It’s finally time to move in to your new home – Kay Hill has hints and tips for keeping removal costs down.
When you are buying your first home, don’t forget to factor in removal costs – whether you are living in your childhood bedroom or renting a property, you are bound to have quite a lot of gear to move come the big day. According to 2024 research by Zoopla, the average house removal cost for a short move ranges from £420 for a basic removal from a one bedroom apartment, to over £1,200 for a packing and removal service from a three bedroom house – but there are plenty of ways to keep costs down.
REMOVAL COMPANIES
Getting professionals to do your move is trouble free and fully insured. Prices depend on how much you need moving, how far you are going, and the day of the week (Fridays, weekends and school holidays are more expensive). Specialist items such as pianos or tropical fish tanks incur additional charges and if you are moving appliances you will need to disconnect them yourself beforehand. A basic removals package means that you pack all your smaller items into boxes yourself, while a premium service means you can sit back and watch while everything is packed for you and unpacked at the other end (although you’ll pay hundreds of pounds for the privilege). It’s sensible to get three quotes, and make sure you know exactly what is included – for example VAT, packing materials, dismantling and reassembly of furniture, going up stairs, moving fragile items, permits, parking and mileage. You will get the most accurate quotes if the companies visit to do a removal survey. Do you have the van for the day, or is it charged by the hour? And what are the charges if there are delays – for example if you are in a chain and someone’s money doesn’t come through? You might consider taking out Late Keys Waiver, insurance costing from £70 that covers the costs of your removal company staying late.
SELF-DRIVE VAN HIRE
If you have a full UK driving licence and are over 21, self-drive van hire is a possibility (although drivers under 25, with less than two years’ driving experience, or with a poor driving record, will pay considerably more and may have to shop around or accept a smaller van). The best van for moving yourself is undoubtedly a 3.5 tonne Luton (550 cubic feet) with a tail lift – a box van that you can drive with a standard car licence but is large enough to hold, according to Reallymoving.com, up to 45 packing boxes or “a table and set of stackable chairs, spacious sofas, two double beds, wardrobes, and white goods”. A long wheel base Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter van (380- 530 cubic feet) will hold furniture such as beds and sofas, plus around 30 boxes (the contents of a single garage), while a standard Transit or Sprinter (280-380 cubic feet) should take a bed or a smaller sofa plus boxes. Hire prices vary according to van size, driver age, location and day of the week. As an example, for a 30-year-old to hire a Luton with tail lift in Chelmsford was £178 a day, while a smaller van was £97. Some companies offer cut price weekend hire, and larger firms will do one way hires if you are moving across the country.
Things to consider:
- Self-drive van hire does not include insurance for your goods, and may not be covered by your house insurance, so presents a greater risk than using a removals company
- Are you confident driving a large vehicle? You will be liable for repair costs if you scrape or damage it, unless you buy additional insurance. You have to pay for the fuel you use
- You will need to arrange parking permits, Congestion Charge payments etc yourself
- You will probably need help to load and unload the van if you have large items
- A more expensive, larger van may work out cheaper than multiple runs in a smaller van.
VAN HIRE WITH A DRIVER
Every area has “man with a van” services on offer, which can work out reasonably priced if you are doing a small, local move, moving by yourself, or don’t drive. For example, Quickmanandvan.co.uk offers hires in London starting from £36 for two hours, and drivers will help with lifting and disassembling/reassembling furniture. Weekday, daytime moves are cheapest.
Things to consider:
- Your driver will have some level of “goods in transit” insurance, but check the small print to make sure it covers the full value of your possessions
- Check what is included – some firms charge extra for fuel, mileage or carrying things up or down staircases
- You will need to arrange any parking permits, Congestion Charge payments etc yourself
- You can usually assist the driver yourself, or book an additional person to help carry items
- If you overrun, additional hours are usually charged at a higher rate; you might get a better deal booking for a half-day or full-day
MOVING BY CAR
If you don’t have very large items like double beds or sofas to move, then you might be able to manage with multiple car loads. If you buy roof bars and fixings for your vehicle (from around £115) you can strap larger items on top, but check your vehicle handbook to ensure you don’t overload – 75kg maximum is common. Buy ratchet straps and ensure that everything is secure, as driving with an unsecure load is a serious offence. If you have a tow bar (from £300 fitted), hiring a small box trailer can cost from just £25 a day and vastly increase what you can carry.
Things to consider:
- Don’t overload your vehicle, carry items insecurely or restrict your vision or you could get a big fine!
- Factor in the cost of fuel for making multiple journeys
- Check your car insurance for “personal possessions cover” to see if items carried on board are insured, and to what amount. If you aren’t covered, you may want to add this on.
PACKING MATERIALS
If you use a removal company, robust packing boxes, bubble wrap and tissue paper are either included in the price, or can be bought as part of the service. If you are moving yourself, you will need to buy boxes – be warned, they are more expensive than you might expect and quality varies enormously!
In general, don’t economise here, look for double wall boxes designed for moving house, as these are much tougher. If you are on a tight budget, Facebook free sites are a great way to source used-once moving boxes, and supermarket banana boxes can be good for books.
Don’t economise on tape either – you need heavy duty, wide, high-quality packing tape to seal your boxes (not masking tape, duct tape etc). Amazon sells large rolls of bubble wrap, but you could also ask local businesses or previous home movers for cast-offs. Newspaper, or packing paper on rolls, is useful, too.
Like many things in life, removals are a balance of cost and convenience. If you have to move in a single day, or are on your own, then a full professional service is probably worth ever penny. If you have your keys a week or two ahead of having to move out, you have a vehicle and friends to help, and you’ve sourced second hand packing materials, then you can move house for almost nothing. Just don’t forget which box you put the kettle in!
Kay Hill
Kay has been a professional journalist since her teens, working for local and regional newspapers, magazines and now websites as well. Kay work across a number of fields, including architecture, design, personal finance and the housing market – Kay enjoys making the complicated things in life a little easier to understand.As a consultant for PR company Building Relations, Kay has written for developers including Barratt London, Dandara, MTVH and Annington.
Kay enjoys the beauty of language, the structure of grammar and the process of condensing thousands of words of research and interviews into 1,200 carefully chosen words that will leave the reader a little more informed than when they started.