Storage before departure
Containerised storage in the UK before departure — wrapped, inventoried and racked indoors until the Dutch address is ready.
Storage is the commonest unplanned part of a move abroad. The British house sells, the Dutch place is not ready, and a family is left holding a household with nowhere to put it.
How it works
The crew that packs your home loads the containers. Everything is wrapped as if for transit, listed on the inventory you keep a copy of, and sealed in. Containers are racked indoors, and when the Dutch address is ready the same inventory comes back out and travels.
- One handling at each end rather than a shuffle between units
- A written inventory, which later becomes the customs packing list
- Furniture wrapped before it goes in, not after it has been scuffed
- Collection, storage and onward travel quoted as one job
Timing and customs
Storing does not affect the declaration — goods are declared when they cross, not while they wait. What it does affect is your own paperwork sequence, because Transfer-of-Residence relief depends on where you are in the process of establishing residence. The customs page sets that out.
What we need to know
Roughly what is going in, whether you will want access, and when you expect the Dutch address to be ready. Quoted with the move rather than after it.
Storage questions
Why do so many NL moves need storage?
Because a British sale and a Dutch rental or purchase rarely complete on the same day, and the gap is usually at the British end.
Where is it stored?
Wrapped and sealed into timber containers, racked indoors in the UK. Nothing is tipped into a shared space.
Does it complicate customs?
No. Goods are declared when they travel, not when they are stored, and the same inventory carries through.
Can I get at things while stored?
With notice, during working hours — a container is brought down and opened.
Can you store at the Dutch end instead?
Sometimes, and it is occasionally cheaper. We will tell you honestly which end makes more sense for your dates.
Dutch place not ready yet?
Tell us roughly what needs storing and when you expect the Dutch address to be ready. It is quoted as one job with the move.