If you need some a removalist to help you move certain items, but you'd like to be involved in the work, here are some tips to follow.

Put the items you want to carry in a separate pile

If you only want the removals team to move specific items (for example, your heavy book collection and bulky gardening equipment), then you should put the things you'd prefer to carry and load yourself into a separate pile from these. This will ensure that you and the removalists are not constantly in each other's way.

It will also mean that the removalists will not accidentally pick up any items that you'd prefer to move by yourself. This is important, for if this happens, you will need to search for these boxes in the back of their van and take them out before they can get going. On a related note, you should also label all of your boxes and perhaps put stickers in a particular colour on the boxes that you are happy for the removalists to take.

Finally, if the removalists point out that some of the items you had planned to transport yourself would be safer if they transported them, take them up on their offer to move them for you. For example, they might observe that the valuable oil painting you had planned to put in your car would be less likely to get torn or dented if they put it in their van than it if were stuffed into your vehicle's much smaller backseat.

Do not offer to move any big items

Even if you feel you are capable of carrying one of your bigger belongings, it's still best to get the removals team to do this if they have lifting equipment that they can use to carry it. No matter how careful you are, the chances of this large item being damaged will be greater if you carry it than if they do this with their equipment.

This is because if they use lifting equipment like a hand trolley, their walk to their van with this item won't require them to balance it and their view of the upcoming floor or ground won't be obscured by it because it won't be in their arms. As such, they won't drop it, trip over anything or collide with any other items, and the item will get to the van without being broken.