EXPERT
we’re safely on our way to the customers’ house”
francais,” tends to be useful as does gauche and droite! We arrive on time at the
Heavy liſting comes with the job
MONDAY Not a bad night’s sleep but it’s an early start as the boat docked at about 6am. If you want breakfast, you certainly have to be up early for it. I opt for a full English as I know it will be a long and busy day! Back to the cabin to collect my bag and then it’s off to the truck to be called off the boat. Once safely off the ship,
with the green light from the customs office, we’re on our way to the customers’ house. We’ve calculated an approximate ETA of 1.30pm; Glenn calls the customer so they know we’ve arrived in France and have an idea of the time we’ll reach the house. As it’s a seven-and-a-half-
hour drive to Chamboret, Haute-Vienne, we have a few stops at French service stations en route. They’re always so much cleaner and tidier than in the UK. We buy a couple of baguettes and then it’s back in the truck for the last few hours to the customers’ house. I’ve picked up a few French
phrases during the years. “Je suis anglaise et parle un peu de
property and meet Mr and Mrs Smith who are waiting for us with the key so that we’re able to start unloading their furniture and possessions. Luckily, access to the property was no problem, so we’re able to get the van close by and unload. Where the access to a property is difficult, the customer must always tell our surveyors so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
night heater to warm up the truck. Our accommodation varies depending on the type of move, the area of France and the weather. Sometimes, if the customer is moving into a château-type property and has enough room, they accommodate us in the property. Tonight, it won’t be quite such an inspiring setting as Glenn and I will be in the sleeping pod over the van!
TUESDAY Today we complete the delivery and unload the remaining items of furniture and boxes into the customers’ house. We reassemble non-specialist items such as beds, free- standing wardrobes, dressers and bookcases. Another happy customer starting a new life in
“With the green light from the customs office,
France. For us it’s time to say au revoir and make our way to Poitiers to collect the household effects for our next customer, a previous Burke Bros client who has chosen to return to the UK. We’ll be loading the van and heading back to the UK and back to the depot to store their effects until their house in the UK is ready for delivery of the furniture.■
burkebros.co.uk
Luckily, access was easy this time REMOVALS TO FRANCE TOP TIPS
1. SHARE THE LOAD If you don’t need the use of a full-sized van, your removal company should be able to offer a part-load service. This will involve your consignment of belongings travelling to France on a shared vehicle with other customers. You won’t have to pay for the cost of a sole- use vehicle, just the space you need.
Unloading gets underway This is day one of the unload
and the rest of the items will be unloaded tomorrow. Tonight, we’re sleeping in the van, so it’s fortunate that I have my trusty sleeping bag and we’ve come equipped with a
2. SAFE KEEPING The majority of people moving to France will need to put their furniture into UK storage while waiting for a property purchase to be completed. The challenge of synchronising the two legal systems has been made more difficult by Brexit. Do note that your household effects cannot be taken into a French warehouse unless you already own a property in France.
3. KEY TO THE DOOR If the van arrives at the property before the owner has arrived with the key, any waiting time will be added to your costs. Ensure that someone is already there with the key or, if possible, give a spare key to the remover.
4. BOXING CLEVER How much packing the mover does depends on your quotation and/or service specification. If you are paying for a total service, leave it to the professionals. If you are doing your own packing, don’t underestimate how long it will take and invest in the best packing materials to best protect your belongings.
Make sure someone is waiting at the property to meet the removals team
5. ACCESS ALL AREAS It’s important to discuss with your chosen mover if the access to your property is difficult as sometimes this will require the removal company to use a smaller van to shuttle the goods to the property. As a guide, we advise that a moving van requires about 50 feet of parking space. The closer the van can park to your property, the better for a more efficient and safe removal of possessions.
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: July/August 2023 63
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