When is the best time of year to move home, summer or winter? There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Here's a helpful overview for you to consider.

The cost of moving

Generally, peak moving season is during the spring and summer months and this can mean that rates are higher. However, bear in mind that removal prices are based on other factors such as distance to be travelled, quantity of items to be moved, and storage requirements. Therefore, if you have a lot of stuff to shift, an autumn or winter move might work out cheaper.

Availability and scheduling

Apart from at holiday time, the winter is generally quieter for removal firms, allowing greater flexibility for scheduling. If you can move midweek, you should also find that removalists have greater availability than at weekends.

However, bear in mind that available light can also mean that moving days are shorter so you may need to extend a one day move over two days, costing you more.

Your move and the weather

The items that you are moving will to some extent dictate the season during which you move.

Some items like antique furniture, paintings, and musical instruments can be extremely sensitive to temperature changes so a spring move may be better in this case. Expert moving companies can also provide a temperature controlled moving facility for particularly valuable items, although this may prove more expensive.

If you're planning on moving living plants from your garden or home, a hot summer's day could spell disaster, especially if the journey to your new place is a long one. You could take some of your greenery in your air-conditioned car, but larger items would have to travel in the removal van, where ventilation is minimal and temperatures could become hot enough to stress and kill your plants.

Although a winter move may work out cheaper, bear in mind that you will have to take pot luck with the weather on the day of your move. If it's pouring with rain or snow, just transporting your goods from your house to the removal van can be fraught with risk. Travel problems could also mean that your carefully planned relocation may have to be rescheduled.

In conclusion

As you can see, there are pros and cons for both winter and summer moves. On balance it would seem that moving during the spring and autumn months would be a good idea when the weather is less likely to be extreme, rates are lower, and scheduling is more flexible.

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