Hidden Costs of Shifting in SG & Tips to Dodge Them

Planning to move on the weekends? Drop that idea, you will be charged more surcharges and face hidden costs on the move if you’re planning a weekend move. The moving company in Singapore suggests that an off-season weekday move is the best schedule to save significantly.

Besides, no matter how much you plan or book in advance, it’s often nearly impossible to dodge the hidden costs of a move. Unless you know what exactly you will be charged for, and all the ways to secure the best offer prices.

So, before you look for cheap movers in SG, read this blog to know all about the hidden costs of a move, and how you can dodge them.

What Are The Common Surcharges On A Move?

Firstly, it’s common knowledge that you will be charged more for moving a huge assortment, but that’s not the only factor that can rack up your bills. Here are some of the common surcharges on a home move in Singapore-

Staircase / Walk-Up Fees

Charged when there is no lift access or if furniture is too large for the lift. Typically ranges from SGD 20 to SGD 50 for every floor the movers have to carry items.

Long Distance Push

This charge is applicable when the move truck cannot park directly at the loading bay or lift lobby. If the walking distance to your unit entrance is over 20–50 meters, expect a shuttle/push fee of about SGD 10–30 per way.

Bulky Item Charges

Specifically for heavy items over 50kg or oversized, awkward objects like pianos, pool tables, safes, or large marble tables.

Dismantling & Assembly

While some movers include basic furniture disassembly, many charge extra (SGD 20–100+) to dismantle complex items like large wardrobes or custom storage beds.

Weekend, Public Holiday, or After-Hours Fees

Moving outside of standard working hours (e.g., after 6 PM, on Sundays, or Public Holidays) often incurs an overtime/after-hours surcharge due to higher manpower and transport costs.

Waiting Time Fees

If your condo management only allows lift bookings at specific times, or if they take time to approve entry permits, any waiting time incurred by the movers will be billed (usually around SGD 30–50 per hour)

Now you are aware of all the things that can add to your moving quote. You can plan the move schedule accordingly and discard all the unwanted things more responsibly to dodge fines.

How Much Does Removal Service Cost In Singapore?

Even though you can plan to declutter and remove all the things that you aren’t moving on your own. There are extra charges for throwing away bulky items, even if you are moving with assistance from a moving company in Singapore; you can’t completely dodge them. The best option is to know the common charges and what you must pay the movers. 

Bulky Disposal Fees Exist

Disposal of heavy or bulky objects carries additional charges, even with a mover.

Condition of the Home

Heavy oil or grease (from the kitchen), mould in bathrooms, or many scuff marks will result in additional costs.

Specialized Add-ons

If you have specialised services in your removal package, including clearing the debris using specialised chemicals like formaldehyde, it will add to your total.

Supplies and Equipment

The typical flat-rate move-out bundle will come with equipment and cleaning chemicals, but an hourly service will most likely mean that you will need to provide your own.

So when you move, discard all the debris and cluttered items responsibly so you can save on both fines and extra charges on removal. Also, the hidden charges that the movers might impose may affect your budget; enquire about them before the move.

How to Avoid Hidden Fees?

Now that you are aware of all the hidden charges on the actual move and the removal service, you can also plan to dodge them. Here’s how to do it-

Get a Written, Binding Quote

Do not accept a verbal or text estimate for the move. Demand a detailed binding quote that locks the final price for the move. 

Declare Every Single Item

List all the bulky items, heavy appliances, and box count accurately to prevent last-minute “add-on” charges.

Disclose Your Walkway Distance

Inform the movers if your condo or HDB has a long walkway from the unloading deck to the building to avoid “long-push/carry” charges.

Check for Lift Maintenance

Make sure you inquire with your local authorities about the availability of elevators in your building on moving day.

Ask About Material Costs

Be sure to check if the quote includes bubble wrap, tape, and boxes or if there is a cost incurred for packaging materials.

These tips will come in handy when you plan to move homes next time. Also, if you are hiring a removal service for discarding all the bulky items in your home after a seasonal home clean-up.

What Are Some Hacks To Save On The Move?

Lastly, moving services can be really costly, especially if you are hiring professional movers for a full move. So, before you hire professionals, use these hacks to plan a budget-friendly move-

Snag Free Supermarket Boxes

If you can, skip buying boxes for the move and find sturdy ones from your local stores. You might score some free boxes.

Score Used Boxes on Carousell

Check the Carousell app and reach out to the homeowner who recently moved, and clearing out moving boxes, get it from them for free/cheap.

Wrap Fragiles in Linens

Wrap your fragile ceramic plates, bowls, and mugs in your bath towels and socks to avoid any extra bubble wrap costs. 

Book Off-Peak Moving Dates

Move your household during mid-month and on a weekday from Tuesday to Thursday to escape any extra weekend charges.

Transfer Utilities Early

Arrange your SP Services and internet transfer in advance to escape the double charge on your overlapping flat tenancy.

For saving on the move, the best part is to find a moving service that’s both affordable and reliable. Damaging things while moving DIY is a greater expense on its own, so avoid doing that and move with expert assistance only.

To Summarise

Therefore, choose a reliable moving company in Singapore that offers a cost-effective binding quote before the move. Also, the breakdown is transparent, and any surcharges are discussed in advance, so that you are not met with surprise charges after the move.

Book with the movers in advance so that you get your desired move slot. Also, you get service at discounted prices when service availability is high. Understand all the norms and regulations of the town estate or the private condo you are moving into to avoid fines.

Save Your Back! 7 Pro Hacks to Move Heavy Furniture Safely

Moving homes entails a lot of heavy lifting, and it’s not easy to do so, even if you think you can. There’s a stark difference between you and a professional mover who does this regularly. So next time you move, ensure that you are not breaking your back. 

Get assistance from cheap van movers in Singapore, and beat physical strain and exhaustion after the move. However, even with a professional, there’s still some lifting involved in a move. If you have never moved and have no idea whatsoever how to tackle it. Read on.

This blog provides you with useful hacks. With these tips, you can move all the cumbersome items alone or until the removalist in Singapore that you’ve hired arrives for your rescue.

Clear Out Pathways 

First of all, clear out the hallways and the doorways in your home. If you find it difficult to move heavier items, then it’s a must for you. The obstructions will make the process more challenging and pose injury risks.

Also, you need to prepare the floor before you can move the heavy items. Do this even if you have assistance to move your things. Clean any debris to prevent scratches, and place a heavy-duty cardboard or move blanket so the furniture can glide easily. 

Use Specialised Tools

If you can’t, you don’t have to lift all the bulky furniture/things by hand. Try using specialised tools to move them with less strength and strain. Furniture sliders, lifting straps, and moving dollies are a few tools that can help you move heavy items more easily.

These tools are useful if you are moving your furniture indoors only or a short distance. If you are moving any of these bulky items down many floors, you can use a trolley or seek assistance from professionals.

Get Professional Assistance

Moreover, if you are moving a small assortment of goods, you can try all the heavy lifting, pushing and other heavy lifting hacks. For a lot of goods, you’d definitely need assistance from professionals or at least cheap van movers in Singapore.

The professionals are adept at heavy lifting, careful handling, and smooth moving due to their years of experience in the move industry. Also, the moving experts will disassemble/assemble the furniture before and after the move.

Besides, the professionals also have the right tools to ensure that your goods are moved intact without any scratches or damage.

Strip And Disassemble The Furniture

If you are planning a hybrid or DIY move, you can move all the bulky items in parts. Disassemble the furniture and remove all the drawers and glass covers from the displays. This way, the furniture will be easier to handle, and each part will be less heavy.

Moreover, if you have a lot of goods to move, you can pack the heavier items, say a book, a smaller box, and light items in a large box. It makes each of them easier to lift and handle. When lifting heavy, keep the box/furniture close to your body to keep it sturdy.

Also, when you move boxes, ensure that you don’t stack them so high that they block your vision. This can cause injury, and you can bump into something when turning corners.

"L-Shape" Door Manoeuvre

For lifting heavy things, you might need assistance, but to manoeuver them, you can do it alone with the right technique. The L-shape manoeuvering technique is a useful one. 

If you are moving a bulky armchair, turn it on its side to form an “L” shape. Hook it through the door frames back-first to clear the gap. When you are gliding the furniture like this, remember to use a furniture glider or move the blanket for easy gliding and to prevent scratches.

The High-Low Carry

For moving tall items, like a dresser or a closet, two people should move it diagonally. One lifts the lighter top part while the other person lifts and tilts the heavier bottom part. This way, the weight will be balanced between the two.

If you are moving with assistance from a professional removalist in Singapore, you will have assistance for the heavy lifting and the move. But if you have plans for a DIY move, you’d definitely need help from friends/family.

Shoulder Dolly Harness

Use a chest harness strap system to transfer the entire weight of heavy appliances to your core muscles, freeing up your hands. If you can’t lift with your hands, you can try shifting the weight of the heavy furniture to your waist and shoulders.

You can push or pull the furniture more easily when you are using your core muscles than your hands/wrists. Also, the straps can be worked by two people when lifting heavy, which will make it even easier to lift heavy.

In A Nutshell

Moving homes can be really tiring and even more so if you are moving DIY. Heavy lifting is the worst part of a move after all the complicated logistics. Hopefully, you can remember all these hacks to help you with the heavy lifting.

Also, hiring cheap van movers in Singapore will have you moved with minimal effort. Preparing for the move is the hectic part. But, if you can pay for and are interested in, get a full move service where the professionals will help you pack, move, lift and even unpack.

Therefore, next time you move, keep these pointers in mind to beat the strain from lifting heavy and settle into your new home in a breeze.

How Second-Hand Marketplaces Facilitate Decluttering For A Home Move

Decluttering is a default when moving homes, and the new-gen movers are all about doing it mindfully. The secondhand market has seen a recent boom, especially in the last five years. They prefer to give away things rather than discarding them.

So, if you are planning to move with assistance from professional house moving services in Singapore, you have to hop on this trend now. Giving away, selling or buying things you’re planning to discard is not only environmentally conscious but also economically sound.

Besides, you can hire cheap house movers in Singapore to help you do the sorting, but choosing not to add to the landfill is your decision. Read this blog to know how secondhand marketplaces might be a better choice than discarding your things before a move.

How to declutter to move house?

When you move, you can declutter at your own pace and convenience. There are generally just four steps to follow: 

Sorting

Firstly, sort out everything in a room into ‘useful’ and ‘to be removed’ piles. This is only the first stage of sorting, so you can breeze through everything casually.

Categorise

Next, for both the piles, further categorise everything that you are moving, giving away, selling, or removing. This way, you can take some time to plan the giveaway/donation and sale. 

Hold a giveaway/donation

After you are done with categorising everything, you can first hold a giveaway for the people around you while inviting them to visit your home. The gently used items can be donated to a welfare cause.

Put things on sale

Lastly, after you’re done with the giveaway, you can put your things on sale at the secondhand marketplace on Facebook or dedicated platforms like "Carousell."

When decluttering before a move, you might come up with a plethora of things to be discarded. Don’t give in to the urge to put everything into garbage bags to remove it all. But persevere through it, as selling online is easier than you might think. 

How Do Second-Hand Selling Platforms Help To Clear Your Home?

Before you hire house moving services in Singapore, ensure that you sell or give away anything you are not planning to move. This will help reduce your belongings and make the move cheaper. So, secondhand selling platforms are much more handy for movers.

Some more benefits include the following:

Instant digital reach

With Facebook Marketplace and other dedicated apps, you get an instant digital reach to a good number of buyers at your fingertips.

Earning extra cash

Moreover, with online selling, you can make some extra cash before the move that you can use as an emergency budget or add to your move expenses.

Sustainable removal

With secondhand selling, you are increasing the lifespan of the goods that can be used for a few more years and making a sustainable choice. 

Flexible logistics

Dedicated reselling apps have well-structured logistics with built-in options for scheduling pick-up and delivery to the buyer.

Effortless goods reductions

You can manage your inventory of things in your home and for the move seamlessly with this option. Also, you can effortlessly reduce your belongings before the move and for periodic decluttering.

The online secondhand selling marketplaces are really useful for buyers and sellers as they can exchange goods smoothly without actual physical interaction. For home movers, it offers an option to “mindfully” get rid of everything not worth moving.

In Short

The reason for the rise of these secondhand selling platforms is the growing focus on environmental awareness and making sustainable choices. So when you move, ensure you also make environmentally sound choices.

When you move with assistance from house moving services in Singapore, ensure that you’ve decluttered enough to lower the moving expenses. Also, explore the secondhand selling option to prolong the life of your goods in someone else’s hands rather than removing them at your own.  As a whole, this will also help promote a more circular and sustainable economy. You can now go ahead and plan to sell your old goods for your next move or if you are doing a routine decluttering.

Smart Strategies for Moving in Rain: Be Prepared for Wet Weather

If you’re booking with professional house movers in Singapore to move now, your plans and the packing need some waterproofing to fend against the abrupt rain in SG. Be prepared for a rainy-day move, because climate change has decided to rain on everyone’s parade. Also, share your concern with the removalist in Singapore that you hired, as it may rain on the moving day. Read this guide to deal with the unexpected rain and humidity when moving homes.

Can You Move A House In The Rain?

Firstly, yes, you can move in the rain. Usually, the rainy season in Singapore is really intense, and it is difficult to move in such weather, so people avoid it. But due to climate change, the everyday weather is becoming unpredictable.

So, it’s better to prepare for the rain than to be caught in one out of the blue. Also, the humidity in the country is fairly high in the summer, so you still have to prepare for waterproof packing. Also, sudden downpours are much more common here, so movers prepare for them in advance.

How To Move On A Rainy Day?

When moving on a rainy day, you need to prepare for waterproof packing and plan for a drop-off that doesn’t affect your goods. Prepare this way- 

Sheltered Drop-offs

Most HDB void decks and condominium driveways have sheltered drop-off zones. Request your movers park as close to this shelter as possible, even if it requires a longer push to the elevator.

Rain-Proof Your Route

In Singapore’s older HDB estates, transitioning from the drop-off to your lift lobby may involve unsheltered pathways. Have heavy-duty tarps on standby.

Estate Management

Book your lift padding in advance with your Town Council or condo management. The padding gets slippery, so use extreme caution.

These are some of the important logistics to consider when moving in the rain. Besides, if the rain is heavy, you must protect your goods, especially electronic equipment, during the move. Waterproof packing is the only solution.

How To Pack For A Moving House In The Rain?

Additionally, the house movers in Singapore are usually prepared with plastic sheets, airtight moving containers, and anti-friction wraps to protect the assortment from rain and humidity. Here are some other things to prepare-

Swap Cardboard for Plastic

High humidity and wet conditions can cause cardboard to collapse. Use heavy-duty plastic storage bins for moisture-sensitive items.

Utilise Plastic Liners

If you are using cardboard boxes, line the interiors with thick trash bags before placing your items inside.

Wardrobe Hacks

Instead of folding clothes, leave hanging garments on their hangers and pull large, heavy-duty garbage bags up from the bottom over groups of clothes. For the hanger hooks, tie them with a string.

Electronics & Mattresses

Cover electronics and mattresses with waterproof tarps, bubble wrap, or specialised mattress bags.

Protect Furniture Legs

Tape plastic wrap or bubble wrap around the bottom few inches of furniture legs to prevent water absorption and mud stains.

After you’ve deep-cleaned your new home, you can cook or make tea to instil good vibes for a new start. There are other traditions you can try and carry out for an auspicious beginning in your new home. 

What Are Some Considerations for a Rainy Day Move?

Lastly, check the weather forecast on the moving day and regularly till your moving day arrives. Discuss the rain situation with the removalist service in Singapore that you hired. Some considerations to keep in mind while preparing for a rainy season move- 

Slower Traffic

Heavy downpours lead to traffic delays and localised flash floods, slowing down delivery trucks. Add buffer time to your moving schedule.

Slippery Floors

Void decks and polished lobby tiles become highly hazardous when wet. Wear rain boots or rubber shoes and ask the movers to put plastic sheets or old towels at the entrance to prevent slips and falls.

Dry Immediately

Unpack electronics, paperwork, and delicate items first. Wipe down any damp furniture before assembling it.

Combat Humidity

Once inside your new home, turn on ceiling fans or air conditioners to de-humidify the space. This helps prevent the growth of mould and mildew.

Check Rescheduling Policies

If the rain is too severe, heavy traffic and flooding can cause significant logistical delays. Check with your moving company beforehand to understand their rescheduling policy.

These are some small yet essential considerations to ensure that you are not putting yourself or your goods through a bad rainy day. Besides, if the rain is so unpredictable, you can be stuck in traffic and derail your perfect move schedule, so prepare a backup plan accordingly.

To Sum Up

It’s Singapore, so it may rain, or it may be sunny. You never know what to expect. But when in Singapore, this is already common; climate change is just adding a twist to the mix. Still, don’t let the rain stop you. Unless the rain is really heavy, you can delay a day or two.

Check with the packers and house movers in Singapore that you’ve booked with about the packing conditions and the rescheduling policy. Also, a rainy-day move entails traffic and delays, so stay flexible for a change in schedule or plans.