Moving home is a stressful and expensive process. If you’re buying there are several movers costs including surveys, legal fees, Stamp Duty, estate agent fees, and mortgage fees, which all add up. These are costs you know about from your mortgage lenders, conveyancers, and mortgage advisors. There’s one cost that can be harder to estimate and budget, which also applies to renters: the actual moving part.
The cost of packing and moving can vary depending on what level of service you’re looking for, with some initially attractive quotes not including key services you may need. When asking for quotes, it’s important to consider everything carefully to make sure the price isn’t too good to be true.
What are the average movers costs for a five-bedroom house?
Five-bedroom houses will generally have a lot of furniture that requires a large team to pack, carry and move everything. After all, there are the beds and other bulky bits of bedroom furniture to move, along with everything from the lounge, kitchen, dining room, office, conservatory, shed, and garage to consider.
It can be difficult to give an exact figure on the cost of moving the average five-bedroom house, as movers provide different services, which means there can be a wide range of services – and exclusions – from their quoted price. You’re likely to see wild fluctuations when looking for quotes, with some starting from £1,100 and going all the way up to £5,000 and beyond.
Five-bed house removal cost
Due to the number of variables involved in moving a five-bed home, one-size-fits-all average cost estimation is tough. Because of this, you should always be wary of companies that provide set moving packages, because you may find that certain services will require you to pay additional fees.
A five-bedroom home will need 5-6 movers, six Luton vans or two 7.5 tonnes of Luton lorries, and will take approximately ten hours. That means the cost to move a five-bedroom house will be approximately £3,200 + VAT.
Remember, this is a pure approximation – there’s every chance, depending on what you need and when you need it, that these averages are above – or below – what you may end up being quoted.
Five-bed house packing and movers cost
Similarly, estimations are also challenging when it comes to packing the contents of your home ahead of the move.
From our experience at Happy2Move, an average five-bedroom house, it will take four packers around eight hours, and will cost you approximately £1,300 plus packing materials and VAT.
Take a look at this quick reference table for how much it costs to pack and move a five bedroom house.
| Service provided to a five-bedroom home | Man power | Vehicle type | Approx time | Approx cost |
| Packing | 4 packers | n/a | 8 hours | £1,600 + packing materials + VAT |
| Moving | 5-6 movers | 3 Luton vans or a 7.5 tonne Luton lorry | 10 hours (within 10 miles of a specific area in London) | £3,200 + VAT |
Why a house packing service is needed
A house packing service can save you so much time and effort, something you’ll struggle to find when you’re in the process of moving home. Most people have to juggle their move around employment, school, childcare and paperwork from solicitors, so a packing service can remove this headache for you.
When packing your five-bedroom home yourself, it can take a week or sometimes more of full-time work. And while it’s recommended that you start packing 4-6 weeks before you move, in some cases this simply isn’t possible, for example, if you’re having to wait for contracts to be exchanged.
That means the last couple of weeks between exchange and completion can be frantic. Renters can also find themselves in similar situations when moving into a new rental property after agreements aren’t renewed, or for other unforeseen circumstances.
Using a packing service is time-saving and convenient, and will help the moving process go much smoother than if you were to try and make the time yourself. But of course it will involve additional cost, so this is something you’ll have to weigh up.
Specialised services for moving home
Sometimes, moving home can come with additional challenges you weren’t expecting, and if you need to store the contents of your home temporarily while your new property becomes available, Happy2Move are happy to accommodate.
Not only can we pack and move your items for you, but also store them temporarily in our safe and secure storage facility. Then, once you’re ready, we’ll load everything back into our van and bring them to you at your new home.
If you’ve bought some new furniture for your new home, our furniture experts can also put these together for you with our flatpack assembly service – imagine the amount of frustration and arguments that’s avoided!
We also offer a range of other specialised services, including:
Get a tailored online movers cost estimate
Because all homes are different, there is no set package that will suit you and your move, because what may work for some, won’t work for the majority of others.
Because of that, it’s important to get a movers cost quote tailored to you. When seeking quotes, make sure they’re no obligation, and the movers understand exactly what you’re looking for – whether in person, over the phone, or via a form on their website.
Only once you’ve been provided with a bespoke quote will you get a more accurate idea of what you’ll be paying for them to move your house.
Things to look out for when getting movers costs
When getting quotes for moving home, we recommend the following so you can make sure you’re getting the best deal possible for your situation:
Get quotes for movers costs in early
By getting quotes early, you’ll give yourself plenty of time to secure the best deals. While you may not be able to hire a company early, it’ll give you the best idea for what budget you’ll need, and which company can offer you the best value.
Get as many quotes for movers costs as you can
There’s no such thing as too many quotes, so try to get as many as you can, making sure each company offers what you’re looking for, and explains how long they estimate the packing and moving should take.
Study the reviews
On top of getting movers cost quotes, make sure you read reviews across a variety of trusted review websites. The lowest price may also have the lowest review, so it’s vital to understand what kind of service you’ll receive. Case studies are a useful way to find out more about how a company works and what you can expect too.
Understand the insurance
Movers’ insurance is vital, but it’s just as important to make sure it covers all the services you’re using. You need to be confident you’ll be covered in the event something unexpected happens.
Talk to our team
At Happy2Move, we have a friendly and experienced team who have helped people move homes of all sizes across London and beyond.
Contact our team for help and advice and a free tailored quote using our online quote form.
