How to Photograph Your Furniture for an Accurate Moving Quote

Stand at the door and photograph the whole room, then go to the opposite corner and shoot again. Two opposite angles reveal nearly every wall and anything hidden behind doors or in corners. Shoot in good light, with curtains open in daytime or all lights on, because dark photos hide size and detail. Use landscape orientation for rooms to fit more in each shot.

A closed wardrobe shows its outside size but not how many cartons of clothes and belongings will come out of it. Open the doors and photograph inside. Do the same with kitchen cupboards, the storeroom and the laundry area. These spaces are the main reason carton counts differ between estimate and reality.

After the room shots, photograph each large item separately: wardrobe, bed, sofa, dining table, bookcase, fridge, washer, and any piano or safe. A single-item photo shows what kind of piece it is: sliding or hinged wardrobe doors, a corner sofa that separates, a marble or glass table top. Those details change the moving method and time.

Photos do not show size reliably; a wardrobe can look small or large depending on angle. Photograph big items next to a door, or with a tape measure stretched in front, or simply add rough measurements in your message. Height, width and depth of the largest pieces are enough.

The route from your front door to the street affects crew size as much as the furniture. Photograph:

• The apartment door from outside.
• The stairs, especially turns, if there is no lift.
• The lift open, from inside, with a tape measure if possible.
• The building or villa entrance.
• The street outside so we know where the truck can stop.

A short video is very useful for large homes or to show the whole route from room to street. Walk slowly, pan each room gently, pause at open wardrobes and large items, and talk as you film to explain what is moving and what is staying. A video does not replace single photos of special items, though, because still photos show detail more clearly.

Not everything in your photos will move. Landlord furniture in a furnished flat, appliances you are selling and items you are donating should not be counted. Say so clearly in your message, mark it on the photo, or photograph those items separately labelled "not moving". This avoids an inflated estimate.

• Chandeliers: a full shot and one of how it hangs from the ceiling.
• Large mirrors and paintings: front and side to show thickness.
• Marble tables: the top and the base.
• Air conditioners: indoor and outdoor units if you want them removed.
• Antiques: close-ups showing condition and detail.

In villas and homes on several floors, organise photos by floor: ground, first, then roof and annexe. Photograph the internal staircase between floors, since its width and turns decide how wardrobes and beds come down. Shoot the garden path from the front door to the gate and the distance to where the truck can park. Do not forget the driver's room, maid's room or outdoor store, which are often missed in estimates.

If you have started packing, photograph sealed cartons together and try to show the count clearly. If sizes vary, give a rough number of large and small boxes. That tells us how much truck space they need and whether you need more boxes for the rest.

Home offices usually have monitors, a printer, a desktop computer, lots of cables and bookshelves. Photograph the desk, its drawers and what is on it, and the full bookcase with books, since books are heavy and need many small cartons. Photograph large screens and stands, and tell us if a TV is wall-mounted and needs removing and rehanging.

Send photos room by room, writing the room name before each set: "master bedroom", "kids' room", "kitchen". That makes estimating much faster than hundreds of mixed images. Finish with one message containing current and new addresses, floor levels, lift availability, preferred date and services such as packing or AC removal.

• One photo per room from the doorway only.
• Closed wardrobes and cupboards.
• Skipping the storeroom, balcony and roof.
• Dark or shaky photos.
• No stairs or lift photos.
• Not marking what is staying.
• Sending photos mixed up without room names.

Photos work for most apartments and mid-size homes. We suggest an on-site survey for very large homes such as two-storey villas or palaces, unusual items such as a grand piano, heavy safe or huge chandeliers, or complicated access such as a street the truck cannot enter. Our page comparing free estimates with on-site surveys explains the difference.

We go through them room by room, count large items, estimate cartons from open wardrobes and cupboards, list what needs dismantling, and assess the route from the entrance and stair photos. Then we set truck size or number of dyna trucks and crew size and send a written quote. If something is unclear, we ask about that specific point rather than guess.

A three-bedroom flat can be covered in roughly fifteen photos: two per bedroom plus an open-wardrobe shot (nine), two of the living room, one of the kitchen with cupboards open, one of the storeroom, one of the stairs or lift, and one of the building entrance and street. Add rough sizes of the largest wardrobe and sofa, and we have what we need for an accurate quote.

Home photos can show personal details. There is no need to photograph family members, documents or small personal items; furniture and spaces are enough, and you can move anything you prefer not to show before shooting. We use photos only to assess the job and prepare the quote.

If you buy a large new item after sending photos, or decide to move storeroom items you said would stay, send a photo and let us know before the date. A quick update days ahead lets us adjust the quote and truck size instead of discovering the difference on moving morning. And keep your photos: they double as a record of your furniture's condition before the move.