Renting a van or hiring a company
Everything else depends on this choice: the rented van with friends versus the company with operators, insurance and a closed quote.
The DIY arithmetic
Van rental by the day, fuel, tolls and friends' favors: half the company's price with double the risk. Valid for small flats, kind staircases and young backs.
What the company includes
Professional packing, goods insurance, furniture assembly and liability for others' damage: what the friends' van covers in no way whatsoever. With a big flat and no lift, there's no contest.
The middle term
The van with two operators by the hour — load-and-transport without packing — is the hybrid formula: you prepare, they load and carry. The one chosen by anyone who has moved once before.