Why are removals so costly for 2 bed?

[LookingOptimistic]

Had a couple of removal quotes yesterday from a few companies that visited my 2 bed coach house; we don't have that much stuff or furniture, are taking all out clothes/shoes/food/cleaning products in our own cars and don't have any white goods or even wardrobes to move.

First quote was £919 with packing materials but packing ourselves. Would be extra £250 for them packing up our stuff.

Second quote was £900, plus £1.50 per box if we wanted packaging materials. Also if we wanted them to pack its another £300 on top.

Still awaiting third quote. I heard on here somewhere that movers price up what they think you can afford, is this true?

Ok we live in a nice area and out TV/ Gaming systems/ PC 's are not the cheapest, but why should we be penalized for this when we actually don't have much to move and are only moving 10-15 minutes up the road?

Where in the country are you? We're Manchester area and ours is £389 for a 2 bed house, they've given us boxes and tape and we'll pack. They haven't been to the house at all.

We're skipping the sofa and the 2 beds before we move as we have new which is in storage and we have access to a van to get them to the new house ourselves. Really it will be mainly boxes for our movers plus the usual kitchen appliances.

There will be an initial cost for that van/labour/their insurance for the day.

So even if you were moving a flat or 3 bed house you’d pay this fee then amount of stuff and mileage on top.

But I’m sure the area and your perceived wealth would come into it.

2 identical houses 1 in the worse area 1 in the best area. I’m positive a few percent would find its way on the best area quote.

They’d probably put it down to the fact you have nicer furniture/more likely complain if damage occurs etc.

I’ve always moved myself which has been far cheaper but the next move will be paid for. Don’t think my brain or knees could take another self move.

@hartof We are moving from Ferndown. Dorset to Fordingbridge, Hampshire.

We have a coach house so all out stuff is on one level. We have one three seater sofa (end one seat slides off frame for easy moving) and one light divan bed base which splits into two again for easy moving.

Here is out house, I don't think we have much furniture:

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77415116.html

You've sold the flat - great stuff.

Everything has to come downstairs to go out then you've got whatever's in your garage and the loft. Have they been and surveyed in order to give you a price?

@Squirreltamer

I have moved twice but these were self moves. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to lift my sofa, and also I don't have anyone close which is willing to drive a lorry anymore.

Just quite annoyed because we don't have much stuff really; there was a bit in the garage and some in our loft to add to whats in pictures, but I really don't think it was enough to fill a 15 tonne lorry! and I just can't afford £900...

Just hire a van or go man with van and do a few runs and shift stuff around yourself. You might get down to around £500 for a man and van, perhaps a tad less, or perhaps £200 to hire a van and go diy.

The fixed costs of a truck for a day plus a few chaps plus vat won’t vary significantly with the size of house or distance up to a point. A days work for three men will easilly cost their employer £600 assuming not great rates, plus the lorry, vat etc...

@wowfudge They have been to our house in person to survey what is to be moved. We have said we will bring everything down from the loft and box it up ready for removal, so they aren't quoting doing that for us.

We sold it three weeks ago and the sale contract has already been put in the post to us for signing ready for exchange; buyers mortgage/ local searches/ enquiries all answered, so nothing more to do on the sale. Just a few enquiries on my purchase to finish off next week and my buyers buyer waiting for lease pack to finish off sale of his flat.

We have all hounded our solicitors and sent back everything superfast to try and get it all done ASAP.

@Asdf12345

What I don't understand is why do they need three men and a 15 tonne lorry?

The only thing me and my partner would not be able to move is the sofa; everything else is quick and easy, and they were saying they would be at property at 8:30 to be out at lunchtime and off to the new house - it does not take 4 hours to get our stuff in a van with three people that is for sure so I think two people can do it no problem.

@Squirreltamer We have a nice lounge TV and two PC's, PS4/ XBOX/ Switch etc. and many other consoles but other than this all our funiture is cheap machine board crap with thinnest veneer on top.

Table chairs are rubber type pine which dents really easy - £90 from JYSK. Sofa from DFS was only £450. Bed was £250 and all the rest is cheap Ikea/ Argos so wouldn't care if any of this was damaged to be honest.

That does sound expensive. 8.5yrs ago I moved from a 3 bed semi (but very little furniture went with us as we scrapped most of it as was on its last legs) but it did include my now ex partners big motorbike in one of two vans. Dining table and 4 chairs, 1 settee and armchair, washing machine, 1 double bed, large desk, few bits of garden furniture and our other normal, everyday belongings etc.
We had some horrendous quotes from professional removal companies. In the end we went with locally advertised "men and 2 vans" fellas and they charged us £800. The move was from Hampshire to Co. Durham!

We used a local man+van type operation and moved from a one bed with very difficult access to upstairs to a three bed, it cost us £298 for three men and two box vans (we moved her 14 months ago), we packed and everything was ready to go when they arrived. We moved twenty minutes up the road, they arrived at 8am and the vans were unloaded and everything put into the right rooms in the new house by 2pm on the day of moving and they were on their way home. They were insured but they were a much smaller outfit than the bigger removals companies round here. We scoured local ads to get our removal men.

We have usually just hired a man with a van, found our own boxes, usually recycled and collected them ready.
It only usually costs us a couple of hundred, we get family and friends to help us unload.
Some people pay thousands, there's no need.

Didn’t see your rightmove before posting. But from seeing your amount of furniture I think the price is excessive.

But I’d go man in a van. Probably get them to move you for £300. But make sure you get someone with real good reviews. Don’t want to be let down on the day.

Firms dedicated to moving charge you for the whole day. I know most moves take 3 hours or so excluding the endless packing and unpacking. But they have to budget for your move going tits up and having to wait around all day for the keys.
Plus everyone wants to move 8am-1pm so I assume one team will do one move a day. I’d imagine they’d put a team on an easy move one day. Then they travel up to a harder move the next day etc.

Thanks everyone for your comments; as I thought it is really quite expensive quotes, we have just had the third quote in at £700 and they have quote 350 cubit feet less than the first so I think the 15 tonne truck and three men is way over engineering our move.

I will see if I can haggle the £700 quote to include insurance/ waiver for extra waiting time as these are additional at £45 each.

Then there is some cancellation fee waiver of £65 which I need to check out as again that is additional. We are the last in our chain (3 houses but 5 sets people, 3 buying/ selling but property at bottom is vacant with cash buyers going in and property at top is vacant with guy just selling) so no idea when we will get the keys to the property that day.