"Moving company" is the term most people search for, but it is rarely the term the industry itself uses in the UK. Here it is a removals company, or simply removals. Elsewhere you will hear removalist, van line, or mover. They all describe the same thing: a business that transports household or commercial goods from one property to another, usually handling the loading and unloading as well as the driving.
That definition sounds simple until you start getting quotes and find that four companies are offering four different services under the same word. This guide sets out what the term actually covers in Britain, the different models available, and the vocabulary you will meet along the way.
What is a moving company?
A moving or removals company is a business that relocates the contents of a home or workplace on your behalf. A full-service firm will survey the job beforehand, supply packing materials, dismantle and wrap furniture, load it into a vehicle, transport it, unload it into the correct rooms at the destination, and reassemble what it took apart.
The essential distinction is between firms that provide labour and transport and firms that provide transport only. A van hire company gives you a vehicle. A removals company gives you a crew. Most of the price difference between quotes comes down to which of those you are actually buying.
The main types of moving service in the UK
Full-service removals. The complete job: survey, packing if you want it, dismantling, loading, transport, unloading, reassembly. Priced on the volume of your belongings, the access at both ends, and the distance. This is what most people mean by hiring a removal company.
Man and van. A driver and a vehicle, sometimes with a second pair of hands, usually charged by the hour. Well suited to a single room, a studio flat, a few large items, or a store collection. Less well suited to a four-bedroom house, where hourly billing on a long job stops being economical.
DIY moving. You hire a van or trailer and do everything yourself. Common in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The van rental is the visible cost; the hidden ones are fuel, insurance excess, congestion and ULEZ charges where applicable, equipment such as trolleys and blankets, your own time, and the risk that comes with carrying a wardrobe down a staircase without training.
Self-service and container moving. A middle path. You buy space in a container or on a trailer, the driving is done professionally, and you handle some or all of the loading. Containers can also stay in storage between the two addresses, which is what makes this model useful when dates do not align.
Container storage delivered to your door. The variant we operate. A secure container is delivered to your address, our crew loads it on the spot, and the sealed unit is transported to a monitored facility. It comes back to whichever address you choose when you are ready. It removes the depot trip that conventional self-storage requires.
International removals. Cross-border moves, where the job extends to shipping, customs documentation and destination handling. Priced on volume and route rather than hourly.
How removals are priced in the UK
Long-distance and international moves are typically priced on the volume of goods, measured in cubic feet, and the distance. In the United States weight is the more common basis; in Britain volume is standard. Some firms offer flat-rate or fixed pricing once a survey has been done.
Local moves are more often priced on time and crew size, or on a fixed price derived from a survey. Either way, an accurate figure depends on someone actually seeing what is being moved, which is why a pre-move survey matters more than a quick web form.
Three cost factors that surprise people: access at both properties, since stairs, lifts and distance from the parking spot to the front door all add labour; parking, particularly in controlled zones where a bay suspension may be needed; and volume you forgot about, which is usually the loft, the garage and the shed.
A glossary of removals terms
Pre-move survey. An assessment of the job, in person or by video, covering every room including loft and garage, to establish volume and access before a quotation is issued.
Volume. The cubic footage of your belongings. The basis for most long-distance and international pricing, and for deciding vehicle size and crew.
Goods in Transit insurance. Cover for your belongings while they are being carried. Check the limit and the exclusions, since items you packed yourself are commonly excluded.
Warehouse-keeper liability. Cover for goods while they are held in a storage facility, which is a different policy from Goods in Transit.
Part load or groupage. Your belongings share vehicle space with another customer's. Cheaper, but delivery dates are less precise.
Shuttle vehicle. A smaller van used when the main lorry cannot reach the property, common on narrow London streets. Usually an extra cost.
Bay suspension. Paying the council to reserve parking outside the property on moving day. Often essential in a controlled parking zone.
Wardrobe carton. A tall box with a hanging rail so clothes travel on their hangers.
Fragile packing. A separate, chargeable service for china, glass, artwork and similar, usually with its own insurance implications.
Dismantle and reassemble. Taking apart bed frames, wardrobes and tables that will not fit through doorways, then rebuilding them at the other end.
Binding quotation versus estimate. A quotation is a fixed price for defined work. An estimate is a projection that can change. Ask which you have been given, in writing.
Accreditation. UK trade bodies include the British Association of Removers and the Association of Independent Movers. Membership means the firm has been vetted against a code of practice.
How many people move in the UK each year?
Around 100,000 residential property transactions complete across the UK in a typical month, according to HMRC's monthly property transaction statistics, which puts the annual figure somewhere over a million. Add rental moves, which do not appear in those numbers at all, and the true volume of household moves each year is considerably higher.
London accounts for a substantial share, and the capital's mix of Victorian conversions, mansion blocks, new-build towers and controlled parking makes it one of the more demanding places in the country to move within.
Frequently asked questions
What is a moving company? A business that transports household or commercial goods between properties, usually including loading and unloading. In the UK it is normally called a removals company. A full-service firm will also survey the job, pack, dismantle furniture and reassemble it at the destination.
What is the difference between a removals company and a man and van? Scale and pricing. Man and van is typically one or two people charged by the hour, suited to small loads and single rooms. A removals company handles whole properties, prices on volume and access after a survey, and provides packing, dismantling and insurance as part of the service.
Is a removalist the same as a mover? Yes. Removalist is the Australian and New Zealand term, mover and van line are American, and removals company is British. All describe the same type of business.
How are UK removals priced? Local moves are usually priced on time, crew size or a fixed price from a survey. Long-distance and international moves are priced on volume in cubic feet plus distance. Access, parking and any storage requirement all affect the final figure.
What is a pre-move survey? A visit, in person or by video, in which the company assesses the volume of your belongings and the access at both properties before quoting. Without one, a quote is guesswork and is likely to change on the day.
Do removal companies provide insurance? Most carry Goods in Transit cover for items in the vehicle and warehouse-keeper liability for items in storage. Check the limits, and check the exclusions, which frequently include anything you packed yourself.
Talk to us
RMV Storage & Removals has been moving households and businesses across London for over fifteen years. We handle house and office removals, man and van work, packing services and materials, container storage delivered to your door and international removals, across every area we cover.
For the man and van end of the trade, see how a man and van booking works. If you are at the planning stage, our moving house checklist sets out the full sequence, and the four weeks to go guide covers who to notify and when. Otherwise, get in touch for a quote.
Written by Riki Migliori, Director at RMV Storage & Removals. Originally published February 2014. Fully reviewed and updated summer 2026.