HOW TO HIRE · REMOVALS & STORAGE · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a professional packer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
No register covers professional packers. Ask who insures what they pack, what materials are included, and how the hours are counted.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a professional packer in five steps
- Count the roomsAnd the fragile items — china, pictures, glass.
- Ask about insuranceItems packed by a professional are often covered where self-packed ones are not.
- Agree materialsBoxes, paper and bubble wrap: included or charged.
- Agree the hoursRate, minimum and estimated time.
- Plan labellingBy room and contents, for unpacking.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
No licence or register applies to professional packers 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.
Ask for the terms, the insurance details and the claims procedure in writing before booking.
Insurance for packed items
No law requires a packer to be insured, but goods-in-transit policies often exclude items you pack yourself; ask whether items the packer packs are covered, and by whom.
Ask the professional packer or the removal firm for the insurance terms in writing.
Reasonable care and skill
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes reasonable care and skill a term of every service contract, so damage a professional packer causes by careless handling is a breach.
Note any damage on the inventory at unloading, with photographs, before signing. legislation.gov.uk →
Cancelling a home-booked service
The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give 14 days to cancel a service agreed at your home or at a distance; if you ask for it to start sooner and then cancel, you pay for what was done. Packing booked as part of a dated removal may instead follow the removal's terms.
Check which terms apply before the packing date. legislation.gov.uk →
VAT
Packing services are standard-rated, so a registered professional packer adds 20% to the hourly rate and to materials supplied. Registration becomes compulsory once a professional packer 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 professional packer whether they are VAT-registered and, if so, for the VAT number with the booking. gov.uk →
A good answer: Covered under their or the removal firm's goods-in-transit cover, in writing.
A good answer: Listed, with extra materials priced.
A good answer: Wrapped individually, packed upright, boxes marked fragile.
A good answer: By room and contents.
A good answer: An estimate in hours for your home.
A good answer: Priced, with packaging taken away.
A good answer: Set aside valuables, documents and anything not to be packed.
Getting the quote right
- Hourly rate and minimum
- Who actually attends to the packing: the professional packer you booked, packers they employ, or subcontracted packers
- Estimated hours and number of packers
- Materials included
- Insurance for packed items
- The VAT number if registered, with VAT at 20% on hours and materials shown separately
Walk away if
- No answer on insurance
- Materials not listed
- Valuables packed without asking
- Cash only
What a professional packer costs: £40–£80 per hour
Packing is usually charged by the hour with a minimum booking; the number of rooms, fragile items and materials set the total. Packing & Unpacking Service 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
Professional packers 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, or book by the hour.
- Walk roundRooms, fragile items and what not to pack agreed.
- Fragile firstChina, glass and pictures wrapped and boxed.
- Room by roomContents packed and boxes labelled.
- Seal and stackBoxes sealed and stacked for loading.
- UnpackIf booked, unpacked and packaging removed.
- Packed by owner
- Items you pack yourself, often excluded from cover.
- Wardrobe carton
- A tall box for hanging clothes.
- Fragile label
- A marker for careful handling.
- Tea chest
- A large sturdy carton for heavy items.
- Goods-in-transit
- Insurance for items while moved.
- Minimum booking
- The shortest time charged.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a professional packer: questions people ask
No licence is required and no register exists for professional packers.
No, but it matters: many policies exclude items you pack yourself, so ask who covers what the packer packs.
Usually £40–£80 an hour, with £43 typical. The packing & unpacking service price guide sets out the reasons; your town in the search box above shows local professional packers.
Often a day for a family home with two packers.
Usually, priced or included; agree it.
Yes, a part-pack is common.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in removals & storage
Professional packers near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — the 14-day cancellation period
- 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)
- VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register