The building · III
A managed building
Purpose-built blocks, mansion flats and new riverside developments. The lifting is usually easier than a conversion; the arranging is considerably harder, and it starts weeks earlier than most people expect.
In a managed building the move happens when the building says it happens. Everything else follows from that.
What a managed building requires
Book the building before you book us
That is not modesty — it is the correct order. The building controls the day, the hours and the lift, and its diary fills before ours does. Weekend slots in a large development go first and go quickly.
Once you have a window, tell us and we will work to it. Until you have one, any date we hold is provisional and we will say so rather than implying otherwise.
The height restriction decides the vehicle
Underground and covered loading bays have a headroom limit, and it is frequently lower than a full-size removals vehicle. That single number changes the vehicle, the number of trips and therefore the day.
It is on the building's move information sheet, and where it is not, the concierge knows it. It is the first thing we ask about a development and the thing customers most often have not checked.
Mansion blocks are their own category
Older mansion flats combine the rules of a managed building with the staircase of a conversion: a porter, a booking sheet, stated hours — and a lift car built in the nineteen-twenties that will not take a wardrobe.
Measure the lift car and, separately, the lift door opening. They are different numbers and the opening is the one that stops furniture.
When the lift is out
It happens, and a crew sized for a lift cannot absorb a stair job. We ask about the lift's reliability at booking, and in blocks with a history we crew for stairs from the outset rather than discovering the problem at eight in the morning.
A managed building
Questions about a managed building
- 01
What does the building usually ask for?
A booked window, our public liability insurance certificate, and sometimes a method statement. Newer developments may also issue fobs or access cards for the crew.
- 02
How early should we book the slot?
As early as the building will accept one, particularly for a weekend. This is the single thing most worth doing before anything else.
- 03
Why do you ask about the loading bay height?
Because it decides the vehicle. A covered bay with low headroom means a smaller vehicle and more trips, and that has to be in the quotation rather than discovered on the ramp.
- 04
Do you measure the lift?
Yes, and two numbers: the car and the door opening. People measure the car, conclude the sofa fits, and find on the day it cannot get through the doors to be angled inside.
- 05
Can you move in and out of the same building?
Frequently — an internal move between flats. It needs two bookings rather than one and the building will usually want both confirmed.
- 06
What about a new-build handover?
Developer handover dates move more than resale completions do. Keep the booking provisional until the developer confirms in writing, and tell us the moment they do.
What kind of address is it?
Both addresses, and what kind of building each one is. That second answer tells us how many people have to agree before anything can happen.