When The Clash sung this back in 1982, the last thing on their minds would have been Brexit, Europe or anything else along those lines, probably a decision on whether or not to stay on at a great party, to hell with the hangover – and why not?! That’s Rock n Roll for you! Even though it was only a few years earlier in 1973 when the UK joined the E.U, maybe they were penning a song for a future generation that none of them had any idea of? Who knows?…

…Fast forward 4 decades and with another long, turbulent week in politics you’ll know that the UK’s decision to leave the European Union is not exactly going smoothly. While negotiations are messy and the politicians on all sides argue about the course of action, the current plan remains for us to quit the Union at exactly 11pm on Friday March 29th 2019.

Scary stuff, especially with a few politicians already jumping ship, it’s not the best or most comforting of starts really, is it? – But what does this all mean for homeowners looking to move house or first time buyers getting on the ladder? Whilst we know that economic instability can sometimes play a part in a homeowners decision on whether to sell up or stay put, can the same be said for Brexit? Are homeowners also choosing to remain rather than move until the battle with Brussels is over? According to the news on the block, it doesn’t seem so.

As part of a recent survey from Home Owners Alliance, they asked homeowners who had considered a move but chosen not to what was behind their decision. While property prices and a lack of suitable homes were popular answers, just 11% said their decision to stay where they are was based on concerns over Brexit.

Experts on their site also added:

“If you’re planning on moving there’s no reason not to, there will always be people looking to buy. I think it’s very unlikely a buyer with their heart set on a property just like yours will decide against making an offer because they’re unsure what Brexit might do next.”

“The three D’s will continue to provide a supply of sellers over the next year – death, debt and divorce, won’t wait for Mrs May and Co to sort this out, but there will be far fewer buyers who ‘must’ purchase.”

“While this may strengthen once a Brexit deal is finalised there is no guarantee as to the outcome, and so those looking to sell should rest assured that now is as good a time as any to sell their home and later, might not necessarily be better.”

“I don’t think that the Brexit effect will really be seen until Q4 this year and Q1 next. Just like New Years Eve 1999 when people wondered if planes would fall out of the sky or if my microwave would stop working because of the Millennium Bug, I expect that 29th March next year will have a similar effect. Who seriously ‘knows’ what the impact of our actual divorce from Europe will be? Clearly, the experts in Westminster haven’t a clue so why should the poor public?”

It’s completely understandable that everyone – regardless of whether or not they own a home – is feeling a little uncertain right now as the political world descends into chaos and predicting what will happen later today becomes impossible, never mind looking ahead to next year. However, figures show very few people are putting off major life decisions – such as moving house – because of what’s happening in Parliament. And rightly so!

For more than 100 years the British Association of Removers has been providing membership to suitable removal companies in the UK so that the industry has a voice, and is continually improved and regulated to meet the changing needs of the consumer.

More importantly, people that use our Members for removals or storage do so in the knowledge that they can expect complete transparency in all their dealings with the Member and will receive a high level of service throughout.

Where Members take money in advance of the move – which is standard industry practice – you are protected by BAR’s Advanced Payment Guarantee. In the rare event that your mover experiences financial difficulties and is unable to carry out your move, that advanced payment will be protected by BAR. For further peace of mind should a dispute arise with the mover there is a defined procedure in place to rectify the situation, through our FREE and independent Dispute Resolution Service.

Micro Removals was established in 1979 by two fireman who carried out removals during their downtime from their fire brigade roles. The name “Micro” was a combination of their names and they operated one 7.5T lorry covering local moves within the Thanet area.

Our dad, Allan, bought the company off them with his friend John in 1989, and they continued the one lorry one move theme for several years. The business was run from the family home kitchen and we parked the lorry outside a local pub nearby.

By 1999 they were running 2 lorries and employed a couple of porters, going further afield within Kent and occasionally long distance. Allan’s son Andy had been on his world travels having been a qualified chef for the past few years. On his return he decided to buy into the company as John wanted to move onto pastures new. Allan & Andy Small became business partners, and the family business was born.

Seventeen years ago we also formed Andrews of Kent Removals & Storage to run alongside Micro, and due to its success we rebranded all our Micro vehicles over to the Andrews of Kent livery. Allan’s daughter Cara joined the family gang in 2004 to take over the office and administration side of the business.

We have since gone on to increase the company profile, moving into larger warehouses with our own storage facilities. We now run 5 vehicles and employ around 10 staff, offering more varied services including moves all over the UK, Europe and deep sea destinations such as USA, Australia, Canada & New Zealand. Having joined the B.A.R we were awarded finalists of the British Association of Removers – Mover of The Year on 3 occasions. We are now members of Which? Endorsed Trusted Trader Recommendations, and part of the Trading Standards UK -Trusted Mover.

Our motto is “Satisfied Customer’s Are Our Future” and this has definitely been the case over the years which has helped us to succeed, advance and excel within in the removals industry.

Why is this seaside town on the north coast of Kent in the southeast of England so high on the list of desirable places to live?

Why Whitstable?

Is it the beautiful beaches where you can still enjoy a walk along the promenade with a plate of locally sourced cockles? Maybe having a direct high-speed train service to the heart of London? Whitstable, like many old English seaside towns like Ramsgate and Deal, boosts tradition and it’s a town that is worth the 40-minute daily commute if you work in the city and well worth checking out if you are considering a slower pace of living in your later years.

Andrews of Kent has made 120 moves to Whitstable so far in 2018. Whitstable is a friendly town with many small independent shops, nice to get away from those- designer chain-stores.  There are many pleasant coffee shops, traditional pubs and even a playhouse theatre where you can see locally staged shows.

For more tourist information and to find out more about what Whitstable has to offer, visit the Visit Canterbury website.

We are here to make your move as smooth and stress-free as possible and as our motto says “satisfied customers are our future”.

Please contact us for further information.

All of Britain’s removals companies rely on free movement across Europe to make European moves as smooth as possible. This may become more difficult after Brexit. There certainly will be more paperwork involved and additional border checks, but at Andrews of Kent, we have been keeping a close eye on things regarding European moves after Britain leaves the EU and we do not predict any unexpected hassle for our customers.

If you have any concerns regarding a planned move to Europe and would like to speak to one of our specialists, please call on 01843 807935.