Month: April 2016

Moving in the military is a challenge, but knowing what to do with your belongings during your move doesn’t have to be. There are options available to you as a member of the armed forces to keep your items safe during a permanent change of station.

When it comes to moving in the military, your options depend on the length of time for storage:

Short Term Storage

If your storage needs are not likely to exceed 90 days, you’ll be looking for storage-in-transit options. Many private companies offer storage-in-transit storage for military personnel to provide a safe and secure place to store your belongings without paying for a long-term contract that you don’t need. This option is great when you’re facing an unexpected move and need storage options fast.

Long-Term Storage

If your storage needs are likely to exceed 90 days, you’ll be looking for non-temporary storage. This more extended storage option is right for military personnel who are facing long-term or overseas training in addition to restricted assignments. Depending on the situation, you may be entitled to non-temporary storage benefits if you’re unable to take all of your belongings with you during an international tour.

There are lots of resources and benefits for military personnel to cover your storage needs, but knowing how long you’ll need a storage unit is the first step.

Moving in the military is a service we provide at Nilson Van. We offer moving as well as storage options to provide you with a full-service moving experience. Find out more about our military services.

Moving internationally presents significant challenges, even when everything goes as planned. In the process, there are many opportunities for damages to occur, even those that are purely accidental. If your couch shows up in your new home as a sectional, even though it was all one piece when you left, you may not know who to talk to about the damage to your item.

If damage occurs to your belongings when moving internationally, you should direct your concerns to one of two places:

1. The Moving Company

The first place to go if damage occurs is direct to your moving company. It’s not advisable to bring up your concerns with the movers because they won’t be able to help solve the problem, and telling the movers doesn’t guarantee that they’ll follow through on it.

It’s best to read the contract of your moving company and talk to someone in the business that can handle the matter. They’ll be able to provide you with information to open a claim if they have their own liability insurance covering your belongings.

2. Your Moving Insurance Company

You may have opted to purchase moving insurance. If your moving company does not cover the damages, the next place to go is to your moving insurance company. As long as you declared the damaged item, you should be able to submit a claim for reimbursement.

Broken items during an international move are not always preventable, but knowing where to go when damage occurs will leave you feeling less stressed about that possibility.

Nilson Van is well acquainted with the process of moving internationally. Contact us to find out more about our international moving services and how we can help move your items overseas.

Commercial moves/business relocations mean you’ll have to move those impossibly heavy filing cabinets and giant desks. If the thought of moving a single filing cabinet about five feet is already tiring you out, imagine dozens!

You might be asking yourself, “Do I need to empty out all the desks and filing cabinets before the move?”

Commercial moves/business relocations generally need to have all desks and filing cabinets emptied for a couple of reasons:

1. Sheer Weight

The weight of a fully stocked filing cabinet brings to mind heavy things like cars, elephants, and other items you can’t lift with a single hand. The weight of the files can make just moving a cabinet into a 3- or 4-man job. Although moving it can be done, it becomes a safety issue for anyone moving it.

Lateral filing cabinets definitely need to be empty because the weight is distributed over a wider area, making it harder to lift. On the other hand, vertical cabinets may retain some of their contents if it’s not too heavy. If in doubt, empty the cabinet to avoid having to empty it on moving day when things can get misplaced.

2. Small Loose Items

Desks like to collect things. Little things such as paper clips, white out bottles, and pens. Although the doors of your desks should be taped, it’s easy for the tape to come undone and for little items to shower the ground, creating serious risks during the move. It’s best to empty out desks of everything to make it lighter and less risky for things to fall out.

With a little organization and preparation, your large items will be lighter on the day of your move.

Nilson Van offers professional services for commercial moves/business relocations. Contact us today to find out how we can help during your next commercial move.

Interstate residential moves mean that your moving company will be driving a long distance to get your belongings to your new home. When the distance is a factor in your move, weight becomes a significant concern in determining the final cost.

Moving companies handle this by writing the contract for your move in one of two ways: as a binding or non-binding estimate.

For residential moves, we will briefly discuss the characteristics of a binding and non-binding estimate:

1. Binding Estimate

A binding estimate involves setting a fixed price for your move that will not change on the day of your move. This type of assessment can give you peace of mind by knowing how much you’ll spend ahead of time. However, baseline binding estimates are generally higher to account for weight variances.

The challenge with binding estimates is that you must know what will be moved and what will not. If there are new items to move on the day of your move, and those items were outside of the original estimate, you may incur an additional fee. This variable can be overcome by having a clear understanding of what will be moved and what will stay behind.

If there are items that aren’t readily visible (such as an outdoor tool shed), the moving company may not be able to provide a binding estimate. This uncertainty is because the weight of your belongings, in this case, cannot be accurately determined.

2. Non-Binding Estimate

A non-binding estimate gives you a specific number before your move, but that number may change depending on the final weight of your items on the day of your move. If the final weight of your belongings is higher than the original estimate, you’ll end up paying more for your move. If the weight is lower than the initial estimate, you’ll pay less.

If you’re unsure which items are going to be included in your final move or have items that are not visible during your estimate, it may be necessary to perform a non-binding estimate.

At Nilson Van, we do our best to give the most accurate estimates for residential moves. Contact one of our moving professionals today to get your moving process in motion.