HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire an office removal firm in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
No register covers office removals. Check the operator licence, the insurance, and how files and IT are kept secure in transit.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring an office removal firm in five steps
- Survey and planFloor plans, crates, IT and a timetable that keeps the business running.
- Secure the dataLocked crates for files, a plan for computers.
- Check the operator licenceLorries over 3.5 tonnes need one.
- Book building accessLifts, loading bays and out-of-hours rules at both ends.
- Get insurance in writingGoods in transit, with limits for IT.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
No law licenses office removal firms in any UK nation. What protects your belongings is goods-in-transit cover, a signed inventory and written terms — and, if they choose to join one, a trade association's code.
Get the contract, the insurance limits and the deadline for damage claims in writing.
Goods vehicle operator licence
A lorry over 3,500 kg gross plated weight used for a business needs an operator's licence (traffic commissioner in Great Britain; Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland). Ask the office removal firm what vehicle is coming.
If a lorry over 3.5 tonnes is coming, ask the office removal firm for the operator licence number. gov.uk →
Personal data in transit
Gov.uk says a business that stores or uses personal information must keep it secure; files and devices on the move are part of that, and misuse can bring a heavy fine from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) or compensation.
Agree locked crates, sealed loads and a chain of custody with the office removal firm. gov.uk →
Reasonable care and skill
Every service contract includes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; careless handling by the office removal firm that damages your belongings breaks it.
Note any damage on the inventory at unloading, with photographs, before signing. legislation.gov.uk →
VAT
An office move within the UK is standard-rated, so a registered office removal firm adds 20% to crew, crates, IT handling and out-of-hours work. A move to or from a place outside the UK is zero-rated for the transport between countries. Registration becomes compulsory once an office 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 office removal firm for the VAT number with the timetable and for crew, crate hire and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →
A good answer: Yes, with a written plan and timetable.
A good answer: Locked crates, sealed vehicles and named staff.
A good answer: Options and price.
A good answer: Goods-in-transit limits that match the equipment's value.
A good answer: The firm's IT team or yours, agreed.
A good answer: For lorries over 3.5 tonnes.
A good answer: In writing.
Getting the quote right
- Volume, crates and crew
- Who actually attends the move: the office removal firm's employed crew, or a subcontracted crew or IT technician
- Timetable and out-of-hours work
- IT handling
- Insurance limits
- Cancellation terms
- The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on a UK office move as its own line
Walk away if
- No survey
- No plan for data security
- No operator licence for big lorries
- No written insurance limits
What an office removal firm costs: £1,000–£12,000 per move
Office removals are priced per move after a survey; volume, IT handling, timing and access at both buildings set the price. Office 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.
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Office removal firms near you, with the badges that matter shown
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- Survey and planBoth sites surveyed, floor plan labelled.
- CrateDesks and files packed into labelled, lockable crates.
- MoveLoaded, sealed and driven.
- PlaceItems placed to the floor plan.
- ReconnectIT reconnected and tested; crates collected later.
- Crate
- A lockable plastic box for office moves.
- Floor plan
- The labelled layout for the new office.
- Chain of custody
- A record of who handled files and devices.
- Operator licence
- Needed for business goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
- Goods-in-transit
- Insurance for items while moved.
- Out-of-hours move
- A move at evenings or weekends.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring an office removal firm: questions people ask
No removals licence applies; vehicles over 3.5 tonnes need an operator licence.
Your business: gov.uk says personal information must be kept secure. Agree how the firm will protect it.
£1,000–£12,000 a move, typically around £3,000. The office removals price guide explains what pushes it up or down; type your town above to compare office removal firms near you.
A small office can move over a weekend.
Check the goods-in-transit limits against its value.
Yes, by a registered waste carrier.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in removals & storage
Office removal firms near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- gov.uk — being a goods vehicle operator
- nidirect — goods vehicle operator licensing: licence applications
- gov.uk — data protection and your business
- British Association of Removers
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
- mygov.scot — make a court claim for money (simple procedure)
- nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
- Freight transport and associated services (VAT Notice 744B) — 4.1 Place of supply is the UK (standard rated)
- GOV.UK — VAT rates
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register