What Movers Won’t Move For Your Sydney Relocation

Moving companies can move a lot – but not everything. If you’re planning to relocate, it’s always a good idea to know about the things they might not be able to help you with. That way, no one will be caught off-guard, and the proper arrangements can be made well in advance.

From hazardous materials to irreplaceable family heirlooms, there are certain things that even the most experienced removalists won’t touch due to legal restrictions, safety concerns, or risk of damage.

In this guide, we’re going to take a deep dive into what these items may be.

Key Takeaways:

Movers may refuse to take the following based on their abilities, ethics, or because of legal restrictions.

• Hazardous materials: Chemicals, cleaning supplies, oil, gas bottles, and anything else that can pose a risk during transit.
• Sharp items: Glass, mirrors, and other sharp objects which can easily break and cause injuries.
• Perishables: Food items (fresh, frozen, or dairy) and plants that can spoil during a move.
• Important documents: Passports, birth certificates, financial records, and other irreplaceable documents.
• High-value items: Jewellery, cash, and valuable collectables are high-risk for your removalists, who won’t want to be responsible for them.
• Large appliances: Large appliances like refrigerators and washing machines can be bulky and difficult to move.
• Specialty items: Pianos, pool tables, and other complex or fragile items will need expert movers.
• Living beings: Pets and livestock have specific needs and legalities surrounding transport.
• Illegal items: Movers will refuse to transport any illegal items, such as weapons, drugs, or stolen goods.

Hazardous Materials

Starting with the obvious, your Sydney removalists are strictly prohibited from transporting hazardous materials that can be a danger to people, property, and the environment.

These materials are typically flammable, corrosive, toxic, or even explosive – which will need to be disposed of, or moved by a highly specialised company.

The 9 Classes Of Dangerous Goods

Dangerous goods substances and articles are allocated to one of 9 classes.

• Class 1: Explosives
• Class 2: Gases
• Class 3: Flammable liquids
• Class 4: Flammable solids
• Class 5: Oxidising substances and organic peroxides
• Class 6: Toxic and infectious substances
• Class 7: Radioactive material
• Class 8: Corrosive substances
• Class 9: Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

For more information on the above classifications and how you might transport or dispose of them, take a look at The Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADGC), which covers more common dangerous goods such as paints, LPG, and petrol. They will also provide advice or referrals for other classes of dangerous goods.

You can also find more from AFRA (Australian Furniture Removals Association) on item eligibility.

Chemicals And Cleaning Supplies

Even everyday household products can be surprisingly dangerous as they pose a risk of spilling, leaking, or having unexpected reactions during transit. Your Sydney removalists will likely refuse to transport:

• Bleach – highly corrosive and can cause burns.
• Paint and paint thinners – flammable and can give off toxic fumes.
• Gasoline and other fuels – extremely flammable and explosive.
• Pesticides and herbicides – toxic fumes and harmful to skin.
• Pool chemicals – corrosive and harmful to skin and eyes.
• Aerosol cans – pressurised containers that can explode under pressure or heat.

 How To Safely Transport Or Dispose Of Chemicals And Cleaning Supplies

1. Household Chemical Cleanout: A free service from the NSW Government that lets you drop off your chemicals. This is for domestic purposes only, not for commercial waste.
2. If you opt for the above, ensure that your items are well-sealed and transported in highly-ventilated vehicles, secured upright, and away from heat sources.
3. Hazardous waste collection assistance: If you don’t want to transport your chemicals to a drop-off point, you can find specialist companies who will come and collect them for you.

Explosives and Firearms

Most removalists will not be able to transport explosives or firearms for legal reasons as they require special licenses and handling to maintain public safety.

Such items could consist of ammunition, fireworks, firearms, and gunpowder.

Transporting Or Disposing Of Explosives And Firearms

1. Contact authorities: Local police or firearms licensing authorities such as the NSW Firearms Registry can advise on safe disposal or storage of firearms and ammunition.
2. Licensed professionals: Talk to licensed firearms dealers or transportation services that specialise in firearms or explosives. The aforementioned Firearms Registry service may be able to advise on this.
3. Important: Never throw away unwanted firearms or explosive materials in public or household garbage bins.

Perishable Items

When moving in Sydney or elsewhere, many companies generally exclude perishable items from their services to avoid issues with legal restrictions, pests, spoilage, and risks to hygiene.

Perishable Foods

Temperature fluctuations and jostling during transit can easily lead to spillage or spoilage. Such foods include:

• Fresh produce such as fruits, vegetables, herbs
• Dairy products, including yoghurt, eggs, cheese, milk, and associated products
• Frozen foods, such as prepared meals, ice cream, processed foods, and meats
• Fresh meat, which can easily spoil if left unrefrigerated for too long
• Opened containers that wouldn’t typically perish if left sealed and unopened

What To Do With Your Perishable Food

1. Consume before moving: Plan your meals up until moving day to use up as much of what you have as possible.
2. Donate to food banks: Unopened and non-perishable food can help out other people, which avoids waste and goes to a good cause. Check out Food For Change to see how you can donate to local food banks.
3. Use coolers: If you’re not going too far, you can transport the food yourself using cooling bags and ice.

Plants

Even though they aren’t for consumption, plants are considered perishable. If you’re hiring interstate removalists or backloading, you must check with local authorities to find out more about their quarantine regulations, which prevent the spread of pests and diseases.

Items that fall under this category can include houseplants, potted plants, succulents, garden plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers.

 What To Do With Your Plants

If you’re moving within the same state or territory, you can move plants in your own vehicle. But, if you’re coming into Sydney from interstate, check the NSW biosecurity regulations to see if you need any permits or inspections.

You could also give them to friends and neighbours, or donate them to local community gardens or centres.

Personal and Sentimental Items

While some companies may reluctantly move personal or sentimental items for you as special cargo, it’s more likely that they won’t because of their fragile, valuable, or irreplaceable nature. If you have one of the following, you may end up having to transport them yourself.

Important Documents

Important paperwork and documents can be fragile, irreplaceable and hold immense personal and legal value. And, if lost, it could make replacing them complicated, expensive, or even impossible.

Examples of important documents can include:

• Birth certificates
• Passports and ID cards
• Financial records such as tax returns, bank statements, wills, and deeds
• Medical records
• Insurance policies

Transporting Important Documents

If your moving company in Sydney don’t want the responsibility of transporting your documents, here’s what you can do:

1. Carry them: Keep your documents in a secure bag or folder that you’ll keep with you during the move.
2. Digitise them: Make digital copies and store them in a secure cloud service or external hard drive. Bear in mind that these won’t count as substitutes for official documents when the originals are needed.

Sentimental items

We all have things in our homes, passed down by family, given by friends, or hard-earned. These hold huge personal value, and if made aware of them, removalists may prefer that you handle their transport yourself.

*Please note that with ZOOM, we do offer a special fragile removalists Sydney service.

Here are some of the things they may suggest you find alternative transport for:

• Family heirlooms, such as antiques, inherited belongings, jewellery, ornaments
• Photos and scrapbooks, which are highly fragile and could be irreplaceable if lost or damaged
• Artwork and crafts made by family, friends or loved ones

If your chosen Sydney removalists refuse to move sentimental items like the above, you’ll need to do so yourself.

Like with any other fragile cargo, you’ll want to pack them extra carefully with high-quality materials, and then transport them personally. If the items are large and bulky, you may be able to find heavy furniture movers who are willing to take on the risk.

High-value Items

While special insurance policies can be struck when moving in Sydney, many removalists will avoid transporting items that are of unusually high value due to the increased liability and risk.

While they do everything they can to safeguard cargo, there are some things they prefer not to deal with.

• Jewellery and cash, which are prime targets for theft, and easy to lose due to their small size. These have huge potential for financial loss and are usually personally transported by the customer. Such items can include, or be made of precious metals, gold, silver, gemstones, rubies, and diamonds.
• Other high-value items can include rare stamps, coin collections, fragile artworks, vintage comic books, sports or film memorabilia.

Transporting High-Value Items

You have a few options if your removalists refuse to transport high-value items.

1. Take them yourself as you travel to the new home. This is the best way to keep them safe, and yourself fully accountable for their arrival on the other side. Just make sure to pack them extra securely, and drive safely.
2. Use a specialised service. You may be able to find a separate company that specialises in high-value items and is willing to take on the risk.

Electronics

Most Sydney moving companies will typically move common household electronics such as TVs, stereos, and computers, but as the value and fragility of the items increase, so does the likelihood that they won’t.

• High-end computers, including expensive laptops and custom-built PCs that can be worth thousands of dollars.
• Large flat-screen TVs that are unusually large and don’t have their original packaging
• Audio equipment, such as speakers, amplifiers, turntables, and soundboards
• Cameras and lenses, such as those used professionally by filmmakers and photographers.

 Moving Electronics Yourself

1. Use original packaging when possible as it is designed to fit around the equipment perfectly to provide the best protection and stability.
2. If you don’t have the original box, you can buy third-party boxes that are specifically made for computers, televisions, and other expensive electronics.

Large and Specialty Items

Sydney removalists will typically be able to handle some large or speciality items, but there will be a line they won’t cross if their size, fragility, or weight are too much. Some of the more common ones which may be refused include:

Large Appliances

Appliances usually fall within the remit for removalists, but they are very heavy and difficult at the best of times, so if the movers don’t have the proper transport or equipment, they will likely refuse.

• Fridges and freezers are bulky, hard to move, and require disconnection of water lines.
• Dryers, washing machines, and dishwashers for the same reasons as above.
• Ovens and stoves, which require disconnection and have many points of failure if mishandled.

How To Move Them

1. Consult with professionals for disconnection. Arrange for qualified technicians such as plumbers or electricians to properly disconnect and prepare appliances for transit.
2. Work with specialist movers who will have the proper tools, trucks, and experience for large and heavy appliances.

We recommend taking a look at our article on how to move a fridge for more information.

Specialty Items

Speciality items often need unique handling techniques or equipment due to their size, shape, weight, or delicate nature. Because of this, many Sydney moving companies won’t have the resources or expertise to move them safely.

• Pianos are highly delicate and very heavy, and will need specialised piano movers who have the proper tools and knowledge to disassemble, load, and reassemble them.
• Pool tables, which can tear or break without proper handling.
• Large artwork or sculptures which will need specific crating and handling for safe transit.
• Hot tubs, which are very large and expensive. If you want to move one, we suggest taking a look at our guide on how to move a hot tub or spa.

Pets And Livestock

Moving living creatures presents unique challenges and will need highly specialised care for legal, ethical, and safety reasons. As such, any regular removalist company will not be able to provide you with transportation services.

Pets

Pets should never be considered as cargo: they have many needs, and removalist trucks aren’t kitted out to give them a safe and comfortable environment.

And, this is not to mention the legal restrictions that may come with transporting animals across state lines. For more information on this, the NSW Government has a page on the licenses needed to transport native animals interstate.

Here are the challenges movers will face:

• Dogs and cats will need ventilation, temperature control, and regular breaks for exercise and bathroom moments during transport. There may also be the need for vaccinations if coming from interstate.
• Birds and small mammals must travel in comfortable cages and carriers, and come with their own food, health and wellbeing needs.
• Fish and reptiles will travel in terrariums and aquariums, which are large, fragile, heavy and expensive. The habitats will also need electricity to maintain water quality and temperature.

Tips For Moving Pets

1. Work with specialist pet relocation services, as they will be able to handle different kinds of animals, and will have the proper knowledge, tools, and vehicles to maintain their well-being – as well as understand the legalities.
2. You can transport them yourself by following our detailed guide on how to move with pets.

Livestock

Moving livestock will take even more attention and specialisation than household pets, and typical removalists won’t be remotely equipped to deal with them. Here’s what it would take:

• Horses need specialised trailers and handlers to ensure their safety and well-being when on the road. They are large and powerful animals, and if they become stressed, it can be dangerous.
• Cattle, sheep, and goats will need a lot of space, ventilation, food, and water to undertake a move.
• Chicken and poultry will need to be transported in appropriately-sized crates and cages in temperate-controlled vehicles, with plenty of food and water.

If you need to move livestock, the only way to do it is to work with a specialist livestock transport company. They will have the large vehicles and trailers needed, and the experience to ensure their wellbeing and compliance with legal requirements.

Illegal Items

This will go without saying, but no removalist will knowingly transport anything illegal.

All moving companies in Sydney and everywhere else have a legal and ethical obligation to refuse to transport any items that are prohibited by law.

Please note that this section should not be considered as legal advice.

If you’re moving in Sydney and don’t know what you can or can’t transport, you can see more about illegal items from this list by the Australian Border Force.

• Illegal drugs and controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and others within the category.
• Stolen goods that have been illegally acquired through fraud or theft.
• Contraband items that are prohibited, such as certain animals, plants, or cultural artefacts.
• Weapons that include unlicensed or prohibited firearms, explosives, blades, or other dangerous weapons.
• Hazardous waste such as chemicals or medical waste.
• Large amounts of undeclared or stolen cash.

It is your responsibility to report suspicious activity if you think someone is transporting illegal goods.

A Quick Note On Curb side Collection

The above lists cover many of the things your removalists may not, or cannot move. Unfortunately, it’s typical for some people to leave things for curb side collection instead of disposing of them properly. Such items include:

• Dangerous materials such as chemicals, oil, or gas canisters
• Broken glass or mirrors
• Food scraps or yard waste
• Dirt, rocks, bricks, or concrete
• Leftover trash from your business or home
• Broken appliances or furniture.

Please do the right thing. Find out more about how to dispose of hazardous waste.

Moving With ZOOM? Talk To Us About What We Can Move For You

The above guide doesn’t cover absolutely everything that a removalist may refuse to move, but should certainly give you an idea.

At ZOOM, our Removalists Sydney teams can handle large and specialist cargo, so we always recommend you get in touch with us if you want to move in Sydney, and have something tricky. Our helpful team can forward more information on items we do not transport.

From fridge removals, piano removals, bed & mattress removals, and more, you’d be surprised at what we can do.

Sydney Suburbs To Consider

• Removalists Parramatta
• Removalists Bondi
• Removalists Blacktown
• Removalists Epping
• Removalists Castle Hill
• Removalists Campbelltown
• Removalists Blacktown
• Removalists Penrith
• Removalists Liverpool
• Removalists Mosman
• Removalists Hornsby

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