we also offer a settling in service whereby we’ll unpack and put away everything too, this is usually completed the day after delivery.

Completion day doesn’t always run to the clock

If you’re selling and buying at the same time, the removals team can load the whole property and be ready to go, but until the keys are released for the new home, progress comes to a standstill. Usually it all happens nicely but sometimes, everyone waits.

I’ve spent a lot of my working life dealing with completion days and you learn not to panic when things run late. A decent removals company understands how completion works and builds some flexibility into the day.

At Redpath, if one team is delayed waiting for keys, other teams that finish earlier will often go and support them with the unload. That teamwork can make a real difference at the end of a long moving day.

It’s also worth having a Plan B. Sales get delayed, building work overruns and sometimes a new property simply isn’t ready. If there’s any doubt, ask about storage before moving day rather than afterwards. Secure storage for a week or two can take an enormous amount of pressure out of the situation.

A little bit about us

At Redpath Moving & Storage, we move clients throughout West Hampstead, NW6 and across North and North West London. We’re members of the British Association of Removers and we’re also an accredited Which?? Trusted Trader. We provide removals, professional packing and unpacking, secure storage and specialist services for items such as fine art and grand pianos.

We prioritise providing a high quality, reliable service rather than being the cheapest option – it really isn’t possible to do both. I always say you should choose the removals company you feel confident in, rather than simply the lowest price. On moving day you need a reliable partner in your corner.

For me, after all these years, a good removals company should do a few fairly simple things very well, turn up on time, provide an experienced team with a can-do attitude, look after the customer’s home and possessions properly, and do what they’ve promised without any fuss.

Whether we’re moving somebody from one of the lovely red brick mansion blocks near West End Lane, a family house near Fortune Green or elsewhere in fabulous NW6, that’s still what matters most.

To arrange a free moving quotation, please visit Redpath Moving & Storage or call Redpath Moving & Storage on 020 3432 2340.