Hidden Miami relocation expenses

Just when you thought that you have every aspect of your move to Miami covered, something goes wrong. And who ends up taking the damage – your wallet of course. And like any person, you feel scammed, which is completely normal. So why not take precautionary measures to prevent that. “How?”, you might wonder – simple, by knowing where those unplanned expenses can occur. So here are some hidden Miami relocation expenses that are well known and easily avoidable.

Fine print unplanned costs of moving house to sunny Miami

Just like with any other service, it’s all about going into the details and those “in case of” scenarios. It might look like a lot of hassle over nothing, but you know what they say – better safe than sorry. By this, we refer to unexpected backfires during:

• Packing
• Handling
• Transportation
• Storage
• Insurance

Hidden Miami relocation expenses during the packing stage

Packing services and provision of packing supplies usually falls under the full service moving category. But there are Florida relocation companies which consider this as additional service and require extra fees from the clients. And it is then that you end up having to pay for additional packing material, since the movers won’t guarantee for the more valuable belongings you have with just the basic of boxes they offer.

Whether this is true or not doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is avoiding paying extra for something that should have originally been included in the contract. So in order to avoid hidden Miami relocation expenses, be sure to read the fine print of any contract before signing.

Forgetting to take out moving insurance

Signing off on the Bill of Lading will usually provide you with a basic coverage level. Now, this would be fine and dandy in cases where the final coverage amount applies to the value of your belongings (which is often not the case). Which prompts you to take out additional relocation insurance for full coverage, which in turn costs more. So there are two way to go in these cases:

1. Risk incomplete insurance – if you trust the company you hired and are moving locally, you can afford to risk the move without taking insurance.
2. Full Value Protection – the ultimate moving insurance that guarantees reinstatement and replacement valuation for damages and missing items.

Keep in mind that purchasing moving insurance costs extra and it depends on the declared value of you items and the reputation of your company.

Heavy oversized items can result in hidden Miami relocation expenses

In cases where some of your stuff is robust or really heavy, movers will look to charge you additionally. So if you are planning on moving a piano, motorbike, pool table etc., be prepared for hidden Miami relocation expenses. All such items are not only hard to move, but are also complicated to load, as they take up a lot of truck space.

An example – if your pool table needs to be lifted by crane, it will cost you around $800 -$2500 extra. If you are moving a pool table locally it will probably cost you from $150 to $600. Price variety depends on the access to your house or apartment. You will be charged for every ascended flight of stairs to your floor with approximately $60 per flight of stairs (the first flight is usually indicated to be free).

The longer the carrying distance, the more it’ll cost you

There will be cases where the mover will be unable to gain access to your building and will be forced to park a distance from your door or entrance. It is in these types of situations that your budget will get the hit, since movers will charge you for longer carrying distances. Luckily, these types of issues won’t occur in Florida, given the overall accessibility, unlike cities like NYC or San Francisco.

But it would still be a good idea to secure a nearby parking spot for a moving truck, or to get a sort of  a parking permit for a limited period of time on moving day. If you are not able to do so, try negotiating a fair price with the Miami mover you plan on hiring.

Bonus round – elevator fees

If you are in a building with an elevator, you can count that the Miami relocation company will take $75-100. This falls under those hidden Miami relocation expenses which depend on the policy of the mover.

Cancelling the move mid-process will also prompt hidden Miami relocation expenses

You found a better deal but you’ve already hired a professional Miami mover in the meantime. This can happen, but it will cost you quite a bit. The good thing is that each company has a different cancellation policy which is usually stated in the contract you signed. When it comes to unplanned costs, this falls as the most common one:

• For more than one week notice, there may be no unexpected moving expenses.
• If you notify your company one week in advance, you may be charged $50 – $100.
• For a cancellation in less than five days, you will be charged with average cost of $300 or the full moving deposit

Costs of renting storage space

In most situations, storage is included in your moving estimate. The trick however is that the storage is on a free 30-day trial period, after which you are forced to pay extra per day or per cubic meter. So make sure that you have a contingency storage just in case of unplanned delays.

Extra stops and traveling expenses that might pump up your Miami relocation

Any and all additional drop-offs or pick-ups made by the mover are charged. On a normal day, professional movers will charge you around $75 for each stop they make.

In addition to this, local movers will have no issues charging you for fuel spent to get to your location from their offices. So be vary and negotiate all this beforehand so as not to cry afterwards.

Unorthodox Miami moving expenses

In addition to the aforementioned fees and charges, there are others that are rare but still occur:

• Disposal fee (environmental charge) – simply put, the mover charges you extra for disposing of packing material after the relocation.
• Hoisting charge – introduced when moving large pieces of furniture that can’t go through door. As a result of the movers hoisting them through the window, additional costs are made.
• Expedited method – this one is self-explanatory. You want your items ASAP – you better be prepared to pay extra.

And there you have it – a short list of hidden Miami relocation expenses you need to be on the lookout for. Not all of them will necessarily happen to you, but being prepared never hurt anyone. So read up and remember to always negotiate in details and read carefully through the fine print. Do all this and you should be just fine. Best of luck!