Removal Deposits and Cancellations: Your Questions Answered

Handing over a deposit before anyone has lifted a single box is the moment most people slow down and read the small print. Fair enough. Here are the answers we give every week: what the deposit is, when the balance is due, how to move your date if the chain shifts, and exactly what happens to your money if the move has to be called off. All of it comes straight from our written terms, so nothing here changes once you have booked. For the timing of the booking itself, see our guide on when to book a removal company.

Do removal companies take a deposit, and how much is yours?

A small deposit to hold the date is normal in removals, and ours is £100. It confirms your booking alongside a signed acceptance of the written quote, it reserves the crew and the van for your date, and it is deducted from the final invoice rather than added on top of it. Because it is fully refundable if you cancel more than 48 hours before the move, the sum you actually have at risk when you book is small. That is deliberate. We would rather you felt able to secure a date than sat on the fence while it went to somebody else.

When do I pay the rest of the bill?

The balance is due before your move, or on delivery if your things are coming out of storage first. We take bank transfer and card. There is nothing to settle with the crew at the door and no cash to find on the day, which is one less thing to think about while you are locking up. The figure on the invoice is the figure from your quote with VAT included, unless you have asked us to change the job.

How long is my written quote valid for?

Thirty days from the day we issue it. That covers most people, because quotes usually go out around exchange and the move follows within a few weeks. If your completion date drifts past the thirty days, send us a message and we will reissue it: the price only moves if the job has moved. Every written quote goes out within the hour of your enquiry, so there is no long wait before you can start comparing.

Can I change my moving date after I have booked?

Yes. Changes made more than 48 hours before the move are free of charge, as long as we have the new date free. Chains slip and we plan for it. What helps most is early notice, so tell us the moment your solicitor tells you, because August is our busiest month and Fridays fill first, that being the day most completions land. Most of our work sits within thirty miles of Shaftesbury, so moving your date usually means reshuffling nearby jobs rather than rebuilding a whole week, which is why we can often say yes. Our house removals crews cover Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, from Shaftesbury outwards.

What happens to my deposit if I have to cancel?

Cancel more than 48 hours before the move and the deposit is refunded in full, with no deductions and no argument. Inside 48 hours we keep it, because by then the crew and the van are held for you and the slot cannot realistically be filled. If we ever have to cancel or reschedule for a reason on our side, you get the whole deposit back. The exact wording sits on our terms and conditions page, and two minutes reading it is time well spent before you sign with any removal firm.

My completion date has slipped at the last minute. What now?

Tell us as soon as you know. A delayed completion is not a cancellation, so the first thing we look at is moving your date rather than tearing up the booking. If the keys are simply running late on the day, the crew can usually wait with the load while your solicitor releases the funds, which beats unloading into a hallway you are about to leave. Same-day completions have a lot of moving parts, and our guide on moving when you are buying and selling on the same day walks through the whole timeline.

Will the price change if my inventory changes before the move?

Only if the job itself changes. Your price is fixed against the scope written into the quote, so the same rooms holding the same contents means the same number on the invoice. If you add a shed full of tools, drop a bedroom, or switch to a different address, we issue a revised quote before we start work, never a bill afterwards. So tell us as things firm up. An email six weeks out is easier for everyone than a surprise on the driveway.

What happens between booking and moving day?

Very little that you need to manage, which is rather the point. We confirm the date and the crew in writing, we agree which packing you want us to handle and what you would rather do yourself, and we check the access at both ends so nothing catches the van out. Nearer the time we confirm your arrival window. The same in-house crew who surveyed your home is the crew who turns up, because we do not subcontract your move to anybody. If you are still at the comparing stage, get your fixed written quote within the hour and you will have the price, the date and the deposit terms in front of you before you commit to anything.