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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think there must be an alternative to hiring a removals van?

59 replies

Rememberremember · 10/04/2026 17:39

AIBU in thinking there MUST be an alternative to hiring a removals company when you are only moving a couple of doors down the road?
It seems bonkers to have to pay over a grand (local rates are expensive!) to load lots of stuff in a van, drive 30 metres and unload it all, but apparently as everyone in the chain needs to exchange at the same time there isn't an alternative as the properties all need to be empty simultaneously.
Any ideas?!!

OP posts:
Changingplace · 10/04/2026 17:51

You can hire a ‘man with van’ type service which will be cheaper, and take a risk on anything getting broken, but if you’re not going far that might be an option.

There’s often people advertising this kind of thing on FB marketplace.

Morepositivemum · 10/04/2026 17:46

Friends and cars/ by hand. We moved about twenty minutes away and I counted 16 trips in one day, I was delirious by the evening 😅

OneTimeThingToday · 10/04/2026 17:43

Ask whether you can put stuff in the garden a. Hour beforehand

Randomchat · 10/04/2026 17:43

Carry it down the street yourself?

Hire your own van?

These are your options really

Rachelshair · 10/04/2026 17:42

You hire a self drive van and do it yourself. If all your stuff fits in that is. Or you could move everything into storage and out again over a day or 2.
Absolutely knackering, would never do it again!

WearyAuldWumman · 10/04/2026 17:42

Depending on the furniture, it can often move walked out and along using strong straps—but you also need fairly strong people to help.

PeloMom · 10/04/2026 17:42

You pay per hour so since the distance is short, you’d pay less.
or if you have a huge family/ lots of friends willing to help - you can organise them to help move your stuff.

didntlikeanyofthesuggestions · 10/04/2026 17:41

Get 1000 friends to turn up, grab one thing out of your house each, stand around while all the legal stuff gets done and then carry it to the new house. Horses or well trained dogs are also an option.

Northstar26 · 10/04/2026 17:41

Get a load of friends together to help move stuff? But tricky when things will be heavy and they’re not professionals, things will still take a long time. Not sure!