Removals Cost: How Much Do I Have To Pay?

Ad Banner
removals cost

On the face of it, moving house is an exciting prospect. You get to cash in on your current house, choose another amazing property and have the potential to be able to move to a different city.

However, when you dig deeper, moving house can be really quite stressful – there are so many different things to think about and there can be some high costs involved.

One thing that can help to remove some of the stress as moving day starts to roll around is using a removal company to take some jobs off your plate. But this doesn’t come without a cost, with some removals costs being quite high.

We’ve written a full guide explaining what the actual cost of removals is, alongside whether you need removal insurance and what you can do to reduce the cost of your removals, and much more. Use the menu below to help guide you:

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

We ask this in order to deliver you a better experience.

Cost of removals 2022

The cost of removals will vary a lot depending on different factors, for example, how big your property is, how much ‘stuff’ you’re needing for the company to remove and also how far it’s needing to be transported.

Naturally, a 1-bed house that has minimal items needing to be removed and it’s only needing to be taken 5 minutes down the road is going to have a much lower removal quote compared to a 4-bed house that needs help removing items from the whole house that also needs transporting to a different city.

Use the table below for the current 2022 average removal costs:

 Size of property Average moving cost
 One or two-bed house £450-542
 Three-bed house £796
 Four-bed house £1,070
 Five-bed house £1,371

Figures taken from ‘Reallymoving’

Of course, this table is just a guide and so needs to be taken with a ‘pinch of salt’. You may find your removals cost is significantly below this if you have minimal items.

Or, on the flip side, you could find that your removals costs are way above this if you need help with disassembling and reassembling your items and packing them up too.

To get a more accurate idea of the house removal costs, you could use an online removals cost calculator.

Removals cost extras

Companies do offer a range of extra services on top of transporting your items that, should you choose to use them, will add to your total removals cost. The following are extras that your chosen company may offer to you…

Packing:

  • Packing service – Certain companies will offer to pack your items for you to allow you to avoid this chore. Whilst it will add to the overall cost, it will save you a lot of time that you may feel is better spent elsewhere
  • Unpacking service – Most companies will place your moving boxes in the correct room, providing you’ve labelled them correctly or given clear instructions. However, for an additional cost, some companies will also unpack your boxes for you, so all you have to do is put your items away in their new home
  • Packing materials – This may be included in the removals cost you have been quoted but it’s worth double checking whether it includes boxes, bubble wrap, tape and other materials you will need to use to pack up your house ready to be moved
  • Crating – You may need wooden crates for transporting some of your goods, for example, fragile items may be better transported in a separate crate. It’s worth checking whether these come at an added cost

Specialised services:

  • Moving equipment – If there are any items that need to be lifted safely to a higher floor or they’re too heavy to lift manually, then specialist equipment, such as a cherry picker lift, may be required. This will likely come at an extra cost in addition to what you have already been quoted
  • Fragile packing – If you have items, such as antiques, that need to be packaged and handled with care, then this will come with an additional fee
  • Dismantling and re-assembly – Some companies will dismantle and re-assemble for you and include it in the quoted removals cost, whereas others will expect you to do this. In this case, if you are wanting the company to do it for you, this will come at an added cost

Access:

  • Parking restrictions – Companies will expect that you will arrange parking permits for their vans if there are any parking restrictions where your property, new or old, is. This is something that will be covered from your pocket and won’t be included in the removals quote
  • Ferries or toll roads – If moving to your new property requires the removal company to travel on toll roads or on a ferry, which will incur another cost, it’s worth checking whether this cost is already included in the quote
  • Right of entry – If on your route there are small country lanes or low-hanging bridges that large removal trucks won’t be able to travel down, you will have to specify that you need a smaller vehicle, which could lead to you needing more vehicles in total. If you think this will apply to you, then it’s worth discussing with your chosen company whether this will alter the removals cost
  • Higher floor property with no lift – If your property is a high rise flat with no lift, then you will require more labour to get all items up and down the stairs

Cancellations and late key charges:

  • Cancellation policy – As we mentioned earlier, sometimes removals can be cancelled last minute due to funds not being sent or received on time, so it’s always best to see what your chosen company’s cancellation policy is, which you will be able to find in the terms and conditions of your quote
  • Late key charges – If you don’t get the keys to your new property when you expect to, this means your removal company will be waiting for a prolonged period of time before they can unpack your items and your new property, leading them to charge you a late key charge. Some companies, though, will have a ‘late key waiver’ included in their quote to give you peace of mind if things don’t go to plan

Unexpected removals costs

As you may expect with moving house, sometimes things just don’t go to plan and often things always work out more expensive than you originally thought. There’s also the risk that an unexpected delay could affect your moving day.

Research from HomeOwners Alliance found that a huge 115,000 house moves have been delayed each year because funds haven’t arrived on time and therefore meant the sellers took longer to leave the property. 20,500 moves had to be cancelled completely due to funds not arriving in time.

Should delays occur you need to be aware of what the potential costs are and when you will be expected to pay. Below are examples of typical costs you will be expected to pay as a result of delays:

  • Storage fees
  • Cancellation costs
  • Late completion charges
  • Accommodation charges
  • Hourly waiting charges for your removal company
  • Late key charge

It may be a good idea to check with your chosen company whether these potential delay costs are included in your quoted removals cost. If not, you will need to be prepared that you may end up spending more than you expected.

Do I need a pre-move survey?

Yes, it’s a good idea for you to get a pre-move survey to help you get an accurate idea of what the removals cost will be.

A pre-move survey is where removal companies will visit your property and have a look at the number of items that need moving and how much work is required on the companies’ behalf – for example, how many items may need dismantling.

The pre-move survey will also allow companies to decide what size van and the number of people they’re going to need. On top of this, they can also see where you live and exactly how far away your new property is.

A pre-move survey won’t take long, with the average survey taking around 15-25 minutes. With the advance in technology, pre-move surveys can now happen over an online video chat, meaning it’s easy to fit it into your day and get the survey to work around you.

Do I need removal insurance?

You may find that a lot of removal companies will include insurance in their price, but it’s key that you question what level of protection they’re offering.

Some companies will only offer you transit insurance which only covers your goods when they’re actually in transit in the van. A lot of companies are quite limited on the damage cover they will offer you, with some offering as little as £40 per damaged item, regardless of the value of the item.

If you find yourselves a really good removal company, they can offer up to £10,000 cover for individual items and £50,000 total cover.

You will also need to check if the removal insurance offered by your chosen firm is invalidated if you choose to do your own packing.

On top of this, you will want to make sure your home insurance policy covers your items whilst they’re being moved by your chosen removal company.

We believe it’s worth getting removal insurance, as it will help cover the costs, should any items get damaged, and will also help with the extra cost you may have to pay should any delays arise.

Can I reduce my removals costs?

One of the best ways to make sure you’re getting the lowest quote possible is to shop around looking at different removal companies’ costs and see if they’re open to a bit of negotiation, getting a discount could save you a large sum of money.

Another way to make sure your cost of removals is as low as possible is to have a couple of companies conduct a pre-move survey on your property so they can get to grips with exactly what it is you need help moving.

This will also allow them to understand where you live and how far away you want to move, allowing them to give you an accurate idea of costs.

To help lower the removals cost you can also pick to move on one of the quietest days of the week, staying clear of any day that is ‘traditionally’ busy, such as a Monday or Friday. Choosing to move on a quieter day means the removal company will be less busy and will mean you’re more able to negotiate a discount.

Also, if you allow the removals firm to give you a day and time that’s best for them and you’re able to fit in with this, you’re also more likely to reduce your removals cost, as you’re fitting in with the removals company’s schedule, also making them more likely to give you a discount.

Removal companies tend to charge by the hour, so if you make their job easier, then it’s going to mean it takes them less time to move you and therefore the costs will be lower.

If you could have all your boxes packed and correctly labelled and any furniture already dismantled prior to the removal company arriving, then you’re going to save them time and ultimately save yourself money.

 
That sums up everything you need to know about the removals costs you may face, including what the average costs of removal are, what extras you can expect and how to reduce your removals cost. Got a question to ask? Or maybe some insight to give? Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to get in touch !

 

Want to stay up to date on the latest news?

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

We ask this in order to deliver you a better experience.

photo of Millie Archer

Millie is a perfectionist with a passion for property and writing articles. You’ll find her researching the latest housing trends and the newest up and coming areas worth investing in. Read more about Millie here.

Ad Banner
About Millie Archer 142 Articles
Millie is a perfectionist with a passion for property and writing articles. You'll find her researching the latest housing trends and the newest up and coming areas worth investing in. Read more about Millie here.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*