IS DIY Moving Actually Cheaper Than Full Service Relocation At The End of the Move?

Do you think that renting a U-Haul truck and doing your own move is cheaper than hiring a local or long distance moving company for your relocation? You might be shocked to find out the truth.
By: Kary Movers Ltd
 
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Finding the best moving company and way to move your home or office
Finding the best moving company and way to move your home or office
EDMONTON, Alberta - Sept. 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Most people who decide that they want to save money on moving will rent a truck and equipment to do it themselves. In many cases, these moves can actually cost more when all factors are considered and added up.

When you see the rental companies promoting rentals for $59.00, there are other costs that must be factored into your moving expenses in order to get the whole picture to do it yourself versus having a professional team come in and do it all for you.

For the purpose of this article we will consider a move at 300 miles total. We will also factor this example in Miles as used by U-Haul. Regardless of being in Canada or the United States, the mileage is in miles not kilometers. Fuel is Gasoline in these trucks so we will use the average Canadian cost of fuel at $1.09 per litre.

So your rental for 2 days breaks down as follows,
Rental $59.00 x 2 = $118.00 plus 5% GST = $123.90
Insurance $29.00 x 2 = $58.00 plus 5% GST = $60.90
Mileage 300 x $0.49 = $147.00
Fuel $200.00
Hotel for 1 night for 2 persons $119.00
Hiring help to load and unload $50 per hour at average of 6 hours loading and 5 hours unloading a 24-foot truck = $550.00 (or food and beverages for friends)
Moving Blankets / Pads, dollies and tie downs = $100.00 + GST = $105.00
Lock $10.00 + GST = $10.50
Meals $100.00

Total estimated cost of DIY with only the above factored into your expenses is $1,460.30, which would be the equivalent of moving from Edmonton to Calgary. These costs can get much higher depending on which rental company you select and number of miles driven, days to move, days off work for moving and any damages which could be prevented by using a licensed moving company with a positive reputation (check your local BBB).

Now based on rates charged by Edmonton & Vancouver-based Kary Movers, this move could have been done by professionals for approximately $1550, plus GST $1,627.50. This move can be done in less time and you would not even have to deal with the driving of the truck, rental pick up and return, dealing with getting your personal vehicle from point a to point b, etc.

Let's assume that your friends you have helping scratch a hardwood floor, put a couch foot through a wall or break a TV. We will go very low on the cost of repair or replacement of one damaged item at $200. Your do it yourself has now cost you $32.00 more than hiring a professional team to do your move.

By not hiring a professional moving company with workers' compensation coverage, if someone gets injured during your move the costs can be exponential. Even if you hire a "professional" company that does not have Workers' Compensation coverage, you can personally be held financially liable for that person's injuries.

Many people call the major van lines to get pricing and their items are loaded into a truck, transferred to another with other shipments. If that other shipment has bed bugs or pest issues, these can now transfer to your contents. The van lines also tend to be the highest pricing for your moving needs. If you look to smaller, reputable companies, such as Kary Movers Ltd or Canadian Relocation Specialists, they will provide the same or higher level of service, provide an exclusive truck where your goods will be loaded onto the truck and your goods are the only ones on that shipment. The items are not transferred to another truck and do not share space providing less chance of damage and loss. You will deal with the same team leader at both ends of your move.

Movers are handling, in most cases, all of your worldly possessions and it is essential that you feel comfortable working with your moving company through every step of the process.

You can hire professional moving helpers to assist in loading and unloading of your rental truck as well. If you do this for a local move, for example using U-Haul's Moving Help service, you can hire 2 helpers at $70 per hour (even in Canada you are paying US dollars, which at 1.24 CDN = 1.00 USD, so now it is $86.80 CAD). You are still paying the truck rental, fuel, mileage, etc. You could have hired Kary Movers Ltd for about $105 per hour (mid-month rate) which would include the two professional movers, insurance, WCB coverage, fuel, truck, equipment, moving pads, etc.; for less than an extra $20 over hiring just the help alone, you are already so far ahead.

You may be able to rent a U-HAUL for a day as advertised for a set price, but the reality is not the same as what you think. First of all, you are only going to get the truck for 4-6 hours during month end if doing a local move. They also may send you a hundred or so kilometres to a location to pick it up and it may not even be there. The company rents the truck several times a day, charging each person a day rental and a day's worth of insurance but does not allow you to rent it for the full 24 hours or anywhere near that amount of time. Try even renting a 12-by-8-foot trailer in Edmonton. You can reserve it online and when they call you a day or two prior to your scheduled pick up day and time you will find out that you are actually only going to be able to rent it for 6 hours even though you reserved it online for 6 days. Now what do you do?

Feel free to contact Kary Movers Ltd for local and long distance moving for your home and office relocation needs.

Alberta (780) 454-2414    www.karymoversedmonton.com

British Columbia (604) 687-1746     www.karymovers.com

Disclosure - Author works for Kary Movers Ltd http://www.karymoversedmonton.com

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Source:Kary Movers Ltd
Email:***@karymovers.com Email Verified
Tags:Moving, Movers, Truck Rental, Move, Household Movers, Real Estate, Edmonton, Vancouver, Local, Long-distance
Industry:Business, Consumer, Energy, Furniture, Home, Hotels, Mortgage, Property, Real Estate, Transportation
Location:Edmonton - Alberta - Canada
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