Anyone who’s lived in London knows that moving here comes with its own unique set of challenges. With space at a premium, the city has grown upwards, not outwards. Mansion blocks, converted townhouses, modern high-rises – London is a city of stairs, lifts and narrow corridors.
At Happy2Move, we’ve built our reputation on mastering these vertical challenges. Our teams don’t just cope with multi-storey moves in London– they excel at them.
Staircases: The Daily Workout
From the grand sweeping staircases of Kensington to the compact spiral stairs of converted warehouses in Shoreditch, we’ve carried furniture up and down them all.
“I remember we moved a family from a fifth-floor flat with no lift,” says Manny, Director. “The sofa was particularly tricky – we had to hoist it over several landings. But that’s just part of moving in London.”
Our crews come prepared with furniture sliders, shoulder straps, and the experience to know when a different approach is needed.
Lift Logistics
Lifts can be a blessing or a curse. Yes, they save our teams from endless stair climbs, but London lifts come with their own quirks:
- Historic buildings with tiny lifts that barely fit two people
- Modern buildings with strict moving-in slots and protective lift covers
- Service lifts that require security keys and building manager supervision
We’ve worked with them all. Our teams know how to strip down furniture when needed, protect lift interiors, and work efficiently within the time constraints many buildings impose.
The Infamous London Corridor
It’s amazing how many large pieces of furniture have made it into London flats with seemingly impossibly narrow entrances.
“There’s always a way,” says Manny “Sometimes we need to remove doors temporarily, sometimes we pivot around corners in a specific way. It’s like a real-life puzzle.”
Our teams have developed a real knack for spatial awareness – they can usually tell within seconds whether something will fit through a particular space, and how to make it happen.
Planning Makes the Difference
Perhaps the most important part of any multi-storey move is what happens before we even lift the first box. We consider:
- Parking restrictions near your building (those red routes and resident-only zones can be a nightmare)
- Building access hours and regulations
- Whether we’ll need additional equipment or team members for particularly challenging items
- The best order to load and unload to maximize efficiency once we’re on site
Beyond the Ordinary
Over our years moving Londoners, we’ve faced some truly unique situations:
- Crane-lifting a piano into a warehouse conversion
- Navigating furniture through a flat with ceiling heights so low our tallest team member had to duck
- Moving antiques into a building so old and delicate that special protection was needed on every surface
- Transferring home office equipment into a high-security building with extensive sign-in procedures
Why Experience Matters
When you’re moving in a multi-storey building, there’s simply no substitute for experience. Our teams have developed the strength, techniques and problem-solving abilities that only come from doing this day in, day out across London.
It’s this experience that recently led to our team winning the 2024 Packer of the Year award at the Movers & Storers Show – recognition of the care and skill we bring to every job, whether it’s ground floor or penthouse level.
When you’re facing a move up or down in London’s vertical landscape, you need a team that’s seen it all before. With Happy2Move, that’s exactly what you get.
