The Inspection

Every surveyor has his own survey technique. My father, for example, could enter a room and immediately quantify its volume. His technique is very fast, but in my opinion not always accurate. He prefers to focus on the ‘delicate’ objects in the room (such as antique furniture, paintings, chandeliers, marble, etc.) and then address the customer's questions.

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I, on the other hand, take a very methodical approach to my inspections and never alter my method. As I inspect the house with the client, who shows me the items to be sent, I try to visualise them already packed, either in boxes or wrapped in film; for larger items, I imagine them disassembled and then packed. I then take note of the dimensions of the boxes or the objects themselves. For example, if I come across an armchair, I note how many cubic metres (m³) it occupies; if I see books on a shelf, I estimate how many m³ of boxes they would require. I follow this process, starting from one corner of the room and sweeping around until I reach the centre. Initially, the inspection may seem slow, but it speeds up once the client and I get into a good rhythm.

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Once the inspection is complete, I return to the office, and either that day or the following, depending on my schedule, I transfer my handwritten notes into a pre-formatted Excel sheet (which I’ve created). Essentially, this becomes an inventory (a quantity archive) of all the boxes and items I’ve marked during the inspection.

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There are several advantages and disadvantages to my method. One of the main advantages is that it provides a highly accurate estimate of the contents and volume of the shipment. A disadvantage, however, is that even though I’m with the client in their home, I can’t give them an exact volume reading on the spot. I can, however, provide a close estimate, which I then use to calculate the number of days the move will typically take. [In this case, the client will need to be a little patient, as it usually takes 1-2 days for me to send the inspection report via email.]

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The report does not contain numerical data; rather, it is a description of the originating service, providing the client with essential information such as the shipment volume, a description of the items, the number of packages required, shipment times and dates, details on access, and so on. The inspection report is the foundation of the moving process, so it must be as accurate as possible.

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Moving involves numerous variables, including human elements, which can introduce a degree of uncertainty due to factors beyond one’s control. The best way to mitigate these inefficiencies is, of course, to have a fantastic team and maintain good relationships with suppliers, container handlers, freight carriers, and so forth. But above all, the key to a flawless move lies in accurate reporting. I have spent, and continue to spend, a significant amount of time developing and refining these reports.

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Another advantage of my inspection report is that it helps ensure pricing is as precise as possible. The report separates items by room and further categorises them into contents and furniture, thus creating separate volume estimates for each. It’s crucial to differentiate between the two because they require different amounts of time to pack and unpack. Furniture, for instance, is much quicker to pack and unpack. A three-seater sofa, for example, takes up around 1.4 to 1.6 m³ and, with two people packing it, takes roughly 20 minutes. The same volume of kitchen items, however, could take one person between three-quarters of a day and a full day to pack. Understanding the ratio of furniture to contents is essential in determining the number of "man-days" (the number of men required per packing day and the total number of days needed to pack, load, and deliver the shipment). Knowing this ratio is crucial because there are always specific details that could slow down the packing process, such as a large wardrobe that needs to be disassembled and reassembled. It’s important to mention something about the inspection report.

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Some of my colleagues are quite comfortable using tablets and pre-made programmes for their inspections. Apparently, these tools can speed up the process and reduce the time required to produce an inspection report, offering a potential financial advantage. However, while these modern tools have their merits, I find them somewhat inaccurate, as items are listed generically. For instance, a "chair" in the programme will always have the same volume, yet anyone can see that one chair might have a completely different volume from another in a different location. My notebook allows me to record similar objects with different volumes during the inspection.

Once the inspection is completed, I inform my clients that they will receive the report by email within the next 24 hours. Only after that...