OUR SERVICES
Household Removals and Storage
When your home needs significant restoration work following fire, flood, or escape of water, your belongings often need to be moved to safety and kept secure until the work is complete.
Disaster Care’s household removals and storage service handles that carefully and professionally, from packing and loading through to secure storage and return.
We ensure your belongings are managed as part of the same coordinated recovery process as your property. The people handling your possessions are the same specialist teams involved in your restoration: they understand what the items have been through, how they need to be handled, and how important it is that they come back to you in the condition they left.
Contact Disaster Care to discuss your claim
How Household Removals and Storage Works
Removals during a property damage claim are different from a standard house move. Items may be damaged, fragile, contaminated, or require specialist handling. Our teams are trained for this context and many of our branches hold BAR (British Association of Removers) certification for professional packing and handling.
STEP ONE
01.
Survey and Packing Plan
Before any removal begins, our team carries out a survey of what needs to be moved and produces a packing plan. Items are categorised: those requiring specialist handling, those destined for contents cleaning, and those going directly to storage. This ensures items are packed correctly for their specific destination and condition.
STEP TWO
02.
Careful Packing and Loading
Our technicians pack items with care using appropriate materials for each type of content. Fragile items, high-value items, and sentimental belongings receive specific attention. Items are packed collectively by category where they will be going to contents cleaning, to ensure they arrive ready for the appropriate cleaning process. Loading and vehicle securing are carried out to professional removal standards.
STEP THREE
03.
Secure Storage
Items are stored at our insured branch facilities in secure, appropriate conditions. Where belongings require environmental controls, such as temperature or humidity management for sensitive materials, these are provided. Your belongings remain inventoried and photographed throughout the storage period, and you can request a status report at any time.
STEP FOUR
04.
Return and Placement
When your property is ready to receive your belongings back, we coordinate the return carefully. Items are returned to the rooms and positions you specify, in the condition they were stored. Any items that have been through contents cleaning are returned clean, packaged, and ready for reinstatement in your home.
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Have Questions About Your Belongings?
Household Removals and Storage: Your Questions Answered
How long will my belongings be in storage?
This depends on how long the restoration and reinstatement work takes. We will give you an indication as soon as we can and update you if timescales change. We aim to return belongings as quickly as possible once your property is ready. Items are stored safely for as long as the claim requires.
Can I access my belongings while they are in storage?
Yes, in most cases. If you need to retrieve a specific item during the storage period, contact our team and we will arrange access. We maintain a full inventory of everything in storage so we can locate specific items quickly.
Will my belongings be insured while in storage?
Your Aviva claims handler can confirm the insurance position for your belongings during storage as part of your overall claim. Any concerns about specific high-value or irreplaceable items should be raised with them directly.
What happens to items that need cleaning?
Items identified as requiring specialist cleaning are taken to our contents restoration facility rather than to general storage. They are inventoried separately, cleaned by our specialist contents team, and returned to you once the cleaning process is complete. Nothing is cleaned or disposed of without your knowledge and agreement.
How do I know what has been taken and where it is?
Every item we collect is photographed and recorded in our inventory system. You will receive a report of everything collected, its condition at collection, and its destination. Our central team can provide a status update at any point during the storage period.
Can you pack and move items I want to keep separate from the claim?
If you have items you would like moved independently or stored privately at your own expense, speak to our team and we will discuss what is possible. Our primary role is to manage belongings as part of the insurance claim, but we can advise on options where additional requirements arise.
Household Removals: Standards and Qualifications
Our removals teams are trained to professional removal standards, with many branches holding BAR (British Association of Removers) certification for packing, handling, and transportation of household contents.
- BAR (British Association of Removers) certification: professional packing and handling, held by many branches
- CHAS and SafeContractor health and safety accreditation across the network
- Contents inventory and photography system: full documentation of all items collected, stored, and returned
Related Services
Contents Restoration
Building Restoration and Reinstatement
Water Damage Restoration
