Get a move on!
It’s that time of the year when all Hong Kong mamas start studying realty agency window displays and browsing for options on websites like Spacious, Squarefoot and 28Hse. After all, the goal of relocating within Hong Kong is to get a little closer to your children’s school, while not compromising on your own commute to work and your favourite hangouts (having access to a playground, gym and swimming pool wouldn’t hurt either!). Despite the need and desire to move to a bigger and better place, the thought of packing, moving, unpacking and reinstalling every bit of furniture and appliances is daunting. The good news is that there are a host of services you can use to make the big move a whole lot easier.
Read more: Expat Moving Guide: How To Pick The Right School For Your Kids In Hong Kong
Relocating within Hong Kong: Pre-move checklist
You’ve found your dream home. Now what? These quick steps will get you move-ready in no time:
- Make a note of the measurements of your new home. Check whether your old furniture, especially large items like the sofa, dining table and beds fit in. With children’s and helper rooms varying greatly in size in different residential complexes, this is often where you have the most difficulty.
- Keep track of all possible stumbling blocks while moving, including whether the property is a walk-up, has narrow landing stairs, has a separate service lift with fixed hours of operation and has parking facilities for the movers. This will affect the quote you get from your chosen movers.
- Scan through everything you have in your current house and decide what is going with you to the new home (it’s amazing how much we seem to hoard). Donate or sell everything that is not making the trip well before your moving date.
- Last but not the least, call in the movers for a quote and then pick the one most suited to your needs. Depending on the budget and the amount of time (and patience!) you have, you could choose to pack everything yourself and only use a company to help with the actual move.
Since the last step is often key to a stress-free moving experience, we have rounded up some of the best local and international relocation companies in Hong Kong. Take your pick from the list below!
Read more: Cull The Clutter: Your Guide To Donation Resources In Hong Kong
Movers and Packers in Hong Kong
With a tagline that says “The Careful Movers”, Allied Pickfords’ promise is reliability. As a well-established domestic and international moving services company, it has been moving families for 400 years. Yes, you read that right! Allied Pickfords started services in the 17th century and believes it has learnt more than a thing or two along the way!
Allied Pickfords, available across Hong Kong, 2736 6032, www.alliedpickfords.com
With an eye-catching logo, you’re sure to have seen these trucks and vans across the city. Asian Tigers offers complete packing and moving services, along with comprehensive insurance and easy claims settlement. What’s more, there’s an effort to use recyclable packing materials.
Asian Tigers Mobility, available across Hong Kong, 2528 1384, [email protected], www.asiantigers-mobility.com
For relocating within Hong Kong and internationally (including pet relocations), you can’t go wrong with Crown Relocations. Each relocation is coordinated by a dedicated move manager who advises, supports and updates customers at every step – from pre-move planning until they are well settled in the new home. Feel pampered, much?
Crown Relocations, available across Hong Kong, 2636 8399, [email protected], www.crownrelo.com
Another well-known name in the moving business in Hong Kong, Expert Movers also offers value-adds like cleaning and handyman services. Like many others in this field, it also offers storage and disposal facilities.
Expert Mover, available across Hong Kong, 2566 4799, [email protected], www.expertmover.hk
With a unique system putting a moving charge to each item, IKA allows clients to juggle budgets by adding or removing items off the list. Besides moving, IKA also offers short or long-term storage service.
IKA Removal, available across Hong Kong, 2323 2233, [email protected], www.ika.com
Established in 1999, Royal Movers has been serving Hong Kong for 20 years, offering house and office moving as well as storage solutions, ideal for relocating within Hong Kong.
Royal Movers, available across Hong Kong, 9341 9209, [email protected], Royal Movers (Facebook)
Another well-established company offering both domestic and international relocations, Santa Fe has been around for 120 years. Besides a pre-move consultation, this company also offers an in-home or virtual survey.
Santa Fe Relocation, available across Hong Kong, 2574 6204, [email protected], www.santaferelo.com
Established in Hong Kong in 2010, Setia Movers come highly recommended by those who have tried them and have found them fast, efficient and reliable. The company proudly claims that 90% of its business is purely from referrals.
Setia Movers, available across Hong Kong, 3540 1149, WhatsApp: 5501 8891, [email protected], www.setiamovers.com
This one has been around since 1960 (watch its simple ad made way back in the ’80s here)! The company claims to handle over 5,000 relocations every year. It focusses mainly on Hong Kong but also serves Macau through its partner networks.
Yan Yan Transportation, available across Hong Kong, 2388 6883, [email protected], www.yanyan.hk
Yiu Ming Removal Co.
Though 100% legit, you won’t be able to read Yiu Ming’s website because it has always operated purely on word of mouth!
Yiu Ming Removal Co., available across Hong Kong, 2887 8605, [email protected]
Settling In
Once the hard work of moving is done, you need to get to work settling in. Make sure the house has had a deep clean, pest control done and essential services like water and electricity established (use the HK government’s change of address service). You may need to call a handyman to fix in some bits and bobs, but in no time at all, your new house will be home, sweet home.
