Moving Tips: The Complete Guide to a Stress Free Move in Central London

The big one: sort your parking first

This is the single biggest cause of stress, delay and unexpected cost on a Central London move. Get it right and everything else follows.

Check what is outside both properties

Walk out onto the street and look at the actual signs and bay markings. You are looking for:

Red routes

Marked with single or double red lines. Stopping is heavily restricted and enforced by camera. You cannot simply park a van and start loading.

Permit holder bays

Common across most inner boroughs. Loading may be allowed for short periods, but leaving a van there all morning will earn you a ticket.

Pay and display or shared use bays

Usually the easiest option, but you will still need to pay and you may hit a maximum stay limit.

Double yellow lines

Loading and unloading is often permitted unless there are kerb blips or a sign saying otherwise. Worth checking carefully.

Take a photo of every sign on the stretch of road outside your door. It takes two minutes and settles any argument later.

Suspending a parking bay

If there is nowhere sensible to park, you can apply to your council to suspend a bay for the day. This is by far the best solution for a big move.

• •Most boroughs want at least five to ten working days of notice, so this is not a last minute job
• •Costs vary considerably between boroughs, and Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Camden tend to sit at the higher end
• •You will usually need to specify the length of bay required, so ask your removal company how long the van is
• •The council puts up notices a few days beforehand, which legally clears the space
• •Apply through your own borough website, as the process differs from council to council

If a car is still sitting in your suspended bay on the day, ring the council parking enforcement line straight away. They can arrange removal, but only if the suspension was properly signed.

Congestion Charge and ULEZ

Central London sits inside the Congestion Charge zone, which operates on weekdays and weekend afternoons. The Ultra Low Emission Zone now covers all London boroughs.

Your removal company will normally handle these charges on their side, but it is worth asking whether they are included in your quote or added on afterwards. If you are driving your own car in convoy, remember that you may be liable too.

Book the lift (yes, really)

If you are in a mansion block, a converted warehouse or any modern development, there is a very good chance the building requires you to book the lift and the loading bay in advance.

Ring the concierge or managing agent and ask:

• •Do I need to book the lift, and how far in advance?
• •Are there permitted moving hours? Many buildings restrict moves to weekdays between 9am and 5pm, and some ban Sunday moves entirely.
• •Is there a loading bay or a designated van space?
• •Do I need to provide proof of insurance from the removal company?
• •Is a deposit required against damage to communal areas?

Discovering on the morning that you cannot move in until Tuesday is a genuinely awful way to start.

Measure everything that matters

Central London housing stock was mostly not designed with modern furniture in mind. Before you move anything large, measure:

• •The width of the doorway at both ends
• •The narrowest point of the staircase, including any turn or half landing
• •The lift interior, both floor space and height
• •The hallway, particularly where it turns a corner

Then measure the item itself, including the diagonal. A sofa that will not fit through a door frame flat will often go through on its side or diagonally.

If something genuinely will not fit, your options are dismantling it, removing a door from its hinges, or in extreme cases hoisting through a window. Decide which before the day, not during it.

The classic problem items: three seater sofas, corner sofas, king size mattresses, American fridge freezers, wardrobes that were built inside the room, and pianos.

Declutter before you pack

The cheapest box to move is the one you never fill. Every item you get rid of now is time, space and money saved.

Go room by room with four piles:

1. 1Keep
2. 2Sell, through Vinted, eBay or Facebook Marketplace
3. 3Donate, to charity shops or a local Buy Nothing group
4. 4Dispose, by booking a council bulky waste collection or a tip run

Be especially ruthless about books, kitchen gadgets, old electronics and clothes you have not worn in a year. If you are downsizing, which many London movers are, this step is not optional.

Packing like a professional

Get the right materials

Small boxes for heavy things

Books, tins, tools. A large box full of books cannot be lifted.

Large boxes for light things

Bedding, cushions, lampshades.

Wardrobe boxes with a hanging rail

Worth every penny if you have a lot of suits or dresses.

Bubble wrap and packing paper

Newspaper works but the ink transfers onto crockery.

Strong packing tape

Not sellotape.

Marker pens

In a colour you can actually read.

Supermarket boxes are free but often flimsy and inconsistent in size, which makes stacking in the van harder. Mixing a few in is fine. Doing the whole move with them is a false economy.

The packing rules that actually matter

Pack room by room, and never mix rooms in a box

It feels efficient at the time and it is agony at the other end.

Label the side, not just the top

Once boxes are stacked, you cannot see the tops.

Write the destination room, not the origin room

If the books are going in the study, write study.

Fill every gap

Half empty boxes collapse under weight. Stuff the voids with towels, tea towels or scrunched paper.

Tape the bottom of every box properly

A single strip down the seam is not enough. Cross it.

Keep boxes under about 20kg

If you cannot lift it comfortably, it is too heavy.

Room by room tricks

Kitchen

Plates travel on their edge like records, not stacked flat. Wrap each one in paper. Glasses go upright in a box with dividers if you have them. Leave a kettle, a few mugs, teabags and milk out until the last minute.

Bedroom

Leave clothes in drawers if the unit is sturdy and you tape the drawers shut. Vacuum bags are brilliant for duvets and winter coats.

Bathroom

Bin anything half used or out of date. Put lids on liquids, then tape over the lid, then bag them separately. Shampoo through a box of towels is a bad day.

Living room

Photograph the back of your TV and hi-fi before unplugging anything. Bag each set of cables and label it. Screws and fittings from dismantled furniture go in a labelled freezer bag taped to the item itself.

Documents and valuables

Passports, birth certificates, jewellery, laptops and medication travel with you personally. Not in the van.

Your essentials box

Pack one box or bag that goes in the car with you, not the van. This is the box that means you can function on the first night without opening anything else.

• •Kettle, mugs, teabags, coffee, milk
• •Toilet roll, hand soap, towels
• •Phone chargers and a multi socket extension lead
• •Basic tools: screwdriver, scissors, Stanley knife, allen keys
• •Bin bags and cleaning cloths
• •Medication and toiletries
• •A change of clothes
• •Bedding for the first night
• •Snacks
• •Any keys, contracts and paperwork

Label it clearly and put it somewhere you cannot lose it. Some people write DO NOT LOAD on it in enormous letters, which is not a bad idea.

What you cannot put in the van

Removal companies are not permitted to carry certain items for safety and insurance reasons. Sort these out separately:

• •Petrol, paraffin, gas bottles and camping gas
• •Paint, white spirit and solvents
• •Fireworks and aerosols in bulk
• •Corrosive chemicals and pool chemicals
• •Loaded fire extinguishers
• •Live plants, which many firms will take but cannot insure
• •Pets

Use up or safely dispose of chemicals in advance. Most councils have a hazardous waste drop off point.

Moving day itself

Before the van arrives

• •Get up early, because everything takes longer than you think
• •Strip the beds and finish any last packing
• •Take final meter readings and photograph them with a timestamp
• •Do one last check of lofts, cupboards under the stairs, the garden and the shed
• •Put the kettle and the essentials box to one side

When the team arrives

Walk them round the property first and point out:

• •Anything fragile or particularly valuable
• •Anything that is not coming with you
• •Items that need dismantling
• •The route in and out, including any tight turn

Then let them work. A good crew loads a van in a specific order for a reason, and hovering slows everyone down. Making tea, on the other hand, is always welcome.

Protect the property

If you are in a rented flat or a leasehold building, damage to communal areas can come out of a deposit or service charge.

• •Lay old sheets or cardboard along carpeted hallways
• •Use door protectors on frames at pinch points
• •Cover banisters if you are carrying anything wide
• •Prop doors open properly rather than wedging them with a box

Before you lock up

• •Check every room, every cupboard and the loft
• •Photograph the empty property for your records
• •Leave the keys as agreed, whether that is with an agent, a neighbour or in a key safe
• •Make sure you have not locked your own keys inside, which happens more often than you would think

The first day in your new home

Take meter readings straight away

And photograph them. This is your evidence if a billing dispute comes up later.

Locate the essentials

Stopcock, fuse box, boiler, thermostat and bin store. Ask the previous occupant or agent if anything is not obvious.

Make up the beds first

By 10pm you will have run out of energy and you will be very glad of it.

Unpack the kitchen and the bathroom next

Everything else can wait a week.

Change the locks

If you have bought the property and cannot be certain how many keys are floating around.

Check the inventory

If you are renting, and report any existing damage in writing within the timeframe your agreement specifies. Photographs, dated, always.

Who to tell you have moved

Work through this list in the fortnight before the move:

• •Royal Mail redirection, set up at least five working days ahead
• •Gas, electricity and water suppliers
• •Broadband provider, and book the new line early because engineer slots get booked up
• •Council tax at both the old and new borough
• •Bank, building society and credit cards
• •Employer and pension provider
• •GP, dentist and optician
• •Car insurance and DVLA, both licence and V5C
• •Home or contents insurance
• •TV licence
• •Electoral roll
• •Schools and nurseries
• •Any subscriptions that get delivered

Common London moving mistakes

Leaving parking to the day

By far the most expensive mistake. A ticket or a van that cannot get near the door costs far more than a bay suspension.

Forgetting the building rules

Lift bookings, permitted hours and insurance requirements catch out first time movers in managed blocks constantly.

Underestimating the volume

People routinely think they have half a van worth and turn out to have a full one. Be honest when you get a quote, and mention the loft.

Booking too small a van to save money

Two trips across Central London traffic costs more in time than the bigger van would have cost in the first place.

Not checking the stairs

Third floor with no lift is a completely different job to third floor with one, and it needs to be quoted as such.

Moving on the last Friday of the month

It is the busiest day in the industry. Book early or choose a different day.

Packing while the van waits

If you are paying by the hour, be ready before the crew arrives.