Expat relocation

Verhuizen expats

The Smit family moved from Zürich to Herten (The Netherlands) at the end of July. Before Zürich, the family had been living in Budapest and De Haan had organized this move too. According to Marja Smit-Noorland, it was particularly reassuring for the family to be moving with a company that was experienced in international relocation. "It's wonderful once you've found a moving company that knows about all the paperwork and procedures involved, especially if you don't speak the local language."

De Haan drew up the packing list and cleared their household goods and belongings through customs. This is a critical process, because their belongings needed to be designated as 'moving goods'. De Haan also arranged for all the export and import paperwork, as well as packing and unpacking all the family's belongings.

A De Haan representative visited the family before the move to make an inventory of all their belongings. Careful notes were taken about what needed to be moved, which items needed special protection, and which objects would need special packing. One example included a marble tabletop that needed special attention. This had to be carried out with great care to ensure that it didn't get damaged.

On the day of the move, the moving team arrived to pack all the family's belongings and load them into the truck. "We'd received moving boxes ahead of the move so that we could make an early start with packing. But the moving team swept through house like a well-oiled machine. It was amazing to witness," Marja recalls.

The customer was also very complimentary about our moving experts' team spirit. "They treated our kids exceptionally well. They involved them in the process, making it a lot less fraught for them."

The family found our team to be professional and courteous, and most importantly that they handled their belongings the same way they would themselves. "They were a great bunch of guys. They even took the dog for a walk at one point during the move. And needless to say they greatly appreciated the fact that the coffee maker was the last thing to be packed and the first thing to be unpacked!"