Terms & Conditions

Please take the time to read our Terms & Conditions.

He-Van is a Brighton based independent professional removal company. We offer the same service and quality as that of a large national removal company. In order to keep our prices lower than these big companies, so that you can experience our standard of service, we have to run a tight ship and must inform you of our terms and conditions, some of which may affect your move if certain criteria is reached or not achieved.

Moving home may involve the packing, transportation and unpacking of literally hundreds of your possessions, all of which come in various sizes, shapes and value. Given the stress of moving home, it is natural that you may not have given your full attention to exactly what will or will not be moved to your new address. For this reason it is vital that you fill out the booking form in full detail or answer our staff questions regarding your move, in full, over the phone.

If in doubt, please email or phone us to ask any other questions that you may feel are still unanswered.

1. Chargeable time: for our hourly charging, begins when the driver has arrived at the agreed start point at the agreed time. If the driver is running behind schedule then chargeable time begins on his arrival. For jobs outside Brighton and Hove’s City limits we work out chargeable time based on leaving the City limits and returning after the job has been completed to Brighton and Hove’s City limits. Fixed price moves are not managed in the same way as our hourly charges.

Fuel is a chargeable item on fixed prices but is included within the hourly charges for local moves.

2. Supplying the correct information / inventory: It is vital for He-Van to streamline all bookings and the management of those bookings.

When booking He-Van for a move to or within Brighton and the surrounding area, it is the customer responsibility to ensure He-Van has the correct information of items being moved. Therefore it is a requirement that He-Van is furnished with a correct list / inventory of items to be transported either by the booking form, email or on the phone when booking the move. For local jobs we can visit you, resolve any queries and provide a quote, but for longer distance jobs, this is not possible, so a correct inventory is essential.

He-Van cannot accept responsibility for not loading all items in the van, and in a safe way, if the customer has not given us the correct information at the time of the booking. We also have vehicle weight issues to adhere to. Where we have not been able to visit you to ascertain space requirements, we will assign the correct vehicle for the job in hand with the information provided by the customer at the time of booking.

If it has been determined by our driver or by the office, that the customer has vastly increased the volume of their belongings to be moved since the booking day and have not notified He-Van of the change, He-Van reserves the right, depending on the circumstances to all parties and what other jobs are going on in the day, to conclude that customers move later on in the day or charge extra fees. This is done so that other customers are not delayed unnecessarily due to the mistake of another. (see also 11. Additional charges)

3. Have enough men been booked?: Our removal service provides a minimum of 2 men in one van. Our Removal service uses large Mercedes luton vans and an xlwb panel van and comes with a 2 hour minimum charge.

He-Van cannot be held responsible for not being able to lift heavy weighted objects that require extra men, which should have been booked in advance. Extra men must be booked at the time of booking.

4. Fixed price moves: Are given to customers who are moving some distance away or for those that ask for a fixed price. If a customer is given a fixed price for their move and we find that they have more belongings or have access issues that they did not inform us about at the time of the booking and which makes a significant difference to the job time, we reserve the right to charge extra at the standard hourly rates. This includes late add-on jobs whilst on the original move and where the distance from the van to the front door of the clients flat / house / storage is more than 30 meters and was not declared at time of booking. It also includes lifts that are out of order, which in turn cause significant time delays. We also reserve the right to charge extra at the standard hourly rates for any time delays due to customers not being present and on time at the final delivery address where staff have had to wait to gain access to the property, this includes key waits. (see 12. Additional charges)

5. Lofts and attics: He-Van removal service will not remove items from lofts unless agreed with the customer at the time of booking or well in advance of any removal date. Additional men may be required and there are Health and Safety implications to deal with.

6. Lights and washing machines: He-Van is not allowed to remove or tamper with electrical fittings or washing machines (pipes and attachments). Doing so invalidates our insurance and can raise health and safety issues.

7. Parking: Customers must provide suitable parking spaces for He-Van removal vehicles outside all relevant addresses. Vehicles must be parked outside the building front doors or as near to the doors / garage / storage as possible. If our vehicles are to be parked more than 30 meters away, please mention this at the time of the booking or additional charges (see 12. Additional charges)may apply for ‘time spent’ not included in the original quote or estimate. This is particularly a problem and is common in single lane roads.

If a customer lives in an area where parking is very difficult, such as a block of flats on a main shopping street, where parking is prohibited and /or loading restrictions are in place, we will do everything we can, not to get a ticket, but if we do, He-Van will pass this cost on to the customer.

9. Insurance: He-Van is covered with ‘Goods in Transit Insurance’ up to a total value of £10,000 for our packing and removal service. Should the customer require a higher value, they should make their own arrangements for the increased cover through their own insurance company and discuss their options with He-Van. Any claim for damage and breakages will be looked at, at the earliest opportunity once notified in writing via email by the customer within 7 days of the move date to terry@brighton-removals.co.uk.

It is a requirement, that the customer must notify He-Van by email at terry@brighton-removals.co.uk, of any particularly expensive items (special attention items), prior to the move commencing. If the customer does not hire He-Van’s packing service, then the customer or other hired packers must fully protect any item that requires any form of special attention. He-Van will always use blankets and straps to protect and secure items in the van, however, we will not accept claims for damage caused to items in transit due to non-adequate protection by the customer, when the He-Van packing service was not hired. Blankets are not final solution for protecting certain items, which need to be kept clean, non-creased and non-scratched.

Please enquire about our packing service as all boxes and bags packed by the customer are not covered by our goods in transit insurance. He-Van will only accept liability for boxes and items packed by He-Van staff, for damage caused during, packing, transit and load in and out.

It is the sole responsibility of the customer to check and confirm in its entirety, any access issues that exist at either end of the move. He-Van staff must be given safe passage, in terms of route, and that there are no obstructing items, animals or malfunctioning devices along the delivery route from the van to the flat / house / storage, which could lead to any type of damage to customers belongings or injury to staff, and which could have been resolved by the customer prior to load in or out. This also includes faulty electrical equipment such as gates, garages and shutters.

He-Van holds a £1 million public liability insurance and is covered to take passengers in the van.

10. Non – attendance: If the customer books He-Van and fails to attend, they will be charged 50% of the full estimated duration of the move or agreed fixed cost. It is the responsibility of the customer who made the original booking to inform He-Van of any cancellation or changes to their move date and time.

If the customer is late to attend at the agreed time, they will be charged from the original booked time.

11. Cancellation / Postponement: If you cancel or postpone a booking, He-Van will charge you a reasonable postponement or cancellation fee according to how much notice is given, as set out below. If you wish to cancel or postpone a booking you must notify us in writing or by email at terry@brighton-removals.co.uk.

If you cancel or postpone a booking at a time when our office is closed, the cancellation or postponement charge will be calculated from the date our office reopened and we were able to receive your email or letter. For clarification, “Working days” are 24-hour periods and means Monday to Sunday excluding bank holidays.

• He-Van removal service (xlwb and luton vans) requires a minimum of 5 days (120 hours) notice. Charges are as follows: i) More than 5 working days before the removal was due to start: No charge. ii) Between 2 and 5 working days inclusive before the work was due to start: 50% of the removal cost previously agreed or estimated. iii) Between 1 and 2 working days inclusive before the work was due to start: 75% of the removal charge previously agreed or estimated.
iv) Less than 1 working day inclusive before the work was due to start: 100% of the removal charge previously agreed or estimated.
• He-Van storage services– Once storage has been confirmed and paid for, the customer must give the appropriate termination notice in writing via email to terry@brighton-removals.co.uk. For container storage we require 7 days notice. Late termination notice may result in extra charges being applicable at the same rate as initially agreed when booked in.

11.1 Additional cancellation/postponement charges: Charges may still apply for moves that involve He-Van hiring extra vehicles and purchasing specialist packaging. Charges may still also apply for moves that required He-Van to pay for transport and hotels in the UK. We will always try to get a refund for purchases we have made in order to carry out the move, but if we are unable to do so, these costs will be recovered from the customer.

12. Additional charges: It is up to the customer to inform He-Van of any changes in the work to be carried out which may arise between the date you received your quote and day you plan on being moved by He-Van. Please ensure that your new accommodation, including the keys, will be available at the time arranged for delivery. Regrettably, unexpected delays and extra work normally result in extra charges. The most common charges are as follows:

Additional items

• Charged in proportion to the original removal charge, by the hour or on a fixed price basis.

Delays caused by being unable to load or unload (including key waits)

• £20 per full hour or part of, plus vat for each member of staff involved in your move.

Tricky access involving additional carrying distances (more than 30 meters and i.e lift broken down)

• £20 per hour or part of, plus vat for each member of staff involved in your move.

13. Payment: Cash and bank transfers are accepted as well as debit and credit cards (no card charge). Cheques are not acceptable. Invoicing facilities are available for both business and domestic customers. All payments for removal services for domestic customers mustbe made at the end of the move minus any deposit that may have been taken. We do not offer credit terms of any kind. Those customers who wish to pay by BACS must make the payment in advance of the job commencing or, if agreed, within 48 hours of the job ending. Business customers, please see 14.

13.1 Deposits: A 50% deposit (at He-Van’s discretion) may be required for all jobs/moves which have a fixed price or estimated cost of £250 and over. This can be paid by bacs payment or card, raised against an invoice, and must be paid, when required, at least 5 days (120 hours) before the job commences or later if agreed with the office. For moves outside of England, full payment is required before the job commences unless agreed with the office.

13.2 VAT: He Van, Movers of the Universe Ltd is registered for VAT at the current rate of 20%.

14. Businesses payments and delays: He-Van, Movers of the Universe offer 7-day terms for its business customers from the date the invoice was issued and emailed. We do not offer 30-day terms unless we have a contract account with the business concerned. He-Van reserves the right to charge businesses a daily late payment fee which is the statutory 8% interest we can charge for the late payment for our services, plus the current Bank of England base rate.