The Biggest Risks of a Self-Move – Obvious and Hidden DIY Relocation Hazards

Every change is a challenge – it offers many opportunities and brings a lot of excitement, but causes great anxiety and presents a number of difficulties as well.

Moving house – one of the most life-changing events a person can ever experience – makes no exception. In fact, it poses an entire set of challenges – finding an appropriate new home, moving all your earthly possessions to a new location, leaving friends and familiarity behind, adjusting to a new environment, etc. Organizing and performing the actual relocation is quite a trial as well – you need to pack your belongings, find an efficient way to transport them to your new home, set up your new place, etc.

There is no doubt that when faced with a house move, you’ll try your best to overcome the challenges and ensure a smooth transition to your new life. And since you probably don’t trust anyone to take better care of your items than yourself, you may think that it will be best if you do it all yourself.

Performing a DIY move will certainly give you greater control of the relocation process (you will be able to do things at your own pace and in your own way) and may save you some troubles down the road (such as dealing with rogue movers, for example). Not to mention, that it seems to be a much cheaper option than hiring professional movers.

Yet, a self-move poses many risks that may easily result in a moving horror story unless properly assessed and adequately prevented.

So, before you make the brave decision of moving by yourself, make sure you’re well aware of the potential hazards (both obvious and hidden ones) and consider your other options as well – you may find that a DIY move is not worth the risk, after all.

Here are the biggest relocation risks you will face if you choose to move without professional help:

#1. OBVIOUS SELF-MOVING RISK: Damaged Items

The first image that comes to mind when thinking of the possible risks of moving house is a crushed box full of broken items. It is such a common scenario that people may actually be surprised if they find all their belongings intact upon delivery.

Yet, if you hire experienced packers to prepare your items for shipping and trustworthy movers to transport them to your new home, your possessions have every chance to survive the relocation safe and sound. The pros have the skills (rich experience and profound knowledge) and the resources (quality packing supplies and specialized moving equipment) to do the job right and ensure the best possible protection to your belongings. Besides, they offer insurance options that cover the cost of repairing/replacing items that have been lost or damaged while in their custody, so you can have your peace of mind.

If you decide on a self-move though, you put your belongings at great risk:

1) You may not be able to pack your items safely enough:

• You may not have appropriate packing materials;
• You may not know how to pack a box the right way;
• You may not be familiar with the specific packing techniques for different types of items – clothes, shoes, books, breakables, furniture, appliances, electronics, etc.;
• You may commit a major packing mistake, etc.

2) You may not be able to safely load/unload your items or secure them properly inside the moving vehicle:

• You may damage your belongings when taking them out of your home or when loading them on the moving vehicle (drop them, bump them against a wall or a door frame, etc.);
• You may not know how to properly pack the moving truck or how to prevent the items inside from shifting, toppling over, or bumping into each other during transit;
• You may damage your goods when unloading them at your final destination and taking them inside your new home.

3) Your items may get damaged or stolen during transit:

• You may not be able to safely navigate the large and heavy moving vehicle – any sharp turns, sudden stops, and/or quick accelerations during transportation may result in shocks or vibrations that can cause damage to your items;
• You may not have provided proper protection to your sensitive items – artwork, electronics, and other delicate articles may get damaged if they spend a lot of time on the road in extremely high or extremely low temperatures;
• You may get in a traffic accident and lose (or badly damage) your belongings;
• Your possessions may get stolen when you stop for a rest and leave the moving vehicle unattended for some time (during the night, while having a meal, etc.).

Additional useful information: Driving a moving truck tips

4) Your items may not have adequate insurance, so you’ll have to pay the full repair or replacement costs out of your pocket should something happen to your belongings on the road.

Related: Types of moving insurance

The possible damage to your items is one of the most obvious risks of moving by yourself, but it is not the only risk of damage during a self-move.

#2. HIDDEN SELF-MOVING RISK: Property Damage

While you will certainly think about the safety of your items when planning a DIY move, you will most probably forget about the safety of your home. Yet, your old house or apartment is at great risk on move-out day and your new place is at equally big risk on move-in day.

You may not have the proper equipment and technical know-how to safely take your items out of your old home or into your new one. This may easily result in:

• damaged floors – scratched hardwood floors, torn carpets, broken tiles, etc.;
• damaged walls and/or door frames – chipped or dented walls, chipped or broken door frames, etc.;
• damaged stairs – chipped staircase steps, broken banisters, etc.

Professional movers, on the other hand, bring appropriate moving equipment (utility dollies, furniture dollies, furniture pads, moving blankets, etc.) and take effective precautions to protect the home from damage. Besides, they have extensive experience handling all kinds of household items and know how to move every article in the safest and most efficient way possible. Your property will remain in excellent condition throughout the entire relocation process.

See also: How to prevent property damage when moving house

Essential moving equipment and tools to have when moving by yourself

#3. HIDDEN SELF-MOVING RISK: Personal Injuries

The misfortune of having your possessions or your property damaged during the relocation endeavor is outweighed only by the risk of getting hurt in the process. Accidents and injuries may not only ruin your moving experience, but also put yours and your loved ones’ health and well-being in danger, so they must be avoided at all costs.

A self-move, however, greatly increases the risk of personal injuries – you and your family members and friends will be doing a lot of heavy lifting, carrying large and awkwardly-shaped items around, straining yourselves to complete the job in time, etc.

Since you probably don’t have adequate training or experience lifting and hauling weighty objects, you’re quite likely to strain your back, pull a muscle, or sprain an ankle in the process. You may even trip and fall or drop a heavy box or piece of furniture on your feet and sustain a serious injury.

Also, keep in mind that young children and/or pets may get badly hurt or cause other people to get injured if they’re running around on Moving day, so they should be kept away from the moving chaos.

Related useful information: What to do on moving day

How to avoid injuries when moving house

If you hire professional movers, they will do all the hard work for you, so you won’t risk getting hurt during your relocation adventure. The experts will handle your move safely and efficiently – as already pointed out, they have proper moving equipment, specialized training, and rich experience and can successfully avoid injuries and accidents during the relocation process.

However regrettable they may be, damages, accidents, and injuries are only a few of the numerous risks of a self-move. Wasted time and money come next in the list of stressful DIY relocation hazards.

#4. OBVIOUS SELF-MOVING RISK: Lost Time

It’s no secret that moving house is quite a hassle, even if you have reliable relocation partners by your side. There are so many laborious tasks to complete, important decisions to make, and fastidious details to organize that you may be at a loss as to what to do and how to do it.

Yet, when you have professional moving assistance, your chosen movers will handle the actual relocation and will do all (or most of) the work for you. The pros can take care of your move from start to finish, so that you don’t need to worry about packing your items, loading and unloading the moving truck, transporting your goods to your new location, etc. and can turn your attention to other important matters (like saying a proper goodbye to your old house, your old friends, and your old life or taking care of the necessary paperwork).

When moving on your own, however, you’ll have to do everything yourself (or with the help of family and friends). The moving preparations will take a lot of time and effort:

• You will need to find an appropriate moving vehicle to transport your belongings to your new place – If you have a friend who can lend you their pick-up truck, this may be easy. If not, you’ll have to research truck rental companies in your area (check their legitimacy and reputation), see if they have a moving vehicle of the right size available for your preferred moving day, compare their rates and conditions, and rent a truck – this process alone can take a staggering amount of time (See also: Moving trucks guide);
• You will need to put the required paperwork in order – Collecting and organizing your documents (personal documents, financial papers, etc.), obtaining yours and your family members’ medical records and school records (if you have school-aged children), transferring your driver’s license and updating your car’s registration, changing your address with the USPS and transferring utilities will take about a month (See also: Important documents to take when moving);
• You will need to sort out your belongings and get rid of unwanted items – Allow yourself a day or so to inventory your items and be sure to decide the fate of your belongings at least a month before the move, so that you have enough time to sell some of your no-longer needed possessions (valuable items in good condition) and donate, give away, or recycle the rest of the stuff you’re not taking to your new home (See also: How to get rid of unwanted items when moving);

  

• You will need to pack up your home – The packing process can take from a couple of days to over a week (provided that you spend the whole day on the task), depending on how many items you have for moving and how difficult to pack they’re. Professional packers can complete the task in several hours. (Don’t forget that you’ll need some time to gather the necessary packing supplies as well.) See also: How to pack your home in 60 steps;
• You will need to load your items onto the moving vehicle – This task cannot be completed by one person, so you’ll need to convince a few good friends to come and give you a hand;
• You will need to transport your items to your new home – Driving to your final destination may take from several hours (for a local move) to about a week (for a cross-country move);
• You will need to unload and unpack your goods all by yourself (See also: Room by room unpacking checklist).

Every moving mistake or wrong decision will cost you some extra hours or even days, of course. Not only will you have to sacrifice a lot of your personal and work time to get everything accomplished, but you’ll also be completely exhausted by the end and will have no time and no energy left to explore your new area and adjust to your new environment before you start your new life.

See also: How long it takes to move house

#5. HIDDEN SELF-MOVING RISK: Lost Money

Using professional moving services saves plenty of time, everyone knows that. Yet, most people believe that hiring movers is expensive and performing a DIY move will save them plenty of money. Yet, this may not always be the case.

If you’re moving a short distance and don’t have too many items (and no specialty items) to relocate, a self-move may indeed be your cheaper option. If you’re relocating long distance though, you risk losing a lot of money if you try to move yourself:

• You’ll have to take plenty of time off work to organize and perform a DIY relocation (see above). If it is unpaid leave, you’ll lose a considerable amount of money in the process;
• You’ll have to pay the moving truck rental cost and may spend much more money than necessary if you don’t choose the right size vehicle;
• You’ll have to pay for fuel, road tolls, parking fees, and additional vehicle insurance – costs that are usually forgotten when making a self-moving budget;
• You’ll have to rent auxiliary moving equipment (dollies, furniture pads, moving straps, some tools, etc.) to facilitate your move and protect your items and your property from damage – for an extra cost, of course;

  

• You’ll likely spend too much money on packing materials (unless you decide to use substitutes and risk the safety of your items) – you probably don’t have any packing experience, so you won’t be able to pack your items efficiently enough and will use much more packing supplies than necessary (you may damage some materials during the packing process, may not be able to optimize the space in the moving boxes, etc.) (See also: Where to get free packing supplies);
• You may inflict damage on your property when taking your items out of your old home or into your new one (see above) and spend extra money on repairs (not to mention the expensive medical bills in the unfortunate event of personal injuries during the moving process);
• You may have to replace or repair some of your items if they get lost or damaged during the moving process (see above), parting with much of your hard-earned money;
• You may want to purchase additional moving insurance for your items (which will cost you an additional few hundred dollars);
• You’ll have to buy your friends who come to help you some food and drinks on moving day and some small gifts afterwards to show your appreciation for their help;
• You’ll have to pay for meals and lodgings, as you’ll spend several days on the road – small expenses that add up quickly and greatly increase the final cost of your move.

Additional useful information: Forgotten costs of moving on your own

You may lose up to a few thousand dollars, depending on the particular circumstances in your case and the severity of your self-moving mistakes (if any).

EXTRA SELF-MOVING RISK: Your Relationship with Your Friends May Suffer

You may not have thought about it, but a DIY move may have a negative impact on your relationship with your friends:

• You will ask your buddies for help and they won’t be happy to sacrifice their free time to assist you with your relocation endeavor. Not only will you be bothering them, but you may also put them at risk – an accident may happen on moving day and they may get hurt while helping you carry your items around. In the best case scenario, it will be an exhausting day of hard work.
• Some of your friends may not show up and you may be very disappointed with the people you thought you could always count on.

All things considered, a self-move is a very risky endeavor – you risk hours and even days of wasted time, broken household items, lost treasured possessions, property damage and personal injuries, and many costly moving mistakes. Hiring experienced movers is a much safer, easier, and more efficient (and, yes, even more cost-effective) way to have your items relocated to your new home.

So, when planning a house move and wondering whether to move yourself or use professional moving services, make sure you fill in a moving quote and get price estimates from several reputable movers to see what they have to offer. Then, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about your forthcoming relocation and avoid any unnecessary moving risks.

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