Moving house can be quite costly – you’ve got conveyancing fees, estate agent costs and maybe even new furniture. But one of the most overlooked home-moving costs that homeowners forget to budget for is removal costs.
So, how much do removals cost? What’s included in these removal costs? What can make these costs go up? Do you need removals insurance? And can you just do it yourself? Here’s how much you can expect to be paying for a removal company to pack and unpack your belongings in 2022.
According to Sirelo, a removal company comparison site, the average price you can expect to pay for a 3-bedroom house ranges from £900 to £1,000 for a local move and from £1,200 to £1,500 for longer distance moves.
However, the price you pay for a removal company to help you move depends on a whole range of factors, including the distance being travelled, the volume of stuff to be moved and whether you require any additional services.
How much removals cost in the UK depends on three elements:
The time each element takes, along with the number of removal people needed, materials and size of the van, will determine the overall cost of your house removal.
When calculating removal costs, the most important factors to consider are the size of your current home and how many belongings you need to move.
Another significant factor is whether you’ll be doing your own packing or having the removal company do so for you. Packing is charged at an extra cost, so if you want to keep removal costs as low as possible, you might want to grab some boxes and parcel tape.
With so many factors to consider when calculating removal costs, it can seem almost impossible to get an accurate estimate. But, according to Checkatrade.com, the rough prices you can expect to pay for different sized houses are as follows:
How much removals cost can be influenced by a number of different factors, such as:
Nowadays, most removal companies offer a number of extras. While these will make moving day easier for you, they will also cause your removals costs to increase substantially.
Before opting for these add-on services that you might not need, it’s important to weight up the pros and cons to determine whether they’re worth the higher price. Some of these additional services might include:
According to getamover.co.uk, the average cost for additional removal services are:
Yes! In order to get accurate removal costs, it is essential that you get a couple of firms to do a pre-move survey. They will send a removals assessor to visit your property and assess your needs. Once they’ve done this, they’ll be able to provide you with a more accurate, binding removals quote.
By visiting your property in person, a removal company can see exactly how much stuff needs moving. They can also assess any access issues or items that will require extra care during the move.
While the assessor is with you, make sure you point out anything that isn’t coming with you and that should not be included in your removal quote. And don’t forget to tell them about any items that are out of sight, such as the contents of your loft, so there aren’t any surprises on moving day.
Usually, your removal company will include insurance in their price, but be sure to fully understand what level of protection this gives you. Often, removal firm insurance is limited to ‘transit insurance’, which means your belongings are only covered while they’re on the move. This cover is also usually very limited – you could get as little as £40 per item regardless of their actual value.
You should also check whether your insurance cover will be invalidated if you choose to do your own packing.
Given that removal costs are one of the largest outgoings when moving house, you’ll likely want to do whatever you can to minimise them. Thankfully, it isn’t too difficult to keep your removal costs down.
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