Terms and conditions for Kent removals

These terms apply to removals, packing, storage and related transport quoted and carried out by Kent Removals Ltd, Terminal Service Ring Road, Folkestone, KentCT18.

1. How quotes work

We quote in writing after a survey, carried out at the property or by video call. Any figure mentioned before a survey is an indication only and does not bind you or us.

Unless it states a different period, a written quote can be accepted for thirty days from the date on it. It is built on the volume, access and scope recorded at the survey. If the job turns out to be materially different, for example more goods, an extra address or an access restriction nobody mentioned, the price may change; we will tell you before carrying on, not after.

Our quotes assume the vehicle can park lawfully within a reasonable carrying distance at each address. Unless the quote says we will arrange it, obtaining any parking permit, bay suspension or lift booking is up to you.

2. Confirming a booking and paying

Written acceptance of the quote, plus payment of any deposit shown on it, confirms the booking. We only hold a date for a confirmed booking.

The balance is payable before work starts on the day, and storage is paid for in advance for each period, unless your quote states otherwise. For commercial customers with an agreed account, invoices are due within fourteen days of issue, and overdue amounts may carry interest at the statutory rate for late commercial payments.

3. Cancelling or changing the date

Please let us know in writing as soon as you need to cancel or postpone. If you cancel more than fourteen days before the booked date, your deposit is returned in full. Closer to the date we may keep some or all of it to cover the crew and vehicle time already set aside. If you cancel on the day, or we cannot get access when we arrive, the full charge may apply.

Completion dates in Kent chains move often. Where yours does, our first step is to re-plan the move, not to charge you, so tell us as soon as you hear.

4. Goods we will not carry or store

We will not move or store hazardous goods of any kind, including fuel, gas cylinders, paint, solvents, fireworks and anything flammable, explosive or corrosive; food or other perishables; plants, animals or anything alive; firearms or ammunition; or anything it is unlawful to possess.

Please keep cash, jewellery, deeds, passports and irreplaceable papers with you. If items like these travel with your goods without being declared to us and agreed in writing, we cannot accept liability for them.

We are not licensed to carry waste and do not offer clearance or disposal.

5. Packing and getting ready

Cartons we pack are our responsibility. Cartons you pack are yours: both their contents and whether they are packed well enough for the journey or, if they are going into store, for a long time sealed.

Washing machines, fridges and other appliances must be disconnected, drained and made safe before we collect them, unless we have agreed in writing to do it. Goods going into storage must be dry, and you must tell us beforehand about anything with a fuel tank, a battery or a residue.

6. Access, and when the crew can say no

It is up to you to tell us about access at both addresses: floors, stairs and lifts, the width of the lane, any weight or height limits, and anywhere a full-size vehicle cannot get to or turn round. In the Weald, the villages under the Downs and the old town centres, nothing you tell us matters more.

Our crew can refuse any task they reasonably judge to be unsafe or likely to damage your goods or the building, for example a piece that will not go round a staircase, an item too heavy for the people on the job, or a floor that will not bear the load. If that happens, they will explain why on the spot and suggest another way where there is one.

7. Insurance cover and our liability

We hold goods-in-transit and public liability cover. Your quote states the limits, including the limit per item. If anything you own is worth more than the per-item limit, tell us at survey so the right cover can be arranged before moving day; anything not declared is covered only up to the standard limit.

We are not responsible for loss or damage caused by the way you packed goods yourself; by an inherent fault or ordinary wear and tear; by something you did not tell us that made a task unsafe or impossible to do properly; or by events beyond our reasonable control.

These terms do not limit our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law does not allow us to limit. Your statutory rights as a consumer are not affected.

8. Storage

We list goods on an inventory when we collect them for storage. They are then held under a separate storage agreement, which sets the period, the charges and how notice is given. You can have access by appointment, given reasonable notice.

We release stored goods only to you, or to a person you have authorised in writing, after checking identity and once the account has been paid.

If storage charges go unpaid we have a lien over the goods. After sending written notice to your last known address and allowing at least thirty days for payment, we may sell them to recover the debt and will return any surplus once costs are deducted. Please keep us told of any change of address.

9. Moves abroad

For moves out of the UK, the inventory and any residence, address or tax documents you provide for customs must be accurate. The declarations are signed by you, and we prepare and submit the export paperwork relying on the information you give us.

You are responsible for any duty, tax, inspection fee or storage charged by the authorities in either country. Hold-ups caused by customs checks, port operations, weather or conditions at the border are beyond our control and cannot form the basis of a claim against us.

10. Making a claim

If anything is lost or damaged, write it on the delivery or redelivery paperwork while the crew is still with you, then confirm it to us in writing within seven days. Keep the item and its packaging until we have assessed the claim. Claims reported after that are harder to prove and may be refused.

11. Who does the work

Our own crews carry out the work in our own vehicles, at both ends of a long-distance move as well. If part of a job really does need a specialist, such as a piano or safe mover, a hoist operator or an overseas delivery partner, we tell you when we quote.

12. Complaints

Please raise any complaint with us first, by email to hello@kent-removalsltd.co.uk or by phone on +44 1769 610790, so we have the chance to put things right.

13. Governing law

English law governs these terms, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction over any dispute. Our privacy policy explains how we handle your personal information.