How Long Does a Removal Service Take?

Now here's a question that we are asked just about every time a customer rings us with their enquiry!

Basically, the simple answer is no 2 jobs are the same and it's near impossible to put a time on how long a house removal will take.

There are all sorts of variables to take into consideration such as the walking distance between the van and the property, if any furniture needs to be dismantled before removing, how many items you are moving and their sizes , how many floors the property has, how many steps leading up to the entrance and so on...

Having said that, we do have some general guidelines and times that an average move will take which may help you to judge how long your removal service will take and assist you with choosing your budget.

As you have probably seen from the 'See Our Vans' link in the footer, we use Extra Long Wheel Based Sprinters for all removal work. If we can park this van on a drive directly outside a standard house then we usually find the average time for a full van load is 1 hour. This is providing that everything in the house is all packed up properly (See Packing Boxes Properly Tips Here!), and we can move furniture out of the house without too much fuss. The unload at the other end is usually just under an hour providing the conditions are similar to the property at the load end. This is due to the fact that everything is usually just taken straight off the van whereas the loading will take longer because items need to be secured, wrapped and strapped to ensure they are protected during transit.

However, we have found in the past that the unloading time can take considerably longer than it should if there isn't any organisational procedure set in place. If someone is at the other end to direct our removal chaps when they bring items in straight away then the unload runs nice and smooth. Sometimes we've had customers insist on opening every single box we take in to see what is inside and then take a moment or two to decide where it is going. Of course, we don't mind this, it's your job at the end of the day, but with a full house move you can imagine just how much extra time this takes and more importantly, how bigger your removal bill will be come the end of the work.

We've also encountered jobs where one person, say the husband, tells us to put a particular item of furniture or box in one place, only for the next person, usually the wife, to contradict this and have us move it to somewhere entirely different in the house! Again, we don't mind moving things as many times as you want us to but obviously, if you have some sort of system in order, boxes packed and labelled, rooms in the new house labelled so we know who's room is who's, then the work will glide along a lot swifter and smoother!

There have been the odd 1 or 2 jobs in the past where a customer has wanted to complete their move within the hour! Impossible! Unless it's a student move or someone moving from 1 bedroom to somewhere else then we 'may' possibly be able to do the move within the hour but more often than not, a couple of hours is needed for a small move to be completed. At the end of the day, we want to make sure your furniture is handled with care, moved from the property to the van without catching walls and other fixings so no damaged is caused to the furniture or the surroundings, and secured properly in the van so that nothing is broken while en route to your new place. If someone is rushing our removal staff to try and complete a job too quickly then be prepared to take responsibility to any damages caused by them not being able to complete their jobs safely.

So, with the above said, the average 3 bedroom house may be completed in 2 trips in the van so depending on the distance between both your properties you could be looking at an average of 5 hours for your removal service. If you have any shed, garage or garden furniture then another run is usually required so another hour or 2 on top of this. But, if there's lots of steps, walking distance from van to door and / or furniture that needs dismantling and putting back together again then this time will increase.

I hope this helps with you trying to work out a rough idea of the time needed for your house move.