Moving to the UK

Does anyone have experience of moving to the UK from Germany? I've decided to move back but have loads more stuff to move than I had when I came and I'm not really sure where to start.

Are there companies that are reasonably priced and would put my stuff in a truck, or does anyone have a truck that they regularly drive to the UK in that has some extra space I can buy? I basically have enough stuff to fill a transit van. I was also thinking of hiring a van and driving back to the UK but this costs a lot because I have to drop a German van off in the UK and they charge a fee for that.

Any ideas welcome!

just an idea, and one that I can`t manage at the mo.

Someone to go with you in an Hire Van, help you with the move, have a day or so in Blighty (shopping etc.) and return the van back to Germany for you.(which is alot cheaper than leaving it in the UK!)
ALL FREE OF CHARGE. (of course Benny Boy will have to agree)
Now that don`t seem a bad offer!!!wot ya tink?

((((((ANYONE))))))

I did something like that when I came to Germany - i.e. hired a Luton van with a tail lift and got my sister and her boyfriend to come with me and then take the van back again.

Bear in mind that the Channel crossing is likely to cost more for a larger vehicle.

Personally, I would have sold off more stuff and shipped less if I were doing it again.

I moved back last year and ended up using a removal firm that cost me in the region of 3,000 euros. I did think of hiring a van and then bringing it back and dropping it at Calais but the quote I got from the ferry companies was over a 1,000 euros. Unfortunately, once you put furniture in the van then it is classed as commerical freight and that whacks the cost up, the van coming back empty is cheap. Once I'd added that cost to the petrol, hiring of the van etc I thought I might as well get a firm to do it.

You could always offset the cost by picking up a couple of illegals in Calais.

I would suggest hiring a van in britain will be cheaper.

When i shifted all my gear over I hired a long-wheelbase transit for about 90 quid for the weekend. If you use the eurotunnel it was only about 50 quid for said van if you went on the sat and came back on the sunday. Its a long drive but easily possible in a couple of days.

I say use a british hire firm as the germans seem to charge more based on Km's covered, whereas the UK ones are unlimited and were happy to provide the right docs to take the van abroad.

If you are moving job will they not cough up relocation expenses?

I've only recently got the rest of my stuff over from Germany to the UK. I paid 600 Euro for picking up about 17 (heavy) boxes, a mattress, a set of bookshelves (flatpack), an easel from second floor in the Ruhrgebiet, and having it delivered to my frontdoor in North Yorkshire. Price seemed reasonable to me considering what I've read what other people paid. Found them over the internet by posting on umzugsboerse24.de

We did the same got a great price for a local move, only negative was we hired an east german firm and they weren't the hardest of workers. 5 people took nearly twice as long to load and unload as did 2 British workers the first move we did. But in the end everything got there and it was cheap.

rob

I need to hire a small van (Transit size, or smaller prefereably) for about a week at the end of May/beginning of June for a trip back to the UK. Cheapest price so far is about €500. Anyone got any recommendations - is there a "rent-a-wreck" equivilent over here?