City of London to Canary Wharf prices
Everything below includes VAT, the crew, the van, the wrapping, the fuel and the Congestion Charge. Where you land in each band is set by the floor and the parking at both ends.
| What you are moving | Price |
|---|---|
| Single item or a few boxesOne or two crew, one run | £100 to £240 |
| Studio flatOne van, one run | £370 to £670 |
| One bedroom flatTwo crew, four to five hours | £350 to £650 |
| Two bedroom flatA Luton, or a transit and two runs | £740 to £1,510 |
| Small office, up to ten desksUsually an evening or a Saturday | £650 to £1,600 |
Why people make this move
- People working in the Wharf who took a City flat first and want the walk to the office instead of the Elizabeth line
- Wood Wharf and the newer residential towers added a large supply of flats with lifts, gyms and concierges that the City largely lacks
- Small firms leaving a converted floor in EC2 or EC3 for serviced space in the Wharf, which is most of the office work we do on this route
Loading and unloading
Loading in City of London
The City is a mix of residential conversions above commercial floors, Barbican estate flats, and small offices. All of them have rules. The Barbican wants the goods lift booked with the estate office and has a long podium carry from the nearest vehicle access. The converted upper floors around Bishopsgate and Fenchurch Street have service lifts controlled by building management with out of hours restrictions. Almost every street in EC is red route, controlled parking or too narrow to stand in, and the City of London Corporation runs its own suspension process rather than a borough one.
More on City of London access →Unloading in Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is an estate rather than a neighbourhood, and the Canary Wharf Group manages access to most of it. Moves go through an underground dock or a designated loading bay, in a slot you book in advance, and the crew signs in at a security desk. Several docks have a height restriction that rules out a Luton. The estate wants insurance certificates lodged before the day and, in some buildings, crew names in advance. Wood Wharf and the newer residential towers run the same system. The older streets around Westferry and towards Poplar are ordinary Tower Hamlets parking and much simpler, so it matters which side of the estate boundary your address is on.
The journey
Commercial Road and the A13 is the direct line, or through Limehouse and the Link tunnel depending on which entrance to the estate you need. Both are twenty minutes outside the peak and both are considerably worse in the evening, particularly westbound coming back.
The drive is the easy part and we plan it around the dock slot rather than around traffic. If your slot is at seven in the evening, we build the day backwards from there.
Two estates, two booking systems, one date
The single hardest thing about this move is that your origin building and your destination building both control when you can move, and neither cares about the other. A Barbican goods lift booking and a Canary Wharf dock slot have to be obtained separately and then made to line up.
Start both conversations the day you have a date. We will send our public liability and goods in transit certificates to both managing agents directly, which is the requirement most likely to be discovered too late.
Office moves on this route
A large share of what we move from EC to E14 is small offices rather than flats, and those run out of hours by rule rather than by choice. Most City and Wharf buildings restrict goods movements to after six or to a weekend, through a service lift, with a booked dock.
We deliver crates a few days ahead so your team packs their own desks, dismantle and rebuild the desks overnight, and your people walk into a working office. It costs fifteen to twenty five per cent more than a daytime move would, and on this corridor there is almost never a daytime option to compare it against.
What makes this move go well
- Book the dock slot and the goods lift at both ends before you confirm anything else about the date
- Ask both buildings for their insurance requirements early, and let us send the certificates directly
- Check the height limit on the destination dock, since several will not take a Luton
- For an office move, order crates a week ahead and have your team pack their own desks
City of London to Canary Wharf: common questions
How much is a man and van from the City to Canary Wharf?
A one bedroom flat is £470 to £920 and a two bedroom £740 to £1,510, including VAT. A small office of up to ten desks is £650 to £1,600 and usually runs in the evening or at a weekend because both estates restrict daytime moves.
Do I need to book a loading dock at Canary Wharf?
Almost certainly. Most of the estate is managed by Canary Wharf Group and moves go through a booked dock or loading bay with a security sign-in. Book it as soon as you have a date. Addresses out towards Westferry and Poplar may sit outside the estate and need nothing more than ordinary Tower Hamlets parking.
Will a Luton fit in the dock?
Not in all of them. Several underground docks have a height restriction that rules out a box van. We check when you give us the address, bring a transit and do a second run where needed, and that second run is inside the quoted price rather than added later.
Can you move a small office on this route?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do here. Expect an evening or a Saturday, because both the City and the Wharf restrict goods movements during core hours. We provide crates in advance, dismantle and rebuild the desks, and deal with both buildings directly.
How far ahead do I need to book?
Further than most moves, because you are waiting on two estates rather than on us. A week is comfortable, two is better for an office. We can often move a flat at a few days notice if both buildings can produce a slot, which is the part nobody can promise.
