Furniture removal and storage in Adelaide when the dates don’t line up

This page sets out the ways Adelaide households handle a gap, how to choose and prepare a storage unit if you need one, and how the removal is planned around it. Furniture Removalists Adelaide is a service of Moveall Australia Pty Ltd, an Adelaide removalist. Tell our customer care team both of your dates when you call, and we will plan the removal around them.

Four ways to handle a gap between two homes

Option	How it works	Best when
Line up the dates	Ask your conveyancer or agent whether settlement or the lease end can move a few days, so you can go straight from one home to the other	The gap is only a few days and there is room to negotiate
Stay on in the old home	Arrange to rent the old home back from the buyer for the gap, if they agree	You are selling to an owner who does not need the keys straight away
A storage unit between two moves	The furniture goes from the old home to a storage unit you hire, and from the unit to the new home when it is ready	The gap is weeks rather than days, or you are renovating or building
A short-term rental	Move into a furnished or unfurnished short-term home, then move again	The gap is long and you need to live somewhere with your own things

Every option except the first means two moves instead of one. That is worth knowing when you weigh them up, because each move needs its own booking, its own loading and unloading, and its own care with the furniture. A storage unit is often the simplest choice for a gap of a few weeks, because nobody has to set up house in between.

Furniture storage in Adelaide: choosing a unit for furniture

Most searches for furniture storage in Adelaide are really searches for self-storage, and there are many places across the metropolitan area that rent units by the month. If you choose that route, these are the things that matter for furniture.

• Enclosed, clean and dry. Timber, upholstery and mattresses do not like damp or dust. Look at the unit itself, not only the office.
• The right size. A unit that is too small means furniture stacked on furniture. Give the storage company your furniture list and ask which size it fits.
• Truck access. Ask whether a removal truck can park close to your unit, whether it is on the ground floor or up a lift, and whether there is a loading bay. A long carry or a small lift adds time to both moves.
• Access times. Find out when you can get in, and make sure the hours suit the day and time your furniture is moving in and out.
• Your insurance. Check whether your home and contents insurance covers goods in storage, or whether the storage company offers cover.

Getting furniture ready to sit in storage

Furniture going into storage for weeks needs a little more thought than furniture going straight to a new home. It will sit still, in a closed space, for a long time. A few simple steps keep it in the condition it went in.

• Clean and dry everything first. Wipe down timber and leather, vacuum fabric, and make sure nothing goes in damp. Moisture trapped for weeks is what causes mould and marks.
• Let timber breathe. Moving blankets are right for the trip. For a long stay, avoid sealing polished timber tightly in plastic, which can trap moisture against the finish.
• Defrost and dry the fridge and freezer and leave their doors ajar in storage so they do not smell when you open them again.
• Take beds and tables apart where they come apart easily, and bag the bolts with the piece they belong to.
• Keep mattresses in covers so they stay clean.
• Empty drawers and wardrobes. Furniture has to be emptied of loose items to be moved, and empty furniture stacks and stands more safely in a unit.

Loading a storage unit so the furniture comes out easily

How a unit is loaded decides how easily it is emptied. Heavy, square pieces go to the back and along the walls. Tables stand on their edge or sit flat with nothing heavy on top. Sofas are not stood on their end for weeks. Boxes are stacked heaviest at the bottom. Anything you may need before the second move (a box of papers, the children’s winter clothes, the tools) goes near the door. If the unit is big enough, leave a narrow aisle so you can reach the back without unloading everything.

Label every box by the room it belongs to at the new home, not the old one. When the furniture comes out of storage, it can then go straight to the right rooms without a second sort.

How the removal is planned around your dates

1. Tell us both dates when you ask for a quote, along with the furniture list and the access at the old home, the storage unit and the new home.
2. The first move is booked for the day you leave the old home, ending at the unit you have hired.
3. The furniture is wrapped in moving blankets as on any move, and the unit is loaded in the order you need.
4. The second move is booked for the day you can get into the new home, from the unit to the house.
5. At the new home each piece is placed in the room you choose, beds and big pieces first.

Moveall’s quotes are built on your inventory list, so the more exact the list, the more exact the quote for each leg. If the dates move, which settlements sometimes do, tell us as soon as you know.

Keeping a record of what went in

Before the unit is locked, take a few photos of how it was loaded and keep your furniture list with you. When the second move is booked, the same list tells the crew what is coming out and where it goes, and it lets you check that everything has arrived at the new home.

Settlement day itself

If you can move straight from one home to the other, settlement day is a matter of timing. Settlement happens between the banks and the conveyancers, and the keys are released once it is complete, so the exact time you can get into the new home is not always known in advance. Ask your agent or conveyancer when you can expect the keys, plan the furniture to leave the old home in good time, and keep in touch with the crew on the day.

Within 14 days of the move, update your address with Service SA. One update changes the address on your driver’s licence and vehicle registrations. Our article on changing your address in SA explains it.

Related pages

For how a furniture move runs from start to finish, see furniture removalists in Adelaide. For packing the house before it goes into storage, see furniture packing and moving in Adelaide and our guide on how to pack furniture for moving. For a gap during an interstate move, see interstate furniture removalists in Adelaide.

Questions people ask