House moves could be jeopardised tomorrow by Siberian weather conditions blown in by the Beast from the East.
Some removals companies are saying that some moves scheduled for today and tomorrow may not be able to happen or may have to be ‘bumped’.
Weather bad enough to prevent removals taking place at all would almost certainly count as a ‘force majeure’, meaning that all transactions in a chain could be delayed without penalty.
However, if later removals were ‘bumped’ in order to accommodate earlier ones, that might not count as ‘force majeure’.
There is also the complication that someone who has completed on their sale but can’t move could find themselves staying on in a property owned, mortgaged and insured by someone else.
In other cases, it may be possible to delay completion.
Rob Hailstone, of the Bold Legal Group, said that in those parts of the country where the weather forecast looks particularly bad today and overnight into tomorrow should make contingency arrangements.
He urged agents, conveyancers and home movers to stay in close contact with each other.
The real and major issues arise with cheap companies that don’t have the quality of resources or staff.
Employ a mover operating trucks parked on wasteland or a ‘truckstop’ type place and they don’t have resources.
Employ a firm operating casual labour or temps? Don’t be surprised when those staff look out of the window and choose to throw a sickie.
If the firm cannot deal with depleted vehicle batteries, lower tyre pressures and frozen locks then sometimes, in the midst of minus five and snow it’s easier for them to just say ‘sod it’.
Afterall, the cheaper firms CAN afford not to bother.
The firms with the overheads and resources CANNOT afford not to be working.
Similarly, staff for whom their position and career within a firm are dependant on both them and the firm are far more likely to be committed enough to get the job done. They can’t just ‘say no’ or pull a sickie.
I know from experience this year, when my staff have taken the panicked calls from public stranded by their mover all instances have had something in common;
They went cheap, didn’t do their research and hence have only had themselves to blame.
Our staff this morning went out with bags of rock salt, snow shovels and are in full winter uniform.
A member of staff was in one hour early to get all vehicles started and warmed through.
Today, our staff are working outside for a lot of the time, moving garden stuff, pots, ornaments, and on average 4 tonnes of household possessions and personal effects.
That’s @4miles of carries, in sub zero conditions, after they’ve salted each driveway.
Many ‘professionals’ on here ought just take 2 quiet minutes to consider the 25,000 removals staff out there today. While they’re sat by the radiator……
Please, do your bit. Be empathetic. Don’t leave our staff or your customers sat waiting for a keys in the freezing cold. Then make us unload in the evening snow and minus 7 temps that are likely.
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I know it’s childish to highlight this, but “Rob HAILSTONE”…what a name given the context of the story!
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