Moving home can be a stressful experience. Whether it’s the cost of house removal, managing the stress of moving with pets or young children, or the emotional tug of leaving one home for the next, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by it all.
Perhaps one of the biggest stresses is preparing for moving day itself. Whether you choose to hire a man-and-a-van or a professional removal service, it’s important to be organised.
Help is at hand. As part of our series of home moving guides, Martin & Co has all aspects of your move covered. Coming up, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know about the cost of moving house,
Related: Moving house checklist: tips for a stress-free move
Types of removal services
Self-hire a van
Hiring a van and enlisting the help of some family and friends will save on those removal costs. That said, moving furniture and boxes is physically demanding, not to mention stressful, and you’ll have to be confident driving a large van.
Man-and-a-van
A so-called ‘man-and-a-van’ is usually limited to one or two moving people and one vehicle. This would be your cheapest professional removal option however, with so few people helping you to move, it’s likely you’ll have to get stuck in with some of the heavy lifting or co-ordinating.
Home removals
Although this is the more expensive option, enlisting the help of a home removals company can take some of the stress out of move-in day.
Home removals provide a hassle-free removal service with a wider range of optional extras, including packing and unpacking or furniture assembly and reassembly, which can make all the difference to your move.
To decide whether your budget can stretch to cover the cost of house removal, we’ve mapped out what you can expect to pay professional movers.
The average cost for house removal
The total price of a home removal service can range from £400 to £2000 or higher, with most firms charging by the hour. How much you spend on removals will depend on:
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Whether you’re moving from a house or a flat.
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The size of the property you’re moving to and its access.
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How many removal people you need.
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How far away your new home is.
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Whether you need any furniture to be disassembled/assembled.
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If you require packing/unpacking services.
According to the latest data from Zoopla, the average house removal cost in Britain for a three-bedroom home is £800. If you are moving from a small flat, you may pay as little as £420.
To help you to budget accordingly, some removal firms have a property removal calculator on their website, which will allow you to compare removal quotes from firms in your area.
The cost of moving house locally
If you’re moving within 15 miles of your local area, you can expect to pay less than if you go further afield. Here’s a breakdown of the local average cost of home removals by property type:
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One-bedroom £420 – £650
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Two-bedroom £530 – £750
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Three-bedroom £800 – £960
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Four-bedroom £920 – £1000
The cost of moving house long distance
If you’re relocating to a new area, it’s likely that you’ll be charged by the hour or by the mile. Prices would increase depending on how far you’re travelling, how long it takes to get there and how many trips or vans you need.
How much extra does packing and unpacking cost?
By getting your movers to take care of the packing and unpacking for you, you’ll significantly reduce the stress of your move. According to Zoopla, if you’d like to add a packing and unpacking service, this will cost you, on average, an extra:
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£180 for a one-bedroom property
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£220 for a two-bedroom property
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£270 for a three bedroom property
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£350 for a four-bedroom property
Additional removal costs to budget for
Packing materials
Packing materials – things like boxes, bubble wrap and tape – are usually charged separately by removal firms.
Packing services, including fragile or valuable items and assembly fees
Most professional removal companies offer a specialist packing and unpacking services as well as assembly and disassembly fees.
Moving items out of windows
If you’ve large or bulky furniture, you may have to find alternative – and creative – ways to move it to and from your home. This may incur specialist equipment, such as dollies or cherry pickers, which will incur extra costs.
Storage fees
Your timeline for moving may mean your move-out day and your move-in day aren’t perfectly aligned. This would mean you’ll have to pay for your belongings to be temporarily put into storage ahead of move-in day.
What else should you know about moving house?
When do you pay a removal firm?
Most removal firms will ask for payment upfront, especially if they are arranging for packing materials to be sent to you ahead of time.
What is a removal survey?
A home removal survey is carried out by your removal company before they give you a final quote for their services. They’ll check your current property’s size, whether there are any access issues and, perhaps most importantly, how much you have to move. This will make sure there are no extra charges on the day.
