10 Questions to Ask Office Removal Companies

Choosing the wrong office removal company can mean damaged equipment, missing items, surprise charges, and zero paperwork when you need it. The right one makes the whole process painless. These 10 questions separate the professionals from the cowboys — ask every one of them before signing anything.

The 10 Questions

1. Are you a licensed waste carrier?

Any company removing items from your premises for disposal must hold a valid waste carrier licence from the Environment Agency. Ask for their registration number and check it on the public register. If they can't provide this, don't use them — you're personally liable if your waste ends up in a field.

2. What insurance do you carry?

Look for public liability insurance (minimum £5 million), employer's liability, and goods in transit cover. Ask for copies of certificates, not just verbal confirmation. Check the policy covers the full value of your equipment — a £1 million goods-in-transit policy doesn't help if you're moving £2 million of server equipment.

3. Will you do a site visit before quoting?

A reputable company will always want to see your premises before giving a final price. Phone or email-only quotes are estimates at best — and often low-ball figures that get revised upwards on the day. Insist on a physical site visit and a written quotation.

4. What's included in the price?

Get a detailed breakdown. Does the quote include packing materials? Unpacking at the other end? Furniture assembly? IT disconnection and reconnection? Waste disposal? After-hours or weekend work? The more specific the quote, the fewer surprises on the invoice.

5. How do you handle IT equipment?

Servers, network equipment, and workstations need specialist handling — anti-static packaging, climate control, and careful transport to avoid vibration damage. Ask specifically how they protect IT equipment in transit and whether they have experience with server room moves. See our IT office move checklist for what the IT migration involves.

6. What happens to items we don't want to keep?

A good company will sort unwanted items for resale, donation, recycling, and disposal — and tell you the diversion rate (percentage kept out of landfill). Ask where items end up and whether they provide waste transfer notes. If the answer is "we take it to the tip," that's not a professional clearance service. See our furniture disposal guide for what proper disposal looks like, or learn about our office clearance service.

7. Can you provide references or case studies?

Any company worth hiring can point to recent jobs of similar scale. Ask for contact details of previous clients — and actually call them. Questions to ask references: Was the quote accurate? Did they finish on time? Were there any hidden charges? Would you use them again?

8. What's your cancellation and delay policy?

Office moves get delayed — lease completions slip, broadband isn't ready, fit-out work overruns. What happens if you need to postpone? Is there a penalty? How much notice do they need? Get this in writing.

9. Who will be on-site on moving day?

You want a named team leader — someone with authority and experience — on-site for the entire move, not a rotating crew of agency workers. Ask who'll be leading and how many people they'll bring. Get this confirmed in writing.

10. Do you provide waste transfer notes and documentation?

Under UK law, you must have Duty of Care waste transfer notes for every load of commercial waste removed from your premises. These should be provided automatically, not as an afterthought. Ask also about data destruction certificates (for IT equipment), recycling certificates, and any ESG impact reporting.

Red Flags to Watch For

• No site visit offered — phone quotes for anything larger than a few desks are unreliable
• No waste carrier licence number on paperwork — they're either unlicensed or don't take compliance seriously
• Significantly below-market pricing — if it sounds too cheap, corners are being cut somewhere (usually on insurance, waste disposal, or staffing)
• Verbal-only agreements — everything should be in writing: scope, price, terms, insurance, and what happens if things go wrong
• "We'll sort the waste out" — vague assurances about disposal mean they haven't thought about it. Ask specifically about POPs compliance, WEEE, and landfill diversion
• Can't explain their insurance cover — a company that doesn't know their own policy limits probably hasn't read the small print on yours

What Good Looks Like

A professional office removal and clearance company will:

• Send a surveyor to your premises before quoting
• Provide a detailed, written quotation with no ambiguity
• Hold a valid waste carrier licence, public liability, and goods in transit insurance
• Assign a named project manager or team leader
• Explain exactly what happens to every category of item
• Provide waste transfer notes, certificates, and reporting as standard
• Happily share references from recent similar jobs
• Have clear terms for cancellations, delays, and damage claims

It's worth paying a little more for a company that ticks every box. The cost of a botched office move — in damaged equipment, lost productivity, compliance failures, and stress — far outweighs the savings from choosing the cheapest quote.