Moving house during COVID-19 crisis? Expect a removalist to check if you're eligible first

Removalists have been forced to vet Melbourne residents hoping to move house during the city’s strict stage four lockdown, only taking jobs from those who meet certain criteria.

That criteria includes moving in or out of a property that was already under contract pre-lockdown and will settle or exchange during lockdown. Moving is also allowed for someone at the end of their lease, or someone who needs to start a new lease to avoid homelessness.

Buyers, sellers or renters wanting to move for any other reason would not be permitted.

The owner and manager of Little Red Trucks based in Brunswick, Peter Spark, said the coronavirus crisis had added a layer of difficulty for people moving to a new home or apartment.

“If they’re just wanting to move because they don’t like where they live, then we can’t help them,” Mr Spark said.

Some jobs had to be put on hold as furniture delivery for people purchasing online from sites like Gumtree or eBay was not allowed during stage four restrictions, he said.

Other challenges included asking customers to leave the home while removalists took furniture out, then unpacked at the new residence.

That becomes difficult if someone is living in a share house, or is keen to help.

“We get direction of where to put furniture but it is difficult because there is some excitement about a new home and  people just want to get in and unpack,” he said.

While Melbourne moving companies struggle through, in Sydney where there are fewer restrictions, business is similar to August last year. 

Two Men and a Truck’s head of sales and marketing Jake Piper said people were still moving, especially with rents being cheaper. More rental properties are sitting empty due to a lack of visiting tourists and international students.

“Most people in Sydney are looking for a green change or a sea change or are upgrading their rentals,” Mr Piper said. “It’s comparable to last year.”

The company, which works in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, had seen a drop in interstate moves, as states including Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland kept their borders closed.

With state borders closed to Victorians, they are likewise having to organise moves without being able to be there.

The number of people planning to move interstate had dropped significantly since the start of the pandemic, by as much as 70 per cent, executive director of the Australian Furniture Removalists Association Joe Lopino told Domain.

“People are moving but it’s far more erratic than it used to be,” Mr Lopino said.

While the number of people moving interstate had dropped, the number of Victorians inquiring about moving to NSW or Queensland was up substantially, he said.

“It hasn’t translated to actual physical moves,” Mr Lopino said.

While things are quieter for removalists, Mr Lopino expects it will change once restrictions ease and people can move freely again.

“I think there is going to be a short, sharp explosion in jobs,” he said.

Man With A Van co-founder Tim Bishop said the company, also based in Melbourne, was working with half the number of staff it had earlier in the year because of the pandemic.

“We’re fully booked but only because our staffing levels are a fraction of what they were,” Mr Bishop said. “We are doing half of the number of jobs we would normally do at this time of year.”

Under Melbourne’s tough stage four restrictions, auctions and inspections of homes can only be undertaken online, bringing the industry to a grinding halt.

Mr Bishop said while the company had taken an economic hit, of far bigger concern was the staff, three of whom had been diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year.

“It was a big shock,” Mr Bishop said. “We had to shut down for almost a week for deep cleaning and just shut the business.”

Mr Bishop said the company, like many others, had been using a COVIDSafe plan and had been giving cleaning kits to removalists which included masks, hand sanitiser and alcohol-based cleaners they could use to sanitise trucks between jobs.