Removals

Depending on how far you have to move and how much furniture you have, you can either hire a removal company or do it yourself. The cost of hiring a removal company will depend on how much furniture you have and how far you are moving, but an average quote for moving from London to Bristol is £607. £600 is usually the approximate figure for most moves.

If you decide to do the move yourself, it is quite likely that you will need to hire a van to move all your larger items. Shop around to get the best quote. Some van hire companies will require you to have special insurance, so check that you are not already covered by your credit cards, home or motor insurance to avoid paying unnecessary costs.

You will find that you never have enough boxes, so if you are using a removal company ask them how many they think you will need to save you from buying too many or not enough. Some removal companies will be able to give you a special discount on boxes.

Try to be there when the removal company is, to check if there are any damages or breakages made to your furniture. If can often be difficult to charge these companies for any such unfortunate happenings once you are at your new house. Damage to the house can also occur during the move, and you will be charged for these by the new owners. Find out what the removal company's policy is about damages to the furniture and house before you sign any contracts.

If the removal company is going to bill you by the hour, it is also worth being present to make sure that the movers do not work up large bills through idle time and slow work.

Storage

If you cannot move into your new house straight away, then it may be necessary to put some of your furniture into storage for a short time. Make sure that you hunt around for different quotes, and find out if insurance is included in this. The average quote for storing furniture from a three-bedroom house is around £100 per fortnight and around £650 for three months in London. In other cities this is likely to be a lot less.

Additional costs

When you first move into the house, you will often not be able to use the kitchen for a few days, if not weeks, whilst you unpack. This may mean that you work up a large bill in take-away costs.

General administration is also needed once you move in to let people know you have moved. In total, this can sometimes lead to quite a costly bill.