Having run a removals company for more than 30 years, it's no surprise to me that moving is commonly held to be up there with divorce and bereavement as one of the most stressful things we ever do.

I see moving as a rite of passage, as we travel from one stage in our life to another. So combining it with another rite of passage – that of starting a family – is not necessarily the best idea. We haven’t yet had anyone go into labour during the move itself, though someone did once give birth a few hours after all the boxes had been safely delivered to her new home. My advice is to try to move either well before the baby is due or delay it until after he/she has arrived.

Just as many moves are precipitated by a new life, so many are prompted by a death and in such cases it’s almost always better to hand the job over to the professionals as they are not emotionally involved. For example, we had one client who was sorting out her parents’ house after both had passed away. Going through their belongings was proving extremely painful and she kept stopping to read letters from family members to her mother. When it came to throwing things away, she didn’t know where to begin – she wanted to keep everything.

But sometimes the trouble starts even before a death. One woman complained that her father, who was moving into a care home, hadn’t bought her the pony she wanted when she was a child and therefore she was entitled to certain valuable items in the property over her brother. And boy was she taking them with her now.

Worse than death for a removals company, though, is divorce. In fact, divorcing couples can be our worst nightmare. It is not unusual for items to be divvied up, with post-it notes identifying who owns what, and each partner using their own removal companies. This means that on removals day we end up jostling with another firm, with items going on and off each lorry as the couple fight over the spoils. If we are moving both partners in a divorce, we tend to meet them separately to discuss their respective moves and get two inventory lists drawn up to ensure everything goes where it should.

Regardless of what has instigated a move, and how emotional you are feeling about it, there are ways to make it easier on the day:

• Keep your removals firm in the loop One customer warned us about her OCD before the move and requested that the removals team were in clean uniforms with clean nails. She also wanted the removals van cleaned inside and out before she would let us pack up any of her items.
• Try not to have unrealistic expectations We can’t move an eight-bedroom house in a day. People always tend to downplay the work involved, perhaps because they want to rein in costs, but a move always takes longer than you think it will and will be more expensive in the long run if you aren’t realistic as to what is involved. It’s all in the planning.
• Be involved – but not too involved We once did a move which should have taken three hours but after eight the boys had only managed to bubble wrap eight cushions and move two items. The customer was so controlling that she wouldn’t let them touch anything. Likewise, please don’t advise us how to pack the lorry – we do this day in, day out, so we know a thing or two about the best way of doing it. Conversely, show no interest in your move, like the boss who got his PA to book it, and something will inevitably go wrong.

Further information

'How to have a stress-free moving day' by the founder of Ward Thomas Removals, Anthony Ward Thomas, is part of our new series, 'Moving Stories'. Inspired by Savills new advertising campaign, Moving Stories explores the complex relationship between home and home-owner with funny, sad and bittersweet reflections on moving out, moving in and moving on.

We invite you to submit your own Moving Stories and we will donate £50 to Dreams Come True for every one we publish on Savills UK Blog. We'll also make a donation for every story submitted for consideration.