What is the Average Cost of Moving from a 1 or 2-Bedroom Home in 2023?

What is the Average Cost of Moving from a 1 or 2 Bedroom Property?

• The average costs for moving from a 1 or 2-bedroom property are around £850- £1500 plus VAT

• Packing costs approximately £275-£475

But there is so much more to consider than cost alone when moving home.

Using data that we have collated over the moving season above are the average costs of moving a 1 or 2-bedroom property.

Bear in mind that these are average costs, that the price of fuel, wages, and packing materials are increasing all the time and therefore the price of your home move can only be accurately calculated by getting an up-to-date estimate from reputable removal companies.

How you decide to move out of your home is usually dictated by the number of items you need to move out of your existing home.

The majority of people with 3 or more bedrooms in their home, will have a garage or shed as well.

Usually, a larger property means more people live within that property, and therefore there are more items to be packed and moved.

Sensibly, most people moving from larger properties will generally opt for using a professional removal company.

But moving from a 1 or 2-bedroom property is not so defined, as there are commonly 1 or 2-bedroom houses, as well as 1 or 2-bedroom flats.

Smaller properties will have possibly fewer occupants and, therefore, in theory, fewer items to move.

Potentially, however, there could be many more moving-day issues to overcome.

You may like to read: Moving Home: Things That Could Go Wrong and How to Avoid Them. Moving day can be a stressful experience but if you are well prepared and have thought about things that could potentially go wrong you have time to prepare a Plan B. This guide suggests some things that could go wrong on moving day and how to avoid them

The possibility of a self-move when moving from a 1 or 2-bedroom property is much more likely, due to having fewer contents to move.

However, there are still many reasons why using a reputable home removal company is the preferable, or possibly the only option, for a stress-free moving day experience.

Moving from a 1 or 2 Bedroom Flat

• Do I pack my home contents, hire a van, and move home by myself? 
• Do I pack my home contents and have a removal company move my stuff? 
• Do I have a removal company take care of everything for me?

Every home move of course is different, but the following are a few of the logistical issues that you may face when moving out of an apartment, and therefore may help you answer the above questions:

• Does your apartment block have a service elevator?
• Do you have to book a time slot with the caretaker if you want sole use of the lift?
• Can the removal vehicle park outside the apartment block?
• Will your furniture fit in the lift?
• What is the weight limit of the lift?
• Will windows have to be removed to get the wardrobes down to the street level on hoists?
• Can your largest pieces of furniture be maneuvered down the stairs?
• Do you have enough helpers, who will actually turn up on the day, if you decide to move yourself?

You may like to read: Tips for Packing and Moving Out of a Flat. Moving out of a flat poses its own unique challenges. Here we suggest a packing strategy to make moving day easier, some tips for tips for moving from a flat, and some additional charges you may face when moving out of a flat.

Moving from a 1 or 2 Bedroom House 

• Should I hire a removal company or do it myself? 
• Do I pack my home contents myself and have a removal company transport my goods? 
• Do I have a removal company pack and transport my stuff?

Yes, the same questions as the movers from a 1 or 2-bedroom flat will ask themselves, but as a house dweller, you will have other considerations.

• Do I need a parking permit for the removal vehicle?
• Will my road have to be closed whilst the removal van is loaded?
• I live in a narrow street, full of terraced houses, what are the legal or social implications if loading the van blocks the road for a few hours?
• How will my large pieces of furniture be maneuvered between the parked cars in my street?
• How do I pack my garden furniture or shed contents when moving home?
• How do I get a wardrobe down the stairs?

There are likely to be many more questions that your particular home move raises that you may, and should, deliberate over.

Location Matters

Of course, if you live in an inner-city area, the costs of any home move will be higher. This is especially true in London, as you would expect.

Living above the ground floor, on a terraced housing street filled with cars, on a tower block estate without vehicular access, above a shop with restricted high street parking or pedestrianised area, or any number of the other access, or loading and unloading issues, will all add stress and cost to your moving day.

But for a reputable moving company, it is all in a day’s work. They are paid to worry about and resolve these sorts of problems.

Of course, the peace of mind and stress-free moving day that a professional moving company can provide will come at a price.

But take into account all the factors that go into a successful house move, and you will see that in real terms, seeking the services of a removal company is money well spent.

You may also like to read: 5 Things That Will Blow Your Home Moving Budget. Nobody likes unexpected bills or wasting money unnecessarily, so in this guide, we look at 5 things that could potentially blow your home moving budget and how to avoid them.

Average Price of Moving from a 1 or 2-Bedroom Property

Usually, a Luton box-type van is sufficient for a 1 or 2-bedroom home move.

Where the main costs, if hiring a removal company, or the main problem when moving home yourself will be, is time and labour.

How Much Does a Removal Company Charge to Move a 1 or 2-Bedroom Property?

These are purely estimates based on the average costs, but if you live on the 10^th floor, or the removal company cannot park the van outside your home, as you would expect, the time taken to complete your home move, and therefore the labour charges, will increase.

• A Luton van with 2 men for 8 hours is going to cost about £850 plus VAT
• A Luton van with 3 men for 8 hours is going to cost about £1500 plus VAT

How Much Do Removal Companies Charge for Packing?

• The average cost for a removal company to pack the contents of a 1 bedroom property is £275
• The average cost for a removal company to pack the contents of a 2-bedroom property is £475

Benefits of Hiring a Moving Company

• They know how to pack fragile and valuable items to prevent damage.
• If they damage your old or new property, it is likely to be at their cost to repair it.
• They know how to maneuver furniture through tight spaces.
• They know how to maximize the space when loading a van.
• They know about weight distribution in a van to make it stable.
• They take the risk of driving a large van through the city, or down country lanes.
• They have all the stress of loading and unloading the van.
• They take the risk of personal injury when lifting your household goods.
• They will be the ones ending moving day physically exhausted.

Average Cost of Moving Yourself from a 1 or 2-Bedroom Property

• A Luton van will cost approximately £110–£160 plus VAT per day to hire.
• A Luton van averages 25mpg.

Bear in mind when hiring a vehicle that insurance excesses can be huge. In our research, we found that insurance excesses were usually in the region of £1000, although you can pay extra to reduce this excess.

• You may also have to add the cost of load restraining straps, hiring sack barrows, or furniture moving equipment. This can add up to £80 per day to your costs.
• A home moving packing kit, including about 30 boxes, and a reel of bubble wrap, is approximately £60-£100 depending upon the quality of the boxes purchased.

Disadvantages of Moving Home Yourself

• The time and effort to locate packing materials.
• The time and effort required to pack all your belongings.
• The risk of driving an unfamiliar and large vehicle.
• The risk of having to pay an insurance excess of approximately £500-£1000 if you damage the hire vehicle.
• Having to load and unload the vehicle yourself.
• Maneuvering furniture through tight spaces.
• Having to dismantle and reassemble furniture yourself.
• Arrange parking permits if applicable to your move.
• The risk of personal injury.
• The risk of damage to property and goods.
• Bear in mind that the removal company may not insure items you have packed yourself.

The only true way to gauge which is the best moving option for your particular home move is to list what your priorities are and what your budget is.

• Do you have high-value items that absolutely must have the best packing to be protected?
• Do you value a stress-free moving day, over the money saved by moving home yourself?
• Do you have enough friends or family that you can guarantee will turn up on moving day?
• Do you have the physical ability to move items of furniture or heavy boxes?
• Does the thought of driving a van through the city centre scare you senseless?
• Do you have the time to dedicate to packing your home contents?

The majority of people moving from 1 or 2-bedroom properties will choose to pack their home contents themselves and have a removal company load, transport, and then unload, their goods.

Can I save Money on My Home Move?

Of course.

Reduce the number of items you need to pack and transport

Fewer boxes to move means less loading time, and therefore lower labour costs, and potentially a smaller removal van. Start by sorting through all your belongings, selling, giving away, and donating to charity, any items that you no longer need or use.

You may like to read: The Epic Guide to Decluttering for a Home Move. Decluttering is essential to lower your removal costs so in this guide we look at this subject in depth with lots of useful tips and hints.

Get an estimate from reputable moving companies

You will not know if using a removal company is cost-effective until you have a number of estimates from removal companies to compare.

Visit a removal company quote estimation site to receive estimates from at least 4 reputable moving companies.

Get up to 4 free, no obligations quotes for your home move now.

Re-use packing materials

Finding used cardboard boxes to pack your items in will save you money. Shops, factories, and friends who have moved recently are all good sources of used boxes.

Don’t forget to look through the classifieds or online, in places such as Loot, often people will want to get rid of their moving boxes this way. Ensure the boxes you find are of adequate strength for the items you have to pack.

You can use bedding, clothing, or old magazines and newspapers to pack fragile items.

You may like to read: Alternative Packing Materials. In this guide, we suggest things that are found around the average home that can be used as alternative packing supplies to the more traditional and expensive packing materials.

Can you leave your furniture behind?

Whether you rent your property or are selling, is it an option to sell your furniture to the landlord or buyer? This will save all concerned a lot of stress and time.

When you move matters

Hiring a van or using a removal company may be cheaper midweek. Friday is generally the busiest moving day so discounts could be had if you move earlier in the week.

Also, the time of year may affect the cost. Summer is traditionally the busiest home moving time, if you can move in spring or autumn this may reduce costs.

So, whilst it may appear at the outset that a smaller home move is easier than a larger home move, this is not necessarily true.

Good organization, thorough removal company research, and a calm approach to moving home are vital in any size home move.

If moving home yourself, blood, sweat, and tears may see you through moving day.

But please consider this option carefully, especially if moving out of a block of flats.

Is the money saved worth all the stress and physical hardship you will cause yourself?

A reputable home moving company will make the whole moving day experience so much easier for you.

But life is a series of lessons and are moving companies worth the cost is a question only you can answer.

However you decide to move home will be a calculated decision.