Home moves
Flat removals in London, where the access decides the job
Two flats with the same amount of furniture in them can be a four-hour job and a nine-hour job. The difference is never the furniture. It is the lift, the turn on the stairs, and how far the van has to sit from the communal door.
Best for
Flats, maisonettes, blocks with lifts
Checked first
Lift, stairwell, loading bay
We cover
Every London postcode
What it costs
What flat removals actually cost in London
None of this is guesswork and none of it can be answered over the phone in ninety seconds. It is the reason we survey: every one of these changes the number, and a quote given without them is a number someone is planning to revise on the day.
The floor, and whether the lift counts as a lift
A passenger lift that holds four people is not a lift for a three-seater. If there is a goods lift it usually needs booking with the building, and if there is not, the whole job goes down the stairs.
The turn on the stairs
Half-landings are where flat moves go wrong. A sofa that walked out of the last place may not get round a tight return, and finding that out on the day costs hours.
How close the van can actually get
Estate barriers, a loading bay in use, a permit zone, a gate that needs a fob. Every extra thirty metres between the tailgate and the communal door is repeated on every single item.
What the building will let you do
Plenty of blocks only allow moves on weekdays between set hours, want the lift booked, and want protection on the walls. Managing agents rarely say yes at short notice.
How much is actually going
The balcony, the hall cupboard and the storage cage under the block are the three things people forget to mention, and together they are often another van load.
The corridor between the lift and your door
Newer blocks can have sixty metres of internal corridor and a fire door at each end. It never appears in anybody's quote and it is repeated on every single item that leaves the flat.
So what would yours cost?
Ten minutes on a video call and you will have it in writing. No obligation, and no number invented over the phone.
Before the day
The lift is the first thing we measure, not the last
On the survey we get the internal dimensions of the lift and the width of the communal doors, and we compare them against the biggest things you own. It takes about two minutes and it is the single most useful thing anybody does before a flat move.
If the sofa does not go in the lift, that is a decision to make in advance, not at eight in the morning with a van blocking the bay. Sometimes it comes apart. Sometimes it goes down eleven flights. Occasionally it does not leave the flat at all, and it is much better to know that a fortnight out.
Where the building needs the lift booked or the walls protected, we tell you who to contact and how much notice they usually want. We cannot get permission on your behalf, but we can stop you finding out too late.
On the day
How a flat move runs
Three things that happen on every job, before and after the lifting.
- 01
The access is settled before the date is
Lift booked if the building wants it, permit or bay arranged if the road needs one, and the route from your door to the tailgate walked and agreed.
- 02
Protection goes down first
Communal floors and lift walls get covered before anything moves. It protects your deposit as much as the building, and most managing agents insist on it anyway.
- 03
The awkward items go when the lift is quietest
We plan the big pieces around the times the block is busy, so we are not holding the only lift while your neighbours wait for it.
The quote
What the price covers, and what it does not
Both lists go on the written quote, so there is nothing to discover afterwards.
Included
- A survey that measures the lift, the stairwell and the carry, not just the room count
- Protection on communal floors, lift walls and door frames
- Dismantling and reassembling beds and flat-pack furniture that has to come apart
- Disconnecting and reconnecting a washing machine
- Blankets, straps and covers on everything that goes in the van
Not included
- Permission from the building or managing agent — we tell you what they need, you apply
- Parking suspensions and council dispensations, for the same reason
- Anything gas: a cooker or gas appliance needs a Gas Safe engineer
- Taking your old furniture away as waste
From our Google profile
What people said about their move
Left on our Google profile. Every card links back to it, so you can read the rest — including any we would rather you did not.
Good experience with Metro City Moves. 4 bedroom house seemed bit difficult to move from London to Liverpool, but they planned well and successfully executed. Thank you.
Saqib AwanRead on Google, opens in a new tab
Before you book
Questions people actually ask
What if the sofa will not fit in the lift?
Then it goes down the stairs, or it comes apart, or in a small number of cases it does not leave the flat. We work out which of the three it is at the survey, so the answer is a plan rather than a problem discovered on the morning.
Do you need to book the lift with the building?
Many blocks require it, and some want a week or more of notice plus proof of insurance. We tell you exactly what to ask your managing agent for. The request has to come from the resident, so it is one of the few things you have to do yourself.
We are on the fourth floor with no lift. Is that much more?
Yes, and honestly so. Every item is carried up or down four flights, which is time, and time is what you are paying for. A walk-up is one of the few things that genuinely changes the crew size as well as the hours.
Can you move us at the weekend?
We can. Check your building first — a lot of blocks restrict moves to weekdays inside set hours, and the restriction is on the resident, not on us.
What about the storage cage in the basement?
Tell us about it when you book. Cages, balconies and hall cupboards are the three things left off almost every enquiry, and together they are often another van load.
Will you protect the communal areas?
Yes, as standard. Floors, lift walls and door frames get covered before anything moves. Damage to communal parts comes out of somebody's deposit, and it is cheaper for everyone to spend ten minutes on protection first.
Related reading
The things that catch people out
Parking, vans and packing — the rules read from the source, dated when checked.
- Guide
Removal van sizes: Luton, 3.5-tonne, and when to go one bigger
How removal van sizes map to homes, what a Category B licence lets you drive, and why a Luton is too tall and too long for Hackney's parking dispensation.
Read it - Guide
London parking suspensions for moving house: what every borough charges
The same one-day parking suspension costs £66.66 in Camden and £360 in Haringey. Fees, notice periods and removals concessions for six boroughs, compared.
Read it - Guide
Parking suspension vs dispensation: which one a house move needs
A suspension reserves the parking bay; a dispensation only stops the ticket. That difference decides what a house move needs, and what each borough charges.
Read it - Guide
Red route dispensations: moving house where the council cannot help
TfL sells no parking suspensions on red routes at any price. A dispensation costs £48 a day, needs 6 working days, and red lines take no late applications.
Read it - Guide
ULEZ, removals vans and the Congestion Charge on moving day
ULEZ charges a non-compliant removals van £12.50 a day, everywhere in London, and the Congestion Charge is £18 in the centre. What applies on moving day.
Read it
Get it priced properly
A survey first, then the number in writing. Answered at any hour.