Some moves cannot be booked three weeks out because nobody knew they were happening. A chain collapses the day before completion. A landlord brings a tenancy end forward. A pipe goes through a ceiling and a flat has to be emptied before the loss adjuster arrives. We keep capacity back every day for exactly those jobs.
What counts as an emergency move
In practice it is anything with a deadline you did not set. A failed completion where the removals firm has already stood down. A tenancy ending at noon with the flat still full. A relationship breakdown where someone needs to be out today. An office losing its lease at short notice. A flood, a fire or a burst pipe where the contents have to come out before the drying equipment goes in.
None of those are unusual and none of them are your fault. What they have in common is that the normal planning window has gone, so the job has to be organised around whatever access actually exists rather than the access we would have arranged with a fortnight's notice.
What we can and cannot compress
Crew, van and the move itself we can turn around quickly. If you call in the morning there is a reasonable chance of an afternoon slot, and next-day is usually straightforward outside the end of month rush.
What cannot be compressed is anything sitting with a third party. A council bay suspension takes several working days and no borough will expedite one, so an emergency job loads from wherever is legal and accepts a longer carry. A managed building that requires goods lift booking and contractor insurance on file may simply refuse same-day access, and we will tell you that honestly rather than send a van to be turned away at the desk.
No panic pricing
Urgency is where this trade behaves worst. Plenty of firms quote a normal figure, arrive, and then discover reasons the price has gone up once your furniture is already on the pavement and you have no alternative.
We price an emergency job the same way we price a planned one: on volume, floors, access and crew, agreed before we start. Short notice can cost more where it means an out of hours crew or a weekend slot, and if it does we say so in the quote. What we do not do is charge extra simply because you are stuck.
Flood, fire and insurance work
Water damage jobs have a rhythm of their own. Contents usually need to come out fast so that drying can start, and they often go to storage rather than to a new address, sometimes split between what is salvageable and what is not.
We will work alongside your loss adjuster or restoration contractor and can provide a written inventory of what was moved and where it went, which is the part people forget and then need three weeks later when the claim is being assessed. Anything visibly contaminated is a specialist job and we will say so rather than load it.
Evictions, deadlines and getting out clean
Where there is a fixed legal deadline, the order of work matters more than the speed. We clear the things that must be kept first, so that if time runs short what is left behind is the least important rather than whatever happened to be nearest the door.
If part of the contents is being kept and part cleared, mark the keep items before we arrive. Sorting it at the door under time pressure is how the wrong box ends up in the wrong van, and on a deadline job there is rarely a second chance to correct it.
Who this is for
Anyone facing a move with a deadline they did not choose: a collapsed chain, a tenancy ending, a flood or fire, an eviction date, or an office that has to be out this week.
What is included
- Same day slots subject to availability, and next day in most weeks
- A crew sized to get it done in the window rather than the cheapest option
- Wrapping and protection, even at speed
- Direct delivery to a new address, or to a storage facility
- A written inventory of what was moved, on request, for insurance claims
- The same fixed price approach as a planned move, agreed before we start
What is not included
Stated plainly so nobody books the wrong thing.
- Council bay suspensions, which take several working days and cannot be expedited by anyone
- Access to managed buildings that require advance contractor approval, if they refuse same-day
- Contaminated contents after flood or fire damage, which need a specialist contractor
- Pianos, safes and fine art at no notice, since those are planned rather than squeezed in
Access and what to plan for
On an emergency job we work with the access that exists rather than access we would have arranged. That usually means loading from wherever is legal and accepting a longer carry, because a suspension is not available at short notice. Tell us immediately if the building requires booked lift access or contractor insurance on file, because that is the one thing that can stop a same-day job dead, and it is better to know at the point of the call.
Van and crew
We send the largest vehicle the street will take, because on a deadline job a second run is time you may not have. Where the address rules out a box van we will usually send two smaller vans and two crews rather than one van doing two trips. That costs more and we will tell you the figure before we commit to it.
What we bring
- Moving blankets and covers
- Ratchet straps
- Sack truck and trolley
- Heavy duty bags and crates for fast clearance
- Floor protection
- Tool kit for dismantling
What it costs
£420 to £850
For one bedroom flat move in Central London, including VAT, the crew, the van, the wrapping, the fuel and the Congestion Charge. Most land near £580.
Worked examples and what moves the figure →Where in that band you land is set by these.
- How much notice there is
- Whether it needs an out of hours or weekend crew
- Volume, and how much has to move in the window
- Floors and access at both ends
- Whether it goes to an address or to storage
- Number of crews needed to hit the deadline
How much notice we need
None required, which is the point. Get in touch and we will tell you honestly what is available today, tomorrow and this week. The earlier in the day you reach us the better the chance of a same-day slot. If we genuinely cannot do it in your window we will say so straight away rather than take the booking and hope, because on a deadline job a firm that lets you down is worse than one that never accepted.
How to book
- Send the form or email us, and say clearly that it is urgent in the first line
- Tell us the deadline, the address and roughly what has to move
- We tell you immediately what slots are genuinely available
- You get a fixed price before we set off, not after we arrive
- We load, move and deliver to the address or to storage
What tends to go wrong
Three things we see repeatedly on this kind of job, all of them avoidable with a bit of notice.
Assuming a bay suspension can be rushed
It cannot, by anyone, in any borough. Emergency jobs load from wherever is legal. A firm promising you a suspension for tomorrow is either mistaken or not telling the truth.
Not checking whether the building will allow access
Managed blocks that require contractor insurance on file and a booked goods lift can refuse a same-day move outright. That is worth establishing in the first phone call, not at the security desk.
Accepting a quote given without questions
A firm that agrees a price for an urgent job without asking about floors or access has left itself room to revise it once your furniture is on the pavement. Being asked questions under time pressure is a good sign.
We hold goods in transit and public liability insurance, and we are a registered waste carrier for the clearance work. Certificates go to your building management directly where they ask for them. Full detail is on the about page.
Emergency Van and Man Hire: common questions
Can you really move me today?
Often, and it depends how early in the day you reach us and which day of the week it is. First thing in the morning gives the best chance of an afternoon slot. We will tell you honestly what is available rather than take the booking and hope, because on a job with a deadline a firm that lets you down is worse than one that says no.
Do you charge more for an emergency?
Not for urgency itself. We price on volume, floors, access and crew, exactly as we would for a planned move. Where short notice genuinely means an out of hours crew or a weekend slot, that costs more and it is stated in the quote before we start rather than added afterwards.
My chain collapsed and my removals firm has stood down. What now?
Send us the new date as soon as you have it. Failed and rescheduled completions are one of the most common reasons people come to us, and because our price is fixed rather than hourly, a day that runs late waiting on keys does not turn into a bigger bill.
There has been a flood and I need the flat emptied before the drying starts.
We do this regularly and will work alongside your loss adjuster or restoration contractor. Contents can go to storage rather than an address, and we can provide a written inventory of what was moved and where, which is the part people need weeks later when the claim is assessed. Visibly contaminated items need a specialist and we will tell you rather than load them.
Can you get a parking suspension at short notice?
No, and neither can anyone else. Every Central London borough needs several working days and none will expedite. An emergency job loads from wherever is legal and accepts a longer carry, which we factor into the price and the crew size.
I need to be out by noon tomorrow and some of it is being thrown away.
Tell us which is which before we arrive, ideally by marking the items you are keeping. We can move and clear on the same visit, but sorting it at the door under time pressure is how the wrong things end up in the wrong van, and on a deadline there is rarely a chance to correct it.
Related services
- Man and Van Hire in Central LondonOne driver or a two-person crew for jobs between a courier and a removals firm.
- Rubbish and Waste Clearance in Central LondonEnd of tenancy, flat clearances and furniture disposal, carried out and disposed of legally.
- Packing and Storage Runs in Central LondonFull or part packing, plus moves into and out of self storage in both directions.
- See all 10 services →
Emergency hire across Central London
We cover all 37 Central London areas. Each area page has the parking and access detail specific to it.
Get a fixed price for emergency hire in Central London