Apartments
Where the building sets the plan
In a house the contents decide the day. In an apartment the building does — the lift, the porter, the permitted window and where a vehicle may stand.
Four things the building decides
- The lift. Whether there is one, whether it needs booking, and whether it will take furniture or only people.
- The window. Many blocks permit moves only between set hours. That window, not the volume, sets the shape of the day.
- The protection. Managing agents frequently require the lift and communal floors to be covered. We carry what is needed if we know in advance.
- The standing. Where the vehicle goes, for how long, and how far the carry is from there to the door.
Mansion blocks
Pinner has a good stock of interwar blocks, and they are generally run properly: a porter who knows the building, a booking system that works, and rules that exist for good reasons.
The one recurring problem is the lift itself, built when furniture was expected to go up the stairs. Where a sofa will not fit, the options are dismantling or the staircase — decided at survey, not in the lobby.
Above the parades
Flats over the shops around the station and at Rayners Lane are usually reached by a side door and a straight, steep flight. Perfectly workable; the constraint is the traffic outside rather than the building.
We pick a loading window against the traffic and work to it instead of arriving and negotiating.
Newer buildings
Lifts, bays and a management company with a booking system — the easiest apartments in HA5 to move, provided somebody has made the booking. The building will usually only discuss it with a resident, so that part falls to you, and we plan around whatever window you are given.
Downsizing
A good share of apartment moves here are people leaving a larger house. That means more furniture than the flat will take and a decision about what goes into storage while the family works out who wants what.
We would rather build that into the plan from the start than improvise it halfway through a loading day. Larger houses are covered on the detached and semi page.
Worth knowing
Apartment moves, before you book
What do you need from the building?
Whether there is a lift and whether it needs booking; the permitted loading window if there is one; any protection the block requires; and where the vehicle may stand. Most blocks will only discuss those with a resident.
Mansion blocks — anything particular?
A porter to speak to, a lift built for people rather than furniture, and communal areas that the managing agent expects to be protected. All ordinary, all worth arranging before the day.
Is a stair carry a problem?
It changes the crew and the hours rather than whether the job works. What matters is knowing about it in advance so the quote reflects it.
Can you move a flat above a parade?
Yes — usually through a side door and up a straight steep flight. The loading window is set by the traffic rather than the building, so we pick a time and work to it.
Is a studio worth a full removal?
No — that is a man-and-van job and it is quoted as one. We will tell you which service you actually need rather than selling the larger one.
Send the block name and the floor.
Between those two we can usually tell you what needs booking and what the day looks like before anybody visits.