HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE

How to hire a removal firm in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register covers removal firms. Check the insurance, the operator licence for big lorries and the cancellation terms — a dated move has no cooling-off.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a removal firm in five steps

  1. Get a surveyIn person or by video, so the quote matches the volume.
  2. Compare written quotesVolume, crew, vehicle, packing, insurance and access all listed.
  3. Ask about goods-in-transit coverThe limit per item and in total, and what is excluded.
  4. Read the cancellation termsA move on a set date has no legal 14-day cooling-off.
  5. Sign the inventory both endsNote damage at unloading before you sign.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to removal firms in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so the protection is in the insurance, the written contract and the inventory. Trade association membership is voluntary. Joining the British Association of Removers is optional. Members work to a Code of Practice approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, are audited each year, and offer payment protection on home moves and a free independent ombudsman.

Ask for the terms, the insurance details and the claims procedure in writing before booking. If the removal firm claims membership, check the name with the association's Check a mover tool. bar.co.uk →

Goods vehicle operator licence

Gov.uk says a business using goods vehicles over 3,500 kg gross plated weight needs a goods vehicle operator licence — from the traffic commissioner in Great Britain, from the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. A van under that weight needs none.

If a lorry over 3.5 tonnes is coming, ask the removal firm for the operator licence number. gov.uk →

Reasonable care and skill

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes reasonable care and skill a term of every service contract, so damage a removal firm causes by careless handling is a breach.

Note any damage on the inventory at unloading, with photographs, before signing. legislation.gov.uk →

Cancellation terms

Regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes transport of goods booked for a specific date from the 14-day cancellation right, so a dated move with a removal firm has no legal cooling-off period. The written cancellation terms decide what you pay if plans change.

Get the cancellation and postponement charges in writing before paying a deposit. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A removal within the UK is standard-rated, so a registered removal firm adds 20% to the crew, vehicles, packing and materials. Where the move goes to or from a place outside the UK, HMRC zero-rates the transport for that part. Registration becomes compulsory once a removal firm has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the removal firm for the VAT number with the written quote and for the move, packing and VAT shown on separate lines. gov.uk →

“Will you survey my home before quoting the removal?”

A good answer: Yes, in person or by video; a removal quote without one is a guess.

“What does your goods-in-transit insurance cover?”

A good answer: A limit per item and in total, with exclusions — such as items you pack yourself.

“How do I claim for damage, and by when?”

A good answer: A written procedure with a deadline.

“What size removal vehicle and crew are coming?”

A good answer: Named, with an operator licence if over 3.5 tonnes.

“What are your removal cancellation and postponement charges?”

A good answer: In writing; there is no legal cooling-off for a dated move.

“Is packing included in the removal?”

A good answer: Priced separately or included, with materials.

“What if keys are delayed on the day of the removal?”

A good answer: Waiting time and overnight storage charges stated.

Getting the quote right

  • Volume or vehicle loads, crew size and the date
  • Who actually attends on moving day: the removal firm's employed crew, or a subcontracted crew and vehicle
  • Packing and materials, if included
  • Goods-in-transit cover and its limits
  • Access, parking and long carries
  • Cancellation and waiting-time charges
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on a UK move shown as its own line

Walk away if

  • No survey for a whole-house move
  • No written terms or insurance details
  • A large cash deposit
  • A lorry with no operator licence
  • "We'll sort the inventory on the day"
LOW
£300
TYPICAL
£1,200
HIGH
£3,200

What a removal firm costs: £300–£3,200 per move

Home removals are priced per move after a survey; volume, distance, crew, packing and access set the price. Home Removals price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Removal firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyVolume and access assessed; quote written.
  2. PackPacking done by the crew or by you, boxes labelled by room.
  3. LoadFurniture wrapped, inventory checked, van loaded.
  4. TransportLoad secured, vehicle driven to the new home.
  5. Unload and signItems placed by room, damage noted, inventory signed.

Goods-in-transit
Insurance for your belongings while moved.
Inventory
The list of items moved, signed at each end.
Operator licence
Needed by a business using goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
Long carry
Distance from the van to the door, often charged.
Waiting time
Charges while keys are delayed.
Survey
The assessment of volume before quoting.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the inventory and termsThey are the basis of any damage claim.
Check before signingLook over furniture and boxes at unloading, note damage with photos.
Claim in timeWithin the deadline in the terms.
Tell others how it wentA short, specific review of the removal firm — what was done, on time or not, the clean-up — helps the next person. Problems go through make-it-right first.

STEP 1A written complaintEmail or message the removal firm with what is wrong with the move, photos and the remedy you want. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you repeat performance first, then a reduction in price if that fails.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for the removal firm goes to them first if you say so, and we chase the reply. Then you review.
STEP 3A trade body, or Trading StandardsIf the removal firm belongs to a trade association, use its dispute or ombudsman service. The consumer helplines pass complaints to Trading Standards: Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133) for England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060), Consumerline (0300 123 6262) for Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Going to courtClaims of up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland against a removal firm go through the small-claims routes, built for people without a solicitor.

Hiring a removal firm: questions people ask

In all four nations removal firms can trade without a licence, and no official register lists them. A firm running vehicles over 3.5 tonnes needs a goods vehicle operator licence.

Not as a legal right if the move is for a specific date: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes transport of goods booked that way. The removal firm's written terms decide any charge.

Most pay around £1,200 out of a range of £300–£3,200 a move. For what moves the figure, see the home removals price guide; for local removal firms, search above.

Only if it has goods-in-transit cover; ask for the limit and exclusions. Public liability covers other people's property, not your goods in the van.

No, it is voluntary — but members follow a code of practice and offer dispute routes.

At loading and unloading, to check and sign the inventory.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in removals & storage

How to hire: Man with a VanHow to hire: Packing & Unpacking ServiceHow to hire: Piano RemovalsHow to hire: Furniture StorageHow to hire: Self StorageHow to hire: International RemovalsHow to hire: Office RemovalsHow to hire: House ClearanceAll 701 hiring guides →

Removal firms near you

Removal firms in LondonRemoval firms in ManchesterRemoval firms in BirminghamRemoval firms in GlasgowRemoval firms in BelfastAll removal firms on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. British Association of Removers
  2. gov.uk — being a goods vehicle operator
  3. nidirect — goods vehicle operator licensing: licence applications
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from the cancellation right
  6. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  7. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
  8. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  9. Freight transport and associated services (VAT Notice 744B) — 4.1 Place of supply is the UK (standard rated)
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register