Removals FAQs, answered straight

Most customers get a written quote back within the hour. If we need to do a video survey first, we'll book that in within a day.

Yes, public liability up to £2.5 million and goods in transit up to £50,000 per load. We can send proof of cover before the move.

No. We do not hand your move to a third-party removal crew. Marley Moves jobs are carried out by our own in-house team, with the move details kept within the same company from quote and survey through to moving day.

Yes. Our quotes are fixed and written. The only things that change the price are things you ask us to add, or access issues we didn't know about (which we'll always flag before the move).

We take a £100 deposit when you book. It secures the date and counts towards your final bill, and it stays fully refundable until you confirm your move date. Confirming your date is the step that reserves the crew and raises a second invoice for 25% of your total price, with the rest settled around the move itself.

Yes. Your belongings are held in safe, secure storage, and we can collect from your old home, store for as long as you need, then deliver to the new one. Priced per crate or container, quoted alongside your move.

Either. We can do the full house the day before, just the fragile items, or leave it to you entirely. Most customers choose part-packing, we handle kitchen and breakables, you do clothes and books.

Yes. We move anywhere in the UK, London, Cornwall, Scotland, the Lakes. Same crew, same truck, one fixed price including fuel, tolls, and overnights if needed.

We run our man-and-van service with the same in-house Marley crew that handles our full house removals: properly insured (£2.5m public liability, £50k goods in transit), proper kit (blankets, straps, sack barrows, door protectors), and a real removal company behind it. Same care, smaller scale.

Often same-day or next-day, especially inside a 25-mile radius of our Shaftesbury yard. For bookings booked more than a week ahead we can usually slot you exactly when you want. Quotes go out within the hour of your enquiry, by email or WhatsApp.

There's no published minimum: single-item collections and studio or single-room moves are each quoted as their own fixed price based on the item, the access and the distance. We tell you the exact number in writing before you commit, so there's no surprise on the day.

Yes, collections from IKEA, B&Q, John Lewis, Currys, Wickes and the local trade counters are routine man-and-van work for us. We can collect from store, deliver straight to your address, carry inside, and unpack the boxes so the cardboard goes back with us if you don't want it cluttering up your hallway.

Yes, every Marley man-and-van booking carries the same insurance as our full removals: public liability up to £2.5 million, goods in transit up to £50,000 per load. Insurance certificate is in the email along with your written quote.

All 16 of our regular Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire towns: Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Mere, Wincanton, Bruton, Warminster, Blandford Forum, Yeovil, Frome, Salisbury, Dorchester, Weymouth, Bath, Bournemouth and Poole, plus the surrounding villages. Outside that band we do longer-distance one-way pickups (collect from London, deliver to Dorset for example) on a fixed-price quote.

We'll do a quick phone survey or a five-minute video walk-through, then send a fixed price in writing with any contingencies spelled out (for example, additional charges if a parking suspension is needed, or if a third drop-off gets added on the day). The price doesn't move unless the job genuinely changes, and we'll always agree any extra in writing before doing the work.

It depends on size and access rather than a flat rate: a 1-bed flat, a 3-bed family home and a 4-5 bed house are very different days, and stairs, parking and packing all move the figure. Long-distance UK moves from Dorset (London, Bristol, the Midlands) are quoted as a fixed price per route depending on volume and destination. We always confirm the exact figure in writing within the hour of your enquiry.

Within the hour of your enquiry, by email or WhatsApp. For 3-bed-plus homes we'll suggest a free pre-move survey (10 minutes on a video call, or in-person if you prefer) so the price we put in writing is the price you pay on the day. No estimator-tool guesswork, no quote that drifts upward as we get closer to move day.

Yes, listed-building and period-property removals are a substantial part of our Dorset work. We bring runner mats for original timber floors, door guards for painted period frames, blanket-wrap as standard for antique furniture, and we'll spec the right (smaller) vehicle for tight historic-street access. Examples: Cheap Street Sherborne, Gold Hill Shaftesbury, the Bath Georgian crescents, Bruton's Patwell Street. None of those are unfamiliar territory.

All of Dorset, plus Somerset and Wiltshire, 16 core towns with regular routes: Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Blandford Forum, Dorchester, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Poole (Dorset); Yeovil, Wincanton, Bruton, Frome, Bath (Somerset); Mere, Warminster, Salisbury (Wiltshire). Plus the rural villages around each. Outside that band we run UK-wide long-distance moves from Dorset to anywhere, London, Bristol, the Midlands, the Lake District, Cornwall, Scotland.

Yes, long-distance from Dorset is a regular service. Common destinations: London, Bristol, the Midlands, Yorkshire, the Lake District, Cornwall, Scotland. One in-house Marley crew end-to-end (no handover at a depot), fixed price per route, free pre-move survey offered on every move and recommended for 3-bed-plus. Most long-distance moves complete in a single day; multi-day moves use our crew overnighting at the destination so the same hands unload the next morning.

Yes. We provide safe, secure containerised storage that can be quoted alongside your removal, whether you need a short gap between completion dates or a longer stay. Access is by appointment. Our goods-in-transit cover applies while we are moving your belongings; insurance for goods while they are in storage should be arranged separately unless we confirm otherwise in writing.

Yes, full or part packing as an add-on to any house removal. Crockery, art, glassware, antiques: proper materials throughout (acid-free tissue, double-walled crates for the most fragile, blanket-wrap on furniture). Most customers add part packing for the kitchen and the breakables and self-pack everything else. Pricing depends on volume and is set out as its own line on your written quote.

Yes, see the 8-week countdown on our /removals/ hub page. Short version: 8 weeks out, get 2-3 written quotes and sort buildings + contents insurance for the new place. 4 weeks out, book us in writing and notify utilities. 2 weeks out, sort parking permits + post redirection. 1 week out, finish all packing except kitchen and bathroom; pack a clearly-labelled essentials box for night one.

Storage is priced according to the crate or container capacity you need and how long you need it for. We confirm the volume from a survey or the information you provide, then show the storage charge and the collection or re-delivery cost in writing before you commit. That avoids guessing a price from bedroom count alone.

Your belongings are placed into the agreed storage container or crate, with access arranged through Marley Moves by appointment. We do not promise a particular monitoring or security system unless it is confirmed for your booking. Our £2.5m public liability and goods-in-transit cover apply to the work we carry out, but cover for goods while they are sitting in storage is not included, so please arrange suitable storage insurance separately.

By appointment and subject to availability. Please give us as much notice as you can so we can arrange access. Most customers do not need access during their storage period. If you need self-access daily, a self-storage facility is likely to be a better fit, and we will happily point you to one in the area.

Not by us, and this is the one thing worth sorting before your storage starts. Our goods-in-transit cover applies while we are moving your belongings, not while they sit in storage, so please arrange your own insurance for anything you store with us. Many home contents policies extend to goods in storage, and insurers who do not cover it will usually quote for it separately. If we ever agree to insure something for you, we will confirm that to you in writing.

Crates have a 28-day minimum, charged at the start, then run on a daily rate. Containers are billed per calendar month, and a final part month is charged in full rather than pro-rata. There is no maximum. Short-term storage between completion dates is one of our most common scenarios, and longer stays are quoted individually, so tell us roughly how long you need and the rate is fixed on your quote before you commit.

Self-storage suits you if you need daily access, want to drive your own van to the unit, and prefer per-square-foot pricing. Containerised storage (us) suits you if you're storing the contents of a home between moves, don't need daily access, and want the convenience of one company doing the removal AND the storage. As a rule, containerised storage fits whole-home volumes and self-storage fits single rooms or small loads you need to reach often. If self-storage is the better fit for what you are storing, we will say so.

No. Our standard storage is containerised storage and is not temperature- or humidity-controlled. For fine art, antiques, musical instruments, sensitive electronics, archives or anything that requires defined environmental conditions, use a specialist climate-controlled facility. Marley Moves can still help with collection and delivery where appropriate.

Packing is priced on volume: a 1-bed flat full pack, a 3-bed home and a 4-5 bed family home each get their own figure, set out in writing. Part packing (kitchen + breakables only, you handle the rest) is typically around half a full pack. Quoted alongside your removal, no double-trip or set-up fees because we're already on site for the move.

Full packing makes sense if you're time-pressed (sale completion week, work commitments), have a lot of fragile contents (collections, art, antiques), or simply want it done properly without the box-cutter stress. Part packing, typically the kitchen and breakables, is what most of our customers add on; the rest of the house is yours to box up at your own pace using materials we drop off.

Acid-free white tissue paper for crockery and ornaments, double-walled cardboard boxes (small for books and breakables, medium for general, large for bedding), bubble wrap and foam for picture frames and electronics, blanket-wrap for furniture, double-walled crates for the most fragile pieces, ratchet straps and shrink film for the journey. All boxes labelled by room.

Yes, collections are routine work for us. Each piece individually wrapped in acid-free tissue, packed standing where possible, framed art double-faced with foam corners and bubble-wrapped flat in custom cardboard sleeves, large framed pieces crated. We carry £50,000 goods-in-transit cover per load and can extend it for higher-value contents on request.

Both options. For a 1-2 bed full pack we usually do it the morning of the move, an hour or two before loading. For 3-bed-plus homes we'll often pack 1-2 days ahead so move day itself is just loading the labelled boxes, much smoother. We work around your schedule; the survey conversation tells us what's right.

Yes. Unpacking is available as an add-on and can be tailored to what you need, from selected rooms such as the kitchen and bedrooms through to a fuller unpack. The scope and price are agreed in writing before the move, so you can choose how much you want the crew to handle and what you would rather unpack yourself.

Yes, we'll supply boxes, tissue paper, bubble wrap and tape at material-cost prices, dropped off a week before move day. Most customers self-pack the books, clothes and non-fragile items and ask us to do the kitchen + breakables. Best of both worlds, lowest total cost.

The price depends on the volume to remove, the access (stairs, narrow lanes, parking), the proportion that's resaleable or donatable versus genuine waste, and whether we're co-ordinating with the removal of items you're keeping. A small flat clearance and a 4-5 bed family home are very different jobs, so we always quote in writing, fixed price, after a free pre-clearance visit.

Yes. We handle probate and estate clearances across our Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire service area. We work to the timetable set by the executor, administrator or solicitor, agree what must be kept before work begins, and can photograph rooms and set aside personal or potentially valuable items for the family to review. Usable items are separated for donation where appropriate, recyclable material is recycled, and genuine waste is handled through licensed routes.

It is separated as it comes out rather than sorted later. Usable furniture and household goods go to charity, recyclable material goes to the right stream, and only the genuine remainder is handled as waste and tipped at a licensed transfer station. You get the disposal paperwork with the job, so the file closes out properly rather than becoming an executor's problem later.

Where items are suitable and the receiving charity can accept them, usable furniture, clothing, books and household goods can be routed to local charity shops rather than treated as waste. We commonly use charities operating across our service area, including Sue Ryder, the Salvation Army and Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance shops. Anything that appears potentially valuable or has been marked to keep is set aside for the family before donation.

Yes, common pattern. We clear the bulk of the contents, identify and set aside items you want to keep (often family photos, jewellery, specific furniture, framed art), and either deliver them to your address or hold them in safe, secure storage until you decide. Combining clearance with a smaller-volume removal is one number, one company.

Yes, landlord clearances are quick-turnaround work. You give us the keys, we clear the property to inventory standard, sweep through, photograph the empty rooms for the deposit dispute (if any), and return the keys. Typical 2-bed flat: ~4 hours, quoted as a fixed price before we start. We can put you in touch with a local cleaning firm if you want a deep clean afterwards, booked directly with them rather than through us.

All 16 of our regular towns: Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Mere, Wincanton, Bruton, Warminster, Blandford Forum, Yeovil, Frome, Salisbury, Dorchester, Weymouth, Bath, Bournemouth and Poole, plus the surrounding villages. Our upper-tier waste-carrier registration is with the Environment Agency and covers this work across England. We issue the relevant waste-transfer paperwork for each job.

Every long-distance UK move is quoted as a fixed price per route, confirmed by a free survey so the number doesn't move on the day. For a studio or 1-bed we can work from photos and a phone call instead. The figure depends on volume, access at both ends and the route itself: a 2-bed flat to London and a 4-5 bed home to Scotland are very different jobs. The exact price is in writing within the hour.

Same crew, end-to-end. One crew loads, drives the route, sleeps overnight if needed, and unloads at the other end. Your belongings stay on one vehicle with the people who packed them. No handover, no "sorry, that wasn't in our notes" at the destination.

Single-day UK moves: most common, Dorset to London / Bristol / Birmingham complete in a long working day. Two-day moves: typical for further destinations (Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cornwall) or larger 4+ bed homes, we load day one, drive overnight, unload day two. Multi-day: occasionally needed for very large homes or remote destinations; same crew throughout, accommodation factored into the quote.

London (most weeks), Bristol and Bath (regularly), the M5 corridor down to Cornwall and Devon, the M4 corridor to South Wales and Cardiff, the M40/M1 to the Midlands and Yorkshire, the M6 to Manchester and Liverpool, the A1/M1 up to Edinburgh and Glasgow, the M5/A30 down to Cornwall. We also do less-common routes (Lake District, North Yorkshire, North Wales), fixed-price quote per route either way.

Yes, £2.5m public liability and £50k goods-in-transit cover per load apply identically to long-distance moves. For higher-value contents (over £50k, antiques, art, collections) we can arrange extended cover at quote time. The insurance certificate ships with your written quote so you can verify the limits before committing. Single items worth more than £5,000 need to be declared before the move so we can confirm cover.

Yes, relocations from London / the South East / the Midlands / the North down to Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire are a regular service. Often we'll combine these with an outgoing Dorset-to-elsewhere route on the same day so you get return-load efficiency on the price. We collect at your old address, drive south, deliver to the new place, same crew throughout.

Yes, common scenario when completion dates don't line up. We collect from your old place, store your belongings in safe, secure storage (priced per crate or container), and deliver when you're ready. One company throughout, one quote, one number.

Recommended for 3-bed-plus moves; mandatory for 4-5 bed and above. The survey (10 minutes on a video call, or in-person if you prefer) lets us see the volume, access at both ends, and any awkward items. That's how we lock in a fixed price that won't drift. For studios and 1-bed flats we can quote off a phone conversation and a few photos.

Yes, both. Uprights and console pianos: standard specialist work, slings and a piano dolly, and a few hours of careful handling. Grand pianos and baby grands: legs come off, dust-cover wrapped, slings underneath, and we send the crew size the instrument and the access actually need, confirmed at your survey. Concert grands by arrangement (we'll quote bespoke after a survey). Insured £50k goods-in-transit per load; higher cover available for instruments worth more.

Yes. We handle antique and fragile furniture as part of our specialist-removals work across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. The handling plan depends on the item, its condition and the access at both ends, with protective wrapping, floor and doorway protection, and crating where it is genuinely needed. For significant or unusually valuable pieces, we recommend a pre-move survey so the method and insurance requirements are agreed before the day.

Yes, framed paintings and prints get foam-corner protection plus bubble wrap and a flat custom cardboard sleeve. Large pieces and unframed canvases get bespoke cardboard crates. Sculpture (stone, metal, ceramic) custom-crated to size. Climate-aware loading where humidity matters. We've handled gallery installs in the Bruton arts orbit and private-collector moves across Bath and Salisbury.

Piano-only moves are priced on stairs, access and instrument size. Antique-furniture moves combined with a standard removal are quoted as one figure with the specialist handling built in. Art and sculpture: bespoke per-item, quoted after a free pre-move survey. Gallery installs: contact us for a custom quote, depends on the install brief and timeline.

Standard cover is £50k goods-in-transit per load. For higher-value contents (antiques over £50k, art collections, instruments) we can extend cover at quote time, your insurer or a marine-cargo specialist provides an additional certificate that ships alongside our standard one. We'll always raise this proactively at the survey if it looks relevant. Single items worth more than £5,000 need to be declared before the move so we can confirm cover.

We provide specialist-removals work across our regular Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire service area, including Bath, Bruton, Sherborne, Salisbury and the surrounding towns. We also undertake UK-wide specialist moves where the job is suitable. The quote is based on the item, access, distance and any additional protection or insurance needed.

Eight weeks before completion is the sweet spot for a typical UK home move. That gives you time to book a removal company while there's still choice, declutter properly without binge-tipping the lot, line up redirected post and utility transfers, and pack methodically rather than in a 48-hour panic. If your timeline is tighter (4 weeks or less) you can still hit every step, you just compress the early phases and lean harder on professional help for packing day.

Across England the full cost of moving house stacks up from far more than the removal: estate-agent fees, conveyancing, stamp duty, the survey, the removal itself, and the smaller costs (mail redirect, insurance gap, Council Tax overlap, new white goods). Removals are usually the smallest line item by a wide margin, but the one most people leave to the last minute.

Two weeks before completion is the standard window. Take meter readings on move day itself (photograph them with the date visible) and submit them to your old supplier within 48 hours. For your new place, set up the supply with whichever provider is currently active there (the seller should leave details in the welcome pack), then switch later if you want a better tariff, switching first then moving in often delays the new account.

Pack the 'first night box' (kettle, mugs, tea bags, milk, phone chargers, toilet paper, toothbrushes, pyjamas, fresh clothes for the morning, basic toolkit, important paperwork). Strip the beds, fold the bedding into a labelled bag. Make sure the kettle and one mug per person are accessible, not buried. Put the kettle in the first-night box. Park visitors' cars off the drive so the removal van has access. Get the kids' / pets' move-day plan locked in. Get to bed by 10.30pm, move day is long.

Most people self-pack the books, clothes and bedding (low-risk, low-skill) and add part packing for the kitchen and breakables (where DIY goes wrong in the last 48 hours). A part pack costs about half a full pack and usually saves you 1-2 evenings of stressful kitchen-cupboard archaeology. Full packing makes sense for time-pressed moves (sale completion week, work commitments) and homes with significant antique or collection content.

First week: register at the new GP surgery and dentist; transfer the school place if children are moving schools; update the V5C (vehicle log book), driving licence, and car insurance with the new address; update bank, credit card, mortgage, and any subscriptions still on the old address; tell HMRC if your tax code might shift (different council); register on the electoral roll. Second week onwards: install carbon-monoxide and smoke alarms in every relevant room (legal requirement in England since 2022), test the boiler service date, and locate the stopcock + fuse box.

The useful comparison is the total cost, not whether a provider calls the storage cheap. We quote the storage charge together with any collection, access or re-delivery costs that apply, based on the volume and length of stay. Our goods-in-transit cover applies while we are moving your belongings; insurance for the goods while stored should be arranged separately.

The storage charge depends on the crate or container capacity you need and the length of stay. Collection and re-delivery are priced separately according to the route, access and volume. We confirm the required space and put the storage, collection and return costs in writing before you commit, whether you are in Dorset, Somerset or Wiltshire.

Packing yourself saves money but takes time, while a trained, fully insured crew packs faster and to a standard built to survive the journey. It is usually worth paying when time is short, the house is large, or you have a lot of fragile and valuable items. For a price built around your actual move, get a written quote within the hour.

Pack one clearly marked box, or one per person, with the kettle, a few mugs, tea, coffee and milk, toiletries, a towel each, phone chargers, any medication and a change of clothes. Load it last so it comes off the van first, and add anything your children or pets need close to hand.

Pack non-essentials first: out-of-season clothes, decorative items, spare bedding and anything in storage rooms. These can be boxed weeks ahead and stacked out of the way, which leaves you a clear run at the rooms you use daily.

Wrap each item individually in plain packing paper, stand glasses upright and stack plates on their edge rather than flat, then fill every gap in the box so nothing can shift. A box that rattles is the one that arrives damaged, so pad the top, bottom and sides and mark it fragile on every side.

Start as soon as your move is confirmed. Begin with the things you rarely touch, such as the loft, the garage, books and spare rooms, and leave everyday essentials like the kettle and toiletries until the very end.

Keep out food and anything perishable, as it spoils or attracts pests. Plants and any living thing cannot survive in a sealed unit. Flammable or hazardous liquids such as petrol, gas, and paint are a fire risk. And keep important documents like passports and house paperwork with you, not boxed away. Restricted lists vary by provider, so we confirm exactly what can go in when we quote your move.

Pack into sturdy boxes, wrap fragiles in packing paper, and take large furniture apart where you can. Label each box by room and contents. When loading the unit, put heavy and solid items in first towards the back, stack lighter boxes on top, keep early-access items at the front, and leave a clear walkway. With Marley Moves, we can collect, store, and redeliver as one removal.

Whether storage saves you money depends on your situation. The cost is driven by two things: how much you need to store and how long you need it. Bridging a short gap between completion dates is a different cost to storing a full home for months. Handling the move and storage as one job can also cut out duplicate handling. Tell us your details and we will give you a fixed quote.

For most people it is the kitchen. It is full of fragile, awkward, and heavy items, from glassware and crockery to appliances and a cupboard of half-used food, and each needs different handling and wrapping. The garage and loft run it close, since both tend to hold years of accumulated odds and ends. Working through one room at a time, kitchen included, keeps it manageable.

Yes. A removal company can collect your belongings, hold them in storage, and redeliver them to your new home when you are ready, all as one job. That means your things are packed and loaded once by the same team, with one point of contact and one set of dates to manage. We offer storage alongside our removals across Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Get a quote and we will price it with the storage included.

Start about two weeks before you move. Set up Royal Mail redirection first, then tell the council, your bank and your employer. Leave DVLA, your utilities and the everyday accounts for moving week and the fortnight after.

For some things, yes. You must tell the DVLA when you change address so your driving licence and vehicle log book (V5C) are correct, and it is free to do. Updating the electoral roll and your council tax matters too. Most other accounts are not a legal duty, but leaving them out of date causes missed post and renewals.

Royal Mail offers redirection for a set period, usually three, six or twelve months, and you choose the length when you set it up. It is a safety net while you update everyone directly, not a permanent fix, so use the time to work through your list.

Yes. Tell your old council you are leaving so your council tax account closes, and tell your new council you are arriving so a new account opens. Re-register on the electoral roll at the same time.

That is the idea. You look after the paperwork while our crew handles the packing, loading and transport. Tell us your moving dates and addresses and we will send you a written quote within the hour.

Summer is the peak, roughly late June through August, with the end of each month busiest of all because that is when most property sales complete. Fridays are the busiest day. If you can be flexible on timing, midweek or earlier in the month is usually calmer.

As early as you reasonably can. Once you have a likely date, even a provisional one, get in touch so we can hold a slot. Summer dates, especially end-of-month Fridays, book up weeks ahead, so leaving it late narrows your choices.

Your price depends on the size of the move, the distance and the access at both ends, not the time of year. The bigger difference in summer is availability, so the main reason to book early is to get the date you want. Tell us your details and we will send you a written quote within the hour.

Pack candles, aerosols, electronics, records and houseplants so they load last and unload first, and keep anything irreplaceable with you in the car. Let us know in advance if you have items that do not cope well with heat and we will plan the load around them.

Sometimes, yes, especially midweek, though summer is our busiest season so it is never guaranteed. The quickest way to find out is to ask. Send us your dates and we will tell you what we can do and send you a written quote within the hour.

Gillingham in Dorset (postcode SP8) suits people who want village and small-town life but still need to get to a city now and then. It is North Dorset's railway town, with a mainline station, so you keep a fast train link while living among the lanes and fields of the Blackmore Vale. Note it is the Dorset Gillingham, not the larger one in Kent. We cover it as one of our Gillingham removals areas.

That depends entirely on what you want, so we will not hand you a ranked list. Most newcomers looking inland end up around the Blackmore Vale and Cranborne Chase, using market towns like Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Wincanton and Mere for the weekly shop. The honest advice is to spend a few weekends in an area before you commit, then talk to us about access once you have picked your spot.

Quieter and greener than most people expect inland. Dorset is really two places: the coast everyone pictures, and the rolling dairy country of the Blackmore Vale with the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase behind it. Village life runs on the pub, the shop, the church and a weekly trip to the nearest market town. You trade a big supermarket on the doorstep for space, lanes and a slower pace.

Yes. We are village and rural-lane removals specialists, and the same small in-house crew handles your move from survey to unload with no subcontracting. We know the single-track lanes, blind bends, low bridges and tight cottage doorways, so we plan the right vehicle, and a shuttle from the main road where a larger van cannot reach, before the day rather than on it. We cover Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Wincanton, Mere, Yeovil and the wider Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire area.

It depends on the size of your home, the distance, and how reachable both addresses are by road. Rather than guess, tell us about your move and we will send you a written quote within the hour. There is nothing to pay to get one, and the price we quote is the price you pay.

They should be, but the level of cover varies a lot, so it is worth asking before you book. On our jobs, goods-in-transit cover up to £50,000 per load is included as standard, along with £2.5m of public liability. For a higher-value exhibition where a single load is worth more than the standard figure, we can arrange increased cover with 14 days of notice to the insurer, so flag the value of the work early.

Goods-in-transit cover protects the items we are carrying while they are in transit on the job. Our standard cover runs up to £50,000 per load and is included rather than charged as an extra, which is not always the case elsewhere. If the value of a single load goes above that, we can put higher cover in place with 14 days of notice so the insurer can arrange it before the move.

A condition report is a written record of the existing state of each piece before it is moved, noting any marks or wear that are already there. We complete a full condition report on gallery jobs before anything is loaded, so there is a clear baseline. Paired with photos taken at each handover, it gives you a documented record of exactly how every piece left and how it arrived.

We handle gallery pieces in cotton gloves so nothing is touched with a bare hand, and we wrap, brace and crate fragile work to suit the specific piece rather than using one standard box for everything. Items travel separated so nothing rests against anything else in the van. Every piece is recorded on a condition report before loading and photographed at each handover.

As early as you can. We run a three-week planning window on event work: a site visit and access check three weeks out, crew and vehicle confirmed two weeks out, and a final walk-through one week out. Booking with that lead time lets us design slack into the timeline and arrange any higher insurance cover, which needs 14 days of notice. We will still help with shorter notice where we can, but early is always better for a fixed deadline.

Yes. We are based in Shaftesbury and cover Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire as our home patch, and we regularly travel for gallery and event work, including exhibitions in and out of Bristol, Bath and London and Frieze London install runs. We do not have a branch in those cities, so that work is travel from our Dorset base, run by the same in-house crews that survey the job.

There is no single going rate, because the price follows the job rather than a flat fee. The main things that drive the cost are how much you are moving (the volume), how far the move is, how easy the access is at both ends, any extras like packing or a piano, and how busy the date you want is. That is why two "3-bed moves" can be priced very differently. The honest way to get a real figure is to tell us what you are moving so we can price the actual job. We give a written quote within the hour, with the full price in writing before you commit. Get your quote.

Fridays, the end of the month and the summer holidays are the busiest windows in removals, so the quietest days are the easiest to book and plan well. There is no secret discount for picking a particular day, it is simply about demand and availability. If you can be flexible on your date you give yourself more choice of crew and timing, but most people have a fixed completion date and we plan around whatever day that is. Tell us your date as early as you can, even if it is only provisional, because the sooner we know, the better the slot we can hold for you.Get your quote.

Mostly because they are not always quoting the same thing. One firm may have looked properly at what you are moving and the access at both ends, while another has guessed a number to win the job. Differences in what is included also matter: whether packing is covered, whether the crew dismantle and reassemble furniture, whether insurance is in place, and whether the work is subcontracted out. A very low price often leaves something out that reappears on the day. The fair way to compare is to make sure each quote is in writing and based on the real job. We put ours in writing, based on what you are actually moving.Get your quote.

A fixed price is the safer choice for most moves, because the number you are told is the number you pay. With an hourly rate the meter keeps running if the day overruns, and removal days overrun for all sorts of reasons, from traffic to a slow completion. On a fixed price those delays are ours to manage, not yours to fund, since the figure was agreed before the van arrived. We give a fixed written quote, so you see the full price before you commit, with nothing waiting to appear at the end of the day.Get your quote.

The classic hidden costs in removals are the ones that turn up after a vague verbal quote: extra hours added because the day ran long on an hourly rate, charges for packing materials that were never mentioned, or fees for stairs and difficult access that nobody asked about up front. You avoid them by insisting on a written quote based on a proper look at what you are moving, and by checking that insurance is named and the work is not being subcontracted. With us the quote is fixed and in writing, with the insurance and the crew named up front rather than left vague.Get your quote.

Gently, and at the pace the day needs. We are a family-run crew, so we treat the home the way we would treat our own parents' house. We talk through the plan beforehand, pack carefully, label everything clearly, and let the person say goodbye to rooms without feeling hurried out of them. If an adult son or daughter is arranging it from a distance, one of us will keep you posted through the day. Call Connor on 01747 637070 and we will talk it through first.

There are usually three homes for it: family, charity or storage. We help sort what goes where on the day, and we can clear the rest properly through our house clearance service once the keys are handed over. Nothing has to be decided in a rush, and nothing gets thrown out without you saying so.

Yes. Plenty of people downsize before they have decided what to keep, and that is completely normal. We can hold furniture and boxes in our storage until you are ready, whether that is a few weeks or a good deal longer. It buys you time to make those decisions properly rather than on moving day.

It depends on the size of the home, how much is coming with you, and how much sorting is happening on the day, so we never quote a time blind. Tell us about the move and we will give you a clear, fixed price within the hour with no pressure to book.

We do. Once you have taken what you want, we can clear the remaining furniture and contents and leave the house ready to hand back. It is one of the kindest parts of the job to get right, and it means the family is not left with an empty house and a long list. See our house clearance service or just ask when you call.

A useful starting point is around 4–6 weeks before your likely moving date. Earlier is sensible for busy periods, while short-notice moves may still be possible if suitable availability remains.

You can get quotes and discuss availability before exchange. If you are buying or selling in England or Wales, exchange is normally when the transaction becomes legally binding and the completion date is agreed, so check cancellation and date-change terms before committing money to an unconfirmed date.

Normally, no. Completion is the point at which ownership transfers and the buyer receives the keys, so moving belongings into the property is generally planned for after completion has taken place.

Deposit policies vary between removal companies. Before paying, check what the deposit secures, when the balance is due, and what happens if your moving date changes or the booking is cancelled.

It depends on availability, the size of the move, access and distance. If your date is close, contact removal firms immediately with both addresses and a rough inventory so they can assess whether the move can be covered.

Yes. Marley Moves handles house clearances across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, from single-room and garage clears to full-property and probate clearances, including hoarder-property clearances handled discreetly. Usable items go to charity where possible and the rest is disposed of responsibly. Quoted as a written quote within the hour, and easily combined with a removal or storage so you deal with one company.

Yes. Full and part packing is available with every house removal, so we are the Dorset home packers as well as the movers on the day. Our crew brings the boxes, paper and protective materials, packs everything from kitchens to fragile china and antiques, and unpacks at the other end if you want. Packing can be quoted on its own or rolled into your removal price, with the quote in writing within the hour.

There is no fixed timetable. Keep walks, feeding and familiar routines consistent and let your dog adjust at its own pace. If anxiety is persistent, severe or affecting normal behaviour, speak to your vet.

Cats Protection advises keeping an outdoor cat indoors for at least three weeks after moving. Start with a safe room, let the cat explore the rest of the house gradually, and only introduce the outdoors once it is relaxed and secure in the new home. Make sure its microchip details are up to date before it goes outside.

Keep your pet away from the lifting and open external doors. Use a quiet, secure room with familiar bedding, water and anything else it needs, or arrange for a trusted friend, relative or suitable boarding option to care for it during the move.

A house move can unsettle a dog because its surroundings and routine change at once. Keep walks, feeding, bed and familiar items as consistent as possible, introduce the new home calmly, and seek veterinary advice if anxiety is persistent or severe.

Keep food, water, medication, a lead or secure carrier, familiar bedding, identification details and anything needed for the journey with you rather than packed in the removal load. That way your pet's essentials are available throughout the move.

There is no single best town, because Poole, Bournemouth and Weymouth each suit different people. Poole works for those drawn to the harbour and boating, Bournemouth for people who want a larger town with full amenities alongside the beach, and Weymouth for a more traditional seaside feel. The right one depends on the life you are after, so it is worth visiting each on an ordinary weekday before you decide.

It is a popular choice for moving later in life, with the sea close by and a calmer pace than a busy inland town. The practical side worth planning for is that coastal homes skew towards flats and converted period properties, so stairs, shared entrances and parking matter more than mileage. If you are downsizing as part of the move, our piece on downsizing later in life covers how to do it without the rush.

Not harder, just different. A seafront flat usually means a shared entrance, a communal stairwell and restricted or permit-only parking, so the loading and carrying take more planning than a house with a driveway. The crew works out the access ahead of the day rather than discovering it on the morning, which is what keeps it straightforward. Our house removals service is built around exactly this kind of planning.

Any time of year is workable, but the coast gets notably busier through the summer season, and the roads nearest the beaches and harbours feel it most. In peak weeks, kerbside space and loading spots are tighter, so an earlier start helps. If your dates are flexible, moving outside the busiest summer weeks can make the access side of the day easier.

Yes. We cover Poole, Bournemouth, Weymouth and the towns between, from our yard in Shaftesbury, SP7. Tell us where you are moving from and to and we will talk through the access and send a fixed written quote within the hour.

That is your call to make, and both work, but it helps to plan early either way. Because we give you a written quote within the hour, you can know the cost well ahead of time and slot the move into whichever window suits the family best. Get a quote whenever you start thinking about it, and you can plan around a real number rather than a guess.

It depends on how much you own and how easy the access is at both ends, so there is no single figure. What we do is plan the day properly with our in-house crew so nothing overruns. We work out the order of loading, the awkward items and the access before we arrive, so the move runs to a plan rather than running late.

Yes. We carry Public Liability cover up to £2.5m and Goods in Transit cover up to £50k per load, so a bigger house with more to move is covered just as carefully as a smaller one. More boxes does not mean less protection.

Yes. If the new house completes a few days after you have to leave the old one, we can hold your furniture in storage and deliver it once you have the keys. It means a gap in the dates does not turn into you living out of boxes in the meantime.

Start with the number of rooms, then adjust for how many people live there and how much you own. As a rough guide, allow a handful of boxes per small room and more for kitchens, lofts and book-heavy studies. Count each room separately, total it up, then add a few spare. It is always better to have one box too many than to run out on packing day.

A typical three-bedroom home tends to need somewhere in the region of forty to sixty boxes, though the real number varies a lot with how long you have lived there and how much you have accumulated. Treat that as a starting estimate, not a promise. Pack room by room and you will quickly see whether you are running light or heavy.

Use small boxes for heavy items like books and crockery, medium boxes for the bulk of your everyday belongings, and large boxes for light, bulky things like bedding and cushions. Wardrobe boxes hang clothes straight off the rail, and specialist boxes protect things like pictures, mirrors and TVs. Matching contents to the right size keeps every box liftable.

The kitchen is usually the toughest. It is full of fragile, awkward and heavy items, from glassware and crockery to small appliances and a drawer of odds and ends. Give it more time and more small boxes than you think you need, and wrap fragile items individually. If you would rather not face it at all, our packing service can take the whole job off your hands.

In most cases yes. Full drawers and wardrobes are heavy, can spill, and make furniture awkward and unsafe to carry. Light items such as folded clothes can sometimes stay put for short, local moves, but it is best to check with us first. We will confirm what can travel as it is when we quote your move.

For a lot of the people we move, yes. Being a short drive from your children and grandchildren means you can be there for the school runs, the birthdays and the ordinary Sunday lunches, not just the big occasions. It works both ways too, with a second pair of hands close by as everyone gets a little older. It is a personal decision in the end, but it is one of the most common moves we handle, and most people tell us afterwards they wish they had done it sooner.

Not at all. A good number of the moves we do every year are for people in their sixties, seventies and beyond, often relocating right across the country to be near family. The trick is to let someone else do the heavy lifting and the packing, so the day is about arriving rather than carrying. That is exactly the part we take off your hands.

The sooner the better, especially for a long-distance move with a set completion date, as those dates fill up quickly in busier months. As a rough guide, a few weeks of notice gives everyone room to breathe. If your dates are still up in the air, that's fine. Get in touch and we will pencil things in and firm them up later. For costs, tell us a bit about your move and we'll send you a written quote within the hour at /quote.

Yes, and on a long-distance move it is one of the most popular things we do. We can pack the whole house, just the awkward and fragile bits, or anything in between, whatever suits you. You can read more about our packing help. Tell us what you'd like included and we'll fold it straight into your written quote.

Yes. The same small in-house crew that surveys your move is the crew that loads it, drives it and unloads it at the other end. There is no handing over to anyone else along the way, so the people who packed your china are the people who carry it back through your new front door.

Before, every time. Decluttering before you move means you pack and pay to move fewer things, and you unpack into the new home with only what you want. Sorting after the move just means carrying the clutter to a new set of cupboards and dealing with it there. Do the hard sorting in the weeks before moving day.

Give yourself about six to eight weeks and work backwards from moving day. Start with the slow rooms that hide the most (loft, garage, spare room), then work through the everyday spaces, and leave the final week for packing what's left. A little most days beats one exhausting weekend.

Begin with the deep-storage areas: the loft, garage and any spare room. They hold the things you've forgotten you own and need the most thought, so tackling them early stops a last-minute scramble. The everyday rooms (kitchen, wardrobes) are quicker and can wait until the bigger spaces are done.

It can reduce the volume that needs packing and carrying, but it does not guarantee a lower removal price because distance, access, crew requirements and other services also affect the quote. Declutter first, then get the move priced from the final volume you are actually taking.

Use a four-pile method: keep, sell, donate or skip. Keep what you've used in the last year or that has a real job in the new home; sell what has genuine resale value and is worth your time; donate the good, usable rest; and skip (recycling where you can) anything broken or worn out. Decide fast, because the longer you hold an item the more reasons you invent to keep it.

Not always, but it often helps more than people expect. A one-bedroom flat holds more than it looks, and stairs, parking and the state the old place must be left in all add time you may not have planned for. If your load is small with easy access, a man and van may be plenty. If there are stairs, a lot to pack, or a longer distance, a full service is usually worth it. Tell us the detail and get a written quote within the hour.

More than it looks while everything is still in place. Once the wardrobe, the kitchen cupboards and the space under the bed are emptied into boxes, a one-bedroom home fills a surprising amount of van. That is the single most common thing first-timers underestimate, which is why a car rarely does it in one trip.

Get boxes and packing materials in early rather than the day before, and pack a first-night box you keep with you: kettle, mugs, phone charger, bedding, loo roll and any medication. Confirm where the van can stop at both ends, and leave time to clean and empty the old place, especially if it is rented and a deposit depends on it.

It depends on the load, the access and the distance. A man and van suits a compact move with straightforward parking and few stairs. A full removals service is better when there is more to move, stairs or a lift-less flat, or a longer journey, and when you would rather hand over the packing too. We will tell you honestly which one your move needs.

Tell us what you are moving, where from and where to, whether there are stairs or awkward access, and how much packing you would like us to do. From that we give you a fixed price, and no move is too small to quote. Get a written quote within the hour.

There is no single hardest age, because every child is different. Toddlers and pre-schoolers often find it unsettling because they cannot fully understand what is happening, while school-age children may feel it most keenly because they are leaving friends and a familiar school behind. Babies tend to cope well as long as their routine stays steady. The key is to match your approach to your child's age rather than expecting one plan to fit all.

Explain the move in simple, concrete terms and repeat it often: the new house, the garden, and that their bed and toys are coming too. Let them help pack their own toys so they feel involved, keep a box of their essentials with you rather than in the van, and above all keep their daily routine, feeds, naps and bedtime, as normal as you can either side of the move. Reassurance that the important things are coming with them matters more than any detail about the house.

There is no single right answer, and it depends on your circumstances. Some families prefer to move while pregnant so the new home is settled before the baby arrives, while others would rather not take on a move in late pregnancy or the newborn weeks. Whenever you move, plan to have help on the day so you are not lifting and carrying, and let a removals crew handle the heavy work.

It varies from child to child. Some settle within days, while others take longer and have a few wobbles along the way, often somewhere between a few weeks and a few months. Rebuilding their routine quickly, unpacking their room first and exploring the new area together all help them feel at home sooner. If a child seems to be struggling for a long time, keep talking to them and give the new normal time to take hold.

The safest option for babies and toddlers is to have someone they know look after them away from the move, or in a quiet, gated room out of the loading route. Moving day means open doors, heavy furniture and a van ramp, so keep small children well clear of where the crew are carrying things. Keep them fed, watered and occupied with a bag of snacks and toys, and set a clear rule about which areas are busy and off limits.

Friday is by far the most common moving day in the UK, mainly because completing on a Friday gives you the weekend to unpack before work starts again on Monday. Because so many people want it, Fridays in the busy season are booked up weeks ahead.

With a fixed-price mover like us, no. The price is the same whatever day you choose. We quote a fixed written price based on the size, distance and access of your house removal, with no busy-day surcharge. The real benefit of a midweek move is better availability and a calmer day, not a lower bill.

Be wary of the idea that one day is always cheapest. A genuine fixed-price removals company quotes on the job itself, not the day of the week, so the day should not change the number. Get a fixed quote and compare like for like rather than chasing a 'cheap day'.

As early as you can. Fridays fill first, so the moment your completion date is confirmed, let us know. See our guide on when to book a removal company for the full picture.

Both work, and the right choice depends on your family. A summer-holiday move means no missed lessons and time to settle before September, but summer is the busiest season so dates go early. A term-time move usually has more dates free and a quieter house on the day, at the cost of the school run if you are changing schools. Sort the school place first, then pick the window that fits it.

Not on its own. Moving to a new address does not automatically transfer your child to a nearby school. You apply separately, either through the normal admissions round for a September start or through an in-year application to the council covering your new home. Do this before you fix a moving date.

Contact the council that runs the area you are moving to, not your current one, and ask about their admissions process and deadlines. For a September start you apply in the normal round the year before; to move schools at another time you make an in-year application. Councils usually ask for proof of your new address, so keep that to hand.

The calmest moves happen when children spend moving day somewhere else, with family, a childminder or a holiday club, while we load and drive. Pack a labelled essentials box for the first night with pyjamas, a favourite toy, chargers and snacks, and we will load it last so it comes off first. Older children can help with safe, simple jobs if they want to.

Yes. The school summer holidays are the most popular window for family moves, so it is our busiest stretch of the year and the best dates fill quickly, especially Fridays and month-ends. Once your date is clear, get a written quote within the hour so the day is yours.

For most moves, yes. A fixed written quote tells you the exact cost before the day, so traffic, stairs or a slow load do not add to your bill. Hourly billing leaves those risks with you. We only quote fixed prices, and you can get yours within the hour.

Not for the job you described to us. The only reason a fixed quote changes is if what needs moving changes, for example a lot more to shift than we were told, or access we could not have known about. If that happens we talk it through and re-quote in writing. We never add surprise charges to the final invoice.

Not always. We can quote smaller moves accurately from a good description of the property, the access and what you are taking. For larger homes we offer a free survey, in person or by video, so the fixed price is as tight as possible with nothing guessed.

With a fixed quote, an overrun is our problem to manage, not an extra line on your bill. As long as the move matches what you asked us to do, the price we agreed is the price you pay, however the day runs.

It depends on the size of your home, the access at both ends and any extras like packing or storage, so we do not quote a fixed figure online. After a quick survey we give you a written quote within the hour, and it does not change on the day unless the job does. You can ask for a quote here.

The drive is a couple of hours or so on a clear run, but the day is really shaped by loading, London parking and the unload. Most single-property moves are done in a day. We will give you a realistic plan once we have seen what is going.

The congestion charge and ULEZ apply to the vehicle on the roads it travels, not to you personally, and both are published costs set by Transport for London. We build the practicalities into your plan so there are no surprises on the day.

Yes. With us the same crew handles both ends. Nothing is passed to a depot or a different team halfway, which keeps your belongings safer and the unload quicker.

As early as you can, especially in summer when dates fill fast. Once you have a completion date, get in touch. If your date is still moving because of a chain, we can usually hold a provisional slot.

Sherborne is in Dorset. Its DT9 postcode and its position right on the county line, a couple of miles from the Somerset border, mean it is often searched as 'Sherborne, Somerset', but the town is and always has been in Dorset.

It suits people who want a real market town with a station, good schools and a lot of character in a small space. It is not the cheapest part of Dorset, but it offers a genuine town centre you can live around without a car for the everyday, in exchange for prices above the quieter corners of the county.

Yes. Sherborne is on the West of England line, with a direct train to London Waterloo, which is a large part of why the town attracts people leaving the city for more space.

Regularly. We work the town from our Shaftesbury yard, and we plan access for the honey-stone terraces, the abbey close and market-day parking before the day rather than on it. Tell us your addresses and dates and we will send a written quote within the hour: get a quote.

Yes, and it is how most moves in a chain work. Your sale and purchase complete on the same day, and you move once the keys to your new home are released. The main thing to plan for is the wait between handing over one set of keys and collecting the next.

There is no fixed time. Keys are released once your solicitor confirms the purchase money has arrived, which depends on transfers moving up the whole chain. Late morning to mid-afternoon is common, so it is best not to promise anyone a firm arrival time at the new house.

Your goods stay safely loaded in the van while you wait, usually parked nearby. If there is a chance of an overnight delay, arrange storage in advance rather than on the day. Our crew stays with the move and unloads as soon as the keys come through.

Midweek completions can feel calmer, as solicitors and banks are less stretched than on a busy Friday. We looked at this in our piece on why Friday is everyone's moving day. Whichever day you choose, book early so your slot is secured.

A survey is not required, but it makes your fixed quote accurate and lets us plan for waiting time and access at both ends. We can do it in person or by video, and you then get a written quote within the hour with no hourly charges on the day.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the width, how far apart the passing places are, any low bridges, fords or gates, and the surface. Where a large vehicle cannot safely reach the door, we park it somewhere wider and shuttle your belongings the last stretch in a smaller van. We work this out before your move so it is never a moving-day surprise.

Not for the sake of it. Your price reflects the real job, which is why we look at the access as well as the inventory before we quote. If a lane means we need to shuttle or allow a little extra time, that is built into the fixed price you agree up front, with no hidden extras on the day.

That is normal for period homes and we plan for it. We measure the awkward items against the tightest doorway and staircase, take apart what needs taking apart, and protect floors and beams as we go. Now and then the sensible route for a large item is through a wide window or the garden, and we will tell you that in advance rather than find out on the doorstep.

It helps a great deal. A quick look at the route, parking, turning space and the tightest doorway, in person or by video, is what makes a fixed quote accurate. On rural moves the access is the part most likely to change the plan, so a few minutes beforehand is well spent.

We work from our Shaftesbury yard and cover villages across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, including the lanes around Shaftesbury, Mere, Gillingham, Sherborne and the wider Blackmore Vale. If you are not sure whether we reach your village, just ask when you get in touch.

We are biased, but the people we move here rarely look back. Dorset offers a slower pace, market towns with real high streets, a long stretch of coast, and open countryside within reach of almost anywhere in the county. Most of our retirement customers tell us they wanted somewhere calmer that still had a community around them, and that is what Dorset tends to give them.

There is no single right time, and one advantage of a retirement move is that you are often not tied to school terms or a work start date. That freedom lets us plan around you rather than around a deadline. If you have a preferred week, tell us early, because the calmer midweek dates get booked up through the busy summer months.

Yes. Our packing service can handle as much or as little as you want, from the whole house down to only the fragile and awkward items. For a downsize it often helps to have us pack while you focus on deciding what comes with you. We bring the materials and wrap everything properly.

We do. A lot of retirement moves are long-distance, with people coming down from cities or other counties. The same crew handles the whole long-distance move from start to finish, so nothing is handed to a stranger halfway. Tell us where you are moving from and we will build the plan around the distance.

Gently. A house someone has lived in for decades needs time and patience, not a stopwatch. We give the packing the space it needs, work at a pace that suits you, and treat sentimental items with real care. If it helps, we will do a proper survey first so the day itself is unhurried and everything is planned in advance.

Work in reverse order of how often you use things. Pack the items you can manage without for a week or two first, such as the good dinner service, spare glasses, seasonal bakeware and cookbooks. Leave the everyday plates, mugs and the kettle until last so the kitchen stays usable while you pack around it.

Wrap glasses and crockery individually in clean packing paper, cushion the base and sides of a sturdy box, and fill empty spaces so items cannot knock together. Keep the finished box manageable to lift and label it clearly as fragile.

Usually, yes: empty the freezer and allow enough time to defrost it if the manufacturer instructions require this before transport. Preparation and restart guidance varies by model and by how the appliance is moved, so follow the instructions for your specific fridge or freezer rather than relying on one fixed waiting period.

Yes. If you would rather not pack the kitchen yourself, Marley Moves can include kitchen packing as part of its packing service. You can discuss whether you need help with the whole home or only selected rooms and fragile items.

Pack a box you keep with you rather than loading it on the van: the kettle, a few mugs and teaspoons, tea, coffee, milk and sugar, a couple of plates, glasses and sets of cutlery per person, a sharp knife, a pan, washing-up liquid, a tea towel and bin bags. It means you can make a hot drink and a quick meal the moment you arrive.

Summer is the peak, and August is usually the busiest month of all. The school holidays, better weather and property chains all trying to complete before September push a large share of moves into July and August. Within that, Fridays and the end of the month are the most requested slots.

As soon as your date is confirmed. In summer the most popular days, especially Fridays and month-end, are claimed well in advance, so the earlier you get a quote and confirm, the better your chance of keeping your first choice. Tell us your date and we will send a written quote within the hour.

Friday. Most people want the weekend to unpack before returning to work, and completion funds often clear towards the end of the week, so Fridays fill first, especially in summer. A midweek day is usually much easier to book at short notice.

Often yes, particularly on midweek days. Fridays and month-end dates go first, but if you can be flexible on the exact day there is usually room to help. Send us your details and we will quote within the hour and tell you honestly what we can do.

Your fixed quote is based on the size of your move, the distance and the access at both ends, so the figure is set before you commit. Tell us your move and your date and we will send the quote within the hour.

It depends on volume and distance rather than the number of rooms: a single-item collection, a studio or single-room move and a full one-bed house removal are each priced as their own fixed job. Tell us the pickup, the drop and your three biggest items and we will put a written quote within the hour.

Not always. If the load is genuinely small, you have a helper and nothing you own is irreplaceable, a hire van will do. A man and van makes sense when there are stairs, when you are moving alone, or when you want your things covered while they are in transit. Ours carries £2.5 million public liability and £50,000 goods in transit per load.

Yes. This is the most common problem in a first rental move. We can move your things into safe, secure containerised storage, priced per crate or container, and deliver them to the new place when it is ready. Storage can be quoted alongside the move.

As soon as your dates are confirmed by a contract. Summer is the busiest stretch of the year for removals, and Fridays and month-ends fill first because that is when tenancies turn over. Most small moves within about 25 miles of our Shaftesbury yard can still be slotted same-day or next-day when there is space, but do not rely on it in July and August.

No. Stair carries are included in the fixed price, so a third-floor walk-up does not attract a surcharge. Tell us about the stairs when you ask for a quote so we can send the right number of crew, and the price we put in writing is the price on the invoice.

Your move is carried out by Marley Moves' own in-house team rather than being handed to a third-party removal company. The information gathered at quote and survey stage stays with the same company through planning and moving day, so the crew has the agreed access notes, fragile-item details and dismantling requirements before it arrives.

Some removal businesses use subcontractors or agency crews and others use only their own staff. The arrangement varies, so it is reasonable to ask who will actually carry out the move, which company is responsible for the job and what insurance applies before you book.

The important point is clarity. If another company or crew is carrying out the work, you should know who is responsible for the move, who holds the relevant insurance and how the job information is handed over. Marley Moves keeps its removal work with its own in-house team, so responsibility for the agreed job remains with one company.

You should always check. When a move passes through a chain of subcontractors, it can be unclear whose cover applies if there is a problem. Our own work carries public liability insurance up to £2.5m and goods in transit cover up to £50k per load, so with us there is never any question about who stands behind the job.

Our own small, in-house crew, the same people across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and on long-distance moves the length of the country. We do not hire day labour when we get busy. The team who start your move are the team who finish it.

Yes, unpacking can be added to your move if you want it. We can place furniture, reassemble agreed items such as beds, put boxes into the correct rooms and, where included in your quote, unpack selected rooms or the whole home. Many people prefer to unpack personal cupboards and belongings themselves, so the level of help is agreed with you before move day.

Yes. Anything our crew takes apart to get it out of the old property is put back together at the new one, and beds are the first thing we rebuild rather than the last. Flag any awkward or unusual piece at the free home survey so we plan the right time and tools for it.

Kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, milk, loo roll, hand soap, a towel each, phone chargers, the wifi router, medication, a small first aid kit, a change of clothes and bedding for every bed. Keep it in your own car rather than the van so it is never buried behind forty other boxes.

Label by room name rather than by floor, and write it on the top and one side of each box so a stack can still be read. Tell the crew the room names at the new property before unloading starts. If we do the packing, boxes are labelled by room and contents as they are filled.

That is common with a chain or a delayed completion, and it does not have to hold up the move. Part or all of your belongings can go into secure storage and be delivered on to you afterwards. Mention it at the survey so the quote covers both legs rather than being reworked later.

Most will, and it is worth asking. Furniture dismantling is an option you can add to a Marley Moves booking, and reassembly at the new address is part of a standard house removal: beds rebuilt, sofas in position and dining tables back together before the crew leaves. Say which pieces need it at the quote stage so the right crew size and time are booked.

Yes, unless you have been told otherwise for a specific piece. Loaded furniture is much heavier than it looks and the weight shifts as the piece is tilted on a stair turn, which is what strains drawer runners and carcass joints. Take glass shelves and glass tops out too, and wrap them separately.

Blankets on hard surfaces, stretch film on upholstery, and corners and feet protected first. Do not put tape directly on polished wood, leather, veneer or paint, because it can lift the finish when it is removed. On a Marley Moves job the crew wrap the furniture, film the sofas and lay floor and door protection as standard rather than as an extra.

Often, and that is usually the better option. Chipboard and cam lock joints lose a little grip each time they are dismantled and rebuilt, so an older flat-pack wardrobe may not go back together square. If the piece fits through the doorways whole, move it whole. If it does not, decide before the day whether rebuilding it is worth the effort.

Name it before you are quoted. Pianos, safes, marble tops, American style fridge freezers and genuine antiques change the crew size, the kit and sometimes the vehicle, and they are handled under specialist removals. High value pieces are worth declaring at that stage too, so they are on the inventory before the day.

Crockery and glassware, by a distance. Plates, bowls and glasses are thin, they are usually packed last when everyone is tired, and they are often stacked flat rather than on edge. Wrap each piece on its own, stand plates upright in a small box, and fill every gap so nothing can slide.

It depends on the cover in place and on who packed the item. Our goods in transit cover is included at up to £50,000 per load and applies to what we pack and load. Boxes packed by the customer are usually treated differently under removals policies, so tell us if something you have packed yourself is fragile or valuable and we will handle it accordingly.

We do. Sofas, chairs, mattresses, tables and anything with a polished surface are wrapped in removal blankets in the room before they are carried out, then strapped inside the van so they cannot shift on the road. You do not need to buy or supply blankets.

No, leave the large items to us. Your time is far better spent on the boxes, because that is where breakages actually happen. If you would rather not do the fragile packing either, add our packing service to the quote and we will take care of the glassware and the china for you.

The kitchen, every time. It holds the most fragile items, the most awkward shapes and the things you still need on the morning you leave. Start it early, keep a separate box of what you need for the last two days, and pack the glassware last so it never ends up underneath anything.

Only if you have agreed it in writing first. Anything growing in the ground is generally treated as part of the property you are selling, so plants you intend to take need listing as excluded on the Fittings and Contents Form before exchange. Plants in pots and containers are your belongings and travel with you either way.

A young tree can move if you can dig a solid rootball out with it and the tree is listed as excluded on the Fittings and Contents Form. An established one rarely survives, because the roots you can lift are a small fraction of the roots it has grown. With a mature tree you are usually better off taking cuttings, or a rooted sucker from the base, and leaving the tree for the next owner.

While they are dormant, which for most deciduous shrubs and trees means late autumn through to early spring, and never when the ground is frozen or waterlogged. If your move falls in summer, pot the plant up several weeks ahead or take cuttings rather than lifting it in the heat.

Water the ground the day before, dig wide to keep the rootball intact, then wrap the roots in a bin liner or hessian sack. Stand pots upright in open boxes wedged with newspaper, keep them out of a hot sealed car, load them last and unload them first at the other end.

Often not. Older sheds split when they come apart, the felt rarely survives and the base usually stays behind, so many people leave the shed, note it on the contents form and buy a new one. If yours is sound, take it apart panel by panel, label everything, bag the fixings and tell your removal firm it is coming so the crew allows space for it.

It splits four ways. Anything the family is keeping is packed and either moved or put into storage. Anything with real value goes for valuation or auction where the executor instructs it. Anything usable goes to charity, which across our patch means Sue Ryder, the Salvation Army, the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance shops and local hospice charities. Only the genuine remainder is disposed of as waste, with a transfer note submitted for every job.

The executor named in the will, or the administrator where there is no will, is responsible for the property and its contents. In practice that person instructs us, sets the timeline and decides what goes where. We take instructions from them or from the solicitor acting for the estate, and from nobody else.

Ask the solicitor handling the estate before anything leaves the building. Executors are accountable for the contents, so the timing and the permissions are theirs to confirm rather than ours to assume. If the property has to be emptied before those questions are settled, the contents can go into secure storage instead of being disposed of.

Several of the charities we route donations through collect directly, including Sue Ryder and the Air Ambulance shop chain, and the Salvation Army takes furniture and household goods. Charities generally need upholstered items to be clean and still carrying their fire-safety label. We route donatable contents to whichever local shop can take them, so you are not chasing collections yourself.

It depends on the size of the property, how much is in it, how much of that is donatable rather than waste, and the access at the door. We do not quote by the hour or from a photograph. Tell us about the property on our quote page and we will send a written quote within the hour.

Completion on a new build is usually triggered by a notice served on your solicitor once the home is legally complete. Ten working days is a common notice period, but the exact figure is written into your contract, so check it with your conveyancer rather than assuming. Anything the sales office tells you before that point is an estimated build date, not a completion date.

Yes, and it is worth doing early. A survey and a fixed written quote only need to know what you own and where it is going, so they can be done months ahead of any date. Ask the removal company to hold a window rather than a single day, tell them your notice period, then confirm the exact date once notice has been served.

Tell your removal company as soon as the developer's estimate changes, rather than waiting for the formal notice. Dates moving is normal on a new build and a firm used to developments will expect it. If your sale completes before the new build is ready, a load into storage and a second delivery once you have keys keeps the chain moving.

Often yes, but not always right up to the door. Roads on a live development can be surfaced to a temporary standard, shared with construction traffic and restricted by the site manager, and plots still under construction take up the parking. Where a large vehicle cannot get close safely, the load is shuttled in from the nearest sound parking point using a smaller vehicle. Ring the site office once notice is served and pass the access answers to your removal company.

Photograph every room while it is still empty, then unpack. Snagging is normal on a new build, and pictures taken while the floors, walls and worktops were clear are what tell a build defect apart from moving day damage. Take and photograph your meter readings at the same time.

Not always, but it is worth pricing properly before you decide. The deciding factor is rarely the amount of furniture. It is the access at both ends, the fixed hand-back time and how much protection the property needs to come through the check-out inspection cleanly. A flat with a shared stairwell and no parking is often more work than a small house with a driveway.

That gap is common and it is solvable with storage. We clear the old property on the date the agreement requires, your belongings go into secure storage, and we deliver into the new address once it is ready. It means the two dates no longer have to agree with each other.

Marks made on the day are assessed at check-out along with everything else, which is why we protect door frames, banisters and floors as standard and move heavy items on straps and skates rather than dragging them. If you have any concerns about existing marks, photograph them before the move so there is a record.

As soon as you know your hand-back date, particularly for a move in late August or September when tenancy dates cluster. Booking early is about securing the date and the crew rather than the price, because the quote is fixed once it is written.

Yes, and it is one of the main reasons we survey small moves properly. We check the stair width and turns, whether an entrance can be held open, where the van can legally stand and how far the carry is, then plan the crew and timings around that rather than discovering it on the morning.

Three is enough for most moves. Fewer and you have nothing to measure the price against. More and you spend longer collecting quotes than you save. What matters more than the number is that every firm quotes from the same information, so send all of them the same room by room list, the same two addresses and the same date.

Usually because the firms are not pricing the same job. One has included packing and boxes and another has not. One has allowed for difficult parking and another has never seen the street. One has quoted a fixed price and another an hourly rate that only holds if the day runs smoothly. Line the inclusions up side by side and most of the gap explains itself.

Two policies, and you should ask about both. Public liability covers damage to property and injury to people. Goods in transit covers your belongings while they are being moved, normally with a limit per load. Ask what that limit is, whether the cover is included or sold as an extra, what has to be declared in advance, and ask to see the certificate. We hold £2.5 million public liability and £50,000 goods in transit per load, with the transit cover included.

Only once you know why it is the cheapest. Sometimes it is a smaller firm with lower overheads doing exactly the same work, which is a real saving. Sometimes it is an estimate rather than a fixed price, or it leaves packing out, or nobody has looked at the access, in which case the number worth comparing is the final invoice and you have not seen it yet. Get the inclusions and the terms in writing first, then choose.

Vacant possession is a standard condition of most residential sales. It means the property is empty and available for the buyer to occupy at completion, with your belongings and your rubbish gone, and anything you agreed to leave on the fittings and contents form still in place. Government guidance for sellers puts it simply: take all of your belongings and any rubbish with you, and leave behind whatever was agreed on that form.

Yes. They are part of the property you are selling, so anything of yours stored in them has to go with you or be disposed of. They are also the four spaces sellers forget most often, along with the cupboard under the stairs, because things put in them were never meant to stay. Tell your removal firm about them at the survey so the quote and the vehicle allow for what is actually there.

It is the Law Society form your solicitor sends out during the conveyancing, listing what stays with the house and what leaves with you. You mark each item as included in the sale, excluded from it, or not present at the property. On exchange of contracts the form becomes legally binding, so everything ticked as included has to still be there when the buyer arrives.

The buyer can raise it with their solicitor as a failure to give vacant possession, and you can be asked to cover the cost of clearing and disposing of whatever was left. Taking an item you had marked as included on the fittings and contents form is the same problem in reverse, because that form is binding once contracts have exchanged. Both are avoidable by checking the forgotten spaces weeks ahead rather than on the day.

Often, yes, as long as we know about it before the day. Extra items can be quoted into the move, a whole property that needs emptying is a house clearance, and things you want to keep but have nowhere to put can go into storage while the chain settles. What we cannot do is absorb a loft nobody mentioned into a vehicle that was measured without it. Tell us at the survey and we will price it properly.

The contents of the home form part of the estate. If there is a will, the executor will usually deal with the estate; where there is no will, an administrator may need to be appointed. Family members can help with the practical work, but belongings should not be removed or disposed of without the agreement of the person who has authority to deal with the estate. If you are unsure, check with the solicitor or probate practitioner handling it.

It depends on the estate. Household and personal belongings may need to be included in the estate valuation, and the right timing can differ depending on whether probate or letters of administration are needed. Check with the executor, administrator or solicitor before disposing of anything. We can plan the practical work around whatever timetable they confirm.

Where the clearance is an expense of administering the estate, the executor or administrator may normally arrange for it to be paid from estate funds, but the exact position depends on the estate. A written quote and invoice make it easier for the person handling the estate, or their solicitor, to keep a clear record of the cost.

There is no single deadline that applies to every bereavement. The practical date may be set by a tenancy, a property sale, insurance arrangements or another requirement of the estate. Once that date is known, work backwards and leave the family enough time to sort important and sentimental belongings without rushing.

Anything the family wants to keep is set aside first. Where suitable, usable furniture, clothing, books and household items can be routed to charity; recyclable materials are separated, and only genuine waste is disposed of. If something appears valuable or significant, we pause and show it to the family before it is removed.

We do, as long as the loft is safely accessible and we know about it in advance. Everything has to come down through the hatch one item at a time, so it changes how the day is planned rather than whether it can be done at all. Where the boarding stops and there is only insulation and joists, we will say so rather than risk a foot through a ceiling. Mention the loft when we survey and it is simply part of the job.

Anything flammable or pressurised stays off the van. That covers petrol and diesel for mowers and strimmers, gas bottles, paint and thinners, lighter fluid, weedkiller and most aerosols. It is a safety and insurance line rather than a preference, and it applies to removal firms generally. Run fuel down, use up or hand on what you can, and follow your council's advice on disposing of the rest. Our page on what removal companies will not move has the full list.

Yes, because a quote is built on volume, weight and access rather than on the number of bedrooms. A full loft and a packed garage can be the difference between one van load and two, and awkward access adds time at both ends. That is why we would rather see the whole property, outbuildings included, before we put a price in writing. It is also how the price stays fixed once you have it.

It depends on access far more than on volume. A boarded loft with a fixed ladder is quick. A small hatch with a loose ladder is slow, because every item is handled by one person at a time. A garage that opens straight onto the driveway loads fast, while a shed at the bottom of a long garden means carrying every load the length of it. We work all of this out at the survey and build the timings around it instead of guessing on the day.

Sort them before the van arrives rather than during. Charity shops and local selling groups take a surprising amount, the tip handles what is left, and anything genuinely valuable is worth selling in good time rather than in a rush. If there is too much of it to deal with yourself, a house clearance can run alongside the move so the property is handed over empty on the same day.

Yes. We have never moved a customer's date because of the weather. Your completion date is tied to solicitors, keys and everyone else in the chain, so postponing the van does not postpone any of that. We plan the day around the conditions instead, which normally means a different loading order and more floor protection rather than a different date.

Soft items are covered before they leave the room rather than at the tailgate, boxes come out in small batches so cardboard never stands on a wet path, and electricals ride high and central inside the van. The rear roller shutter comes down between runs instead of staying open, so the load stays dry while we work.

Yes, and it goes down before anything is carried, at the property you are leaving and the one you are moving into. Wet floors are where the real cost sits on a rainy move, whether that is a rental deposit or a new owner's carpet. Tell us in advance about any floor you are particularly precious about and we will plan the route through the house around it.

Usually a little. Loading happens in shorter runs, floor protection takes time to lay at both ends, and country roads slow the drive between properties. We build that into the plan rather than rushing the day, which is why we would rather read the forecast the night before than discover it on the doorstep.

You can ask, but if you are completing it is almost always the wrong move, because the date is set by the transaction rather than by us and a van that does not arrive leaves you with a house you no longer own. If your move is not tied to a completion and you would genuinely rather wait, talk to us early and we will be honest about your options.

Because most of a move stays undecided until late on. The cost, the date, the access at both ends and the order things happen in all depend on other people, and uncertainty is harder to carry than work is. Settling those four things early takes most of the weight out of it.

For most people it is completion day itself, because that is when the timings stop being yours. Funds move through the chain before keys are released, so the van can be loaded and waiting. Having a plan for that wait, with food, charged phones and somewhere for children and pets to be, makes most of the difference.

Yes, including when the move is one you chose. Leaving a house where things happened carries its own weight, quite separate from the logistics. It usually eases once the new place starts to feel used rather than unpacked, which is why finishing one room completely on the first evening helps more than it sounds like it should.

As soon as a likely date appears, rather than waiting for it to be certain. Summer, Fridays and month ends fill first, and a refundable deposit means booking early costs you very little if plans change.

Yes. You can have the whole house packed, or just the slow rooms like the kitchen and anything breakable, with the crew bringing all the materials. Deciding which of those you want early is what stops packing from eating your evenings for a month.

No. Tipping a removal crew is not a British custom and it is not built into how our crew get paid. The written quote is the full price of the job, and nothing about how your move is handled depends on whether you tip.

There is no set amount, and we will not publish a suggested figure because any number we gave you would be invented. If you want to give something as a thank you, give what feels right to you and hand it to the crew directly rather than adding it onto a payment to the office.

No. Many customers do not tip and it is never held against them. The crew are paid for the work by us, not by you, so anything you give is a bonus rather than a shortfall being made up.

Sort the parking, keep the hallway and path clear, label boxes by room, have one person on site who can decide where things go, and put the kettle on. All of it saves time and makes the day easier for you too.

No. Tipping does not change the level of care your move receives. Marley Moves jobs are handled by our in-house team, with goods-in-transit cover up to £50,000 per load and public liability cover up to £2.5 million. Careful handling is part of the service you have already paid for.

Standard cover is goods in transit up to £50,000 per load, which is enough for most instruments. Above that, cover on the instrument's own value is arranged through your own insurer or a marine cargo specialist, and their certificate travels with ours. Any single item worth more than £5,000 needs declaring before the move so cover can be confirmed.

Yes. A piano on its own is a normal booking for us, not an add-on to a house move. It is priced on the instrument, the access at both ends and the distance, so a straightforward ground-floor collection and delivery costs a good deal less than a walk-down on a gradient.

That is the normal case rather than the exception on our patch, and it is what the survey is for. We look at the turn at the top of the stairs, the width at the tightest point, the floor surface and where the van can actually stop. Gold Hill in Shaftesbury is the extreme version, cobbles and no vehicle access, so it is a walk-down with slings from the Bell Street car park.

Almost certainly, and that is true of any piano move rather than a sign something went wrong. A move changes the temperature and humidity the instrument sits in, and the frame takes a little while to settle. Most tuners suggest leaving it two to three weeks in the new room before they come out. We do not tune pianos ourselves.

Both. Uprights and console pianos go on slings and a piano dolly with the crew size the access needs. On a grand or a baby grand the legs and lyre come off, the body is wrapped and strapped to a piano board, and it travels on its side. Concert grands are by arrangement after a survey.

Tell us as soon as you know. Dates shifting is the single most common thing that happens to a booked removal and we would far rather re-plan it than find out on the morning. What we can flex depends on how far the date has moved and what else is in the diary that week, and storage covers the gap when the two ends no longer line up.

It depends on the day and what is already in the diary, so the honest answer is that we will tell you straight away whether we can or not. We hold a crew back for urgent work, which is what makes same-week and sometimes same-day possible, but it is one crew and not an unlimited supply.

Ring us and we will tell you honestly whether we can cover the date. Bring whatever quote or inventory you already have, because it saves repeating the survey and lets us price it quickly. If we cannot do it we will say so straight away rather than leaving you waiting on a maybe.

The price is worked out the same way as any other job, on the volume, the access and the distance. What short notice changes is availability rather than the rate. You get a fixed written price before the crew leaves the yard, so there is no meter running and no premium that appears afterwards.

That is what containerised storage is for. We load your contents into a container, keep it at our own site and re-deliver when the new place is ready, so you are not paying for an empty rental or living out of boxes at a relative's house. It is not a unit you come and visit, so anything you need in the meantime should stay with you.

No, but tell us when you book so we send the right crew. Stairs are a normal part of student moves and they change how long the job takes rather than whether we will do it. Halls often have loading restrictions and short parking windows too, which is worth mentioning at the same time.

That is most of the student work we do. One room of belongings is too much for a car boot and nowhere near a full house move, so it goes on a small van with a two-person crew and takes a couple of hours rather than a day. You get a fixed written price for it, the same as any other job.

Yes, that is common. Whoever is paying gets the written quote and the invoice, and we take the move details from whoever is actually there on the day. Just make sure we have a mobile number for the person who will meet the crew.

Yes. We collect from your room, put everything into a container at our own site and bring it back to wherever you are living next term. The container is not somewhere you visit, so pack it as though you will not see it again until delivery day, and keep anything you need over the holiday out of it.

As early as you can for the September and late June weeks, because everybody moves in the same fortnight and the diary fills from both ends. Outside those two windows a week or so is usually plenty. If your dates are still uncertain, book the slot and tell us, because moving a date is easier than finding one.

Yes. We can quote temporary resident decants where a household needs to move out for repairs, refurbishment or other planned works. The written scope can cover the move to temporary accommodation, storage where required and re-delivery when the property is ready.

Yes. We can quote appropriate one-off resident moves across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and provide a written scope covering access, volume, packing, storage and the move itself. We do not imply approved-supplier status unless Marley Moves has actually been appointed by that organisation.

Yes. Full or part packing can be included where the resident or housing brief requires it. The agreed scope can identify which rooms or belongings we are packing, what is moving to the new address, what is going into storage and anything that must remain at the property.

We can discuss purchase-order, invoicing, tender and procurement requirements with councils, housing associations and supported-housing providers. Whether a job can proceed depends on the terms agreed before work starts. We do not claim to be on a framework or approved-supplier list unless that appointment is actually in place.

Yes. Containerised storage can be included when belongings cannot remain at the property or move directly to the next address. Our goods-in-transit cover applies while the belongings are being moved; insurance for goods while stored should be arranged separately unless we confirm otherwise in writing.

Yes. Our regular service area covers Salisbury and Warminster in Wiltshire and South Somerset around Yeovil and RNAS Yeovilton, as well as the wider Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire area. We can handle privately arranged moves within these areas, moves elsewhere in the UK, and moves back into the area. Marley Moves does not claim an office on a military base or an official MOD affiliation.

We do not describe Marley Moves as an MOD-contracted or MOD-approved removals provider unless a specific appointment is actually in place. If Defence is funding or arranging your move, confirm the entitlement and required contractor process before booking a private mover. We can quote directly for privately arranged military and service-family moves.

Yes. Full or part packing can be added to a military move, from the whole home to selected rooms such as the kitchen, glassware and other fragile contents. The packing, removal, route and any storage requirement are set out together in the written scope.

Yes. Containerised storage can bridge the gap if you have to leave one property before the next accommodation is available. Our goods-in-transit cover applies while we are moving your belongings; insurance for goods while they are sitting in storage is not included and should be arranged separately unless we confirm otherwise in writing.

Yes. For privately arranged moves we can collect across our Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire service area and move a household anywhere in the UK, or collect elsewhere in the UK for a move back into our area. Packing and storage can be included where needed.