Completion day rarely runs to plan. The buyers are waiting on a call from the solicitor, the sellers have still got the kettle in a box, and the van is sat outside a house on Foxhall Road with its hazards on. If you’ve ever moved in the Ipswich area you’ll know the feeling, and it turns out the whole removals trade is feeling it too.

In April the British Association of Removers launched a report called Getting Britain Moving, pointing out that the sector handles more than one million household moves a year. It listed what’s making life harder: delays and uncertainty in the home-buying chain, rising running costs, a shortage of skilled crew, and an informal, unregulated market that undercuts firms who carry proper insurance.

That last one matters if you’re moving in Suffolk. A man with a van and no goods-in-transit cover might quote less, but if the wardrobe goes down the stairs at Woodbridge or the sofa won’t clear the door in Kesgrave, you’re the one paying. Ask any firm for proof of insurance, how they pad furniture, and whether they’ll sort a parking bay suspension outside tight terraces. A decent crew will have the blankets, ratchet straps, wardrobe cartons and a tail-lift ready without being asked.

Timing helps as well. Moves that slip because of the chain are the ones that cause most stress, so tell your removers early and agree a fall-back, such as overnight storage, if keys arrive late in the afternoon. It beats unloading in the dark on the A12 side of Hadleigh.

T. Humphrey Removals is a family-run firm that has been moving Suffolk households since the year 2000, with packing, house clearance and secure storage on offer. For a straight answer on your move, take a look at thumphrey-removals.co.uk/, or give the office a ring in Ipswich.