Student moving in Central London happens in two short, intense bursts. Late June when halls empty and late September when they fill, concentrated around Bloomsbury, South Kensington, Aldgate and Elephant and Castle. In those weeks the slots go quickly and the halls, not you, control the timings.
Booking around halls changeover week
Almost every hall in Central London restricts moving to set hours across a few days at changeover, and most require a loading slot booked with the accommodation office in advance. Some allocate a bay, some allocate a lift, some simply want to know you are coming.
Give us the hall name and the date and we will confirm what they need. What we cannot do is override their rules, so the accommodation office sets the window and we work inside it. That is worth knowing before you promise your parents an early start.
The bottleneck is the lift, not the van
One goods lift serving a building emptying two hundred rooms means queueing, and no amount of planning changes that. It is precisely why we price these fixed rather than hourly: waiting for a lift in changeover week should not cost you more.
It also means the order matters. We load what is ready while you finish the rest, rather than everyone standing about waiting for one person to fill the last box.
Shared houses and the multi-stop move
Second and third years move into shared houses, and those moves often have three or four collection points before a single drop. That is fine and it is cheaper as one booking than as four separate ones, but it needs everyone ready at their own address rather than arriving when the van does.
Tell us the order and the addresses up front. A route planned in advance across, say, Bloomsbury, Camden and Islington takes a fraction of the time of one improvised on the day.
Books, and the weight everyone underestimates
A term's worth of books fills more boxes and weighs far more than anyone expects. A large box packed full of them is heavier than one person should be lifting repeatedly, and it is how boxes fail at the bottom.
Pack books into small boxes and everything else into large ones. It sounds trivial and it is the single biggest thing you can do to make the day faster.
Summer storage, and going home in between
A lot of student moves are really two half moves: out to storage in June, back out of storage in September. If you know roughly when you need the return leg, book both at once so the price covers the whole thing.
We do not run our own storage, so you either use a facility you have arranged or ask us and we will suggest ones near your university. Most have their own access hours and trolley rules, which we confirm before the day.
Who this is for
Undergraduates and postgraduates moving in and out of halls, shared houses and studio flats around UCL, Imperial, LSE, King's, SOAS, City and the London art schools.
What is included
- Loading slot booked with the halls or accommodation office
- Collection from the room rather than from the ground floor
- Boxes, bikes, and furniture in one load where it fits
- Multi-stop collections for shared house moves
- Storage runs between terms, in both directions
- A fixed price rather than an hourly rate that runs while you queue for the lift
What is not included
Stated plainly so nobody books the wrong thing.
- Storage on our own premises, though we will move you to and from a facility
- Clearing a room of rubbish, unless waste clearance is booked alongside
- Overriding a hall's access rules, since the accommodation office sets the window
- Packing, unless booked separately
Access and what to plan for
Halls almost always require a booked slot and restrict moving to set hours across changeover week. Give us the hall name and we will confirm their rules directly. For shared houses the constraints are ordinary: the floor, the staircase and where the van can legally stop. Multi-stop moves need every address confirmed in advance so the route is planned rather than improvised.
Van and crew
A single room usually fits a transit comfortably, including a bike. A shared house with three or four people is a Luton. For multi-stop collections we size the van to the total rather than to the first stop, because discovering it is full at address three is nobody's idea of a good afternoon.
What we bring
- Moving blankets
- Ratchet straps
- Sack truck
- Mattress covers
- Bike straps and protection
What it costs
£340 to £620
For studio flat move in Central London, including VAT, the crew, the van, the wrapping, the fuel and the Congestion Charge. Most land near £450.
Worked examples and what moves the figure →Where in that band you land is set by these.
- How much there is, and how many boxes
- The floor, and whether the hall lift is shared
- Number of collection points
- Distance, including moves out of London
- Whether it goes to an address or to storage
- Whether it falls inside changeover week
How much notice we need
Two to three weeks for late June or late September, and earlier is better. Those are the busiest weeks of our year in Bloomsbury and South Kensington and the good slots go first. Outside changeover, a single room can usually be booked within the same week.
How to book
- Tell us the hall or address, the date and roughly what you have
- We confirm the accommodation office rules and book the slot
- For a shared house, send every collection address in order
- You get one fixed price covering the whole job
- We collect from the room and deliver to the address or 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.
Booking changeover week late
Late June and late September fill first across the whole city. A booking made a week out in changeover week is possible but rarely at the time you wanted.
Packing books into big boxes
They become unliftable and the box fails. Small boxes for books, big boxes for bedding and clothes. It makes more difference to the day than anything else on this page.
Not telling the accommodation office
Turning up to a hall in changeover week without a booked slot means queueing behind everyone who did book one, and some halls will simply refuse access.
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.
Student Moves: common questions
When should I book for the end of term?
As early as you can, and at least two to three weeks out for late June or late September. Those are the busiest weeks of our year in Bloomsbury and South Kensington. A last minute booking in changeover week is sometimes possible but rarely at the time you wanted.
Can you take my things to storage over the summer?
Yes, in both directions. We move you out at the end of term and bring everything back in September. We do not store on our own premises, so use a facility you have arranged or ask and we will suggest one near your university.
It is just boxes and a bike. Is that worth a van?
If it is more than a car load, usually yes, and it costs less than most people assume. Send a rough box count and tell us about the bike and any furniture. If a van really is overkill we will say so.
We are four people moving into one house. Can you do it in one booking?
Yes, and it is much cheaper than four separate jobs. Send every collection address in the order you want them and make sure everyone is packed and ready at their own place, because a multi-stop route only works if nobody holds it up.
Do you move students out of London at the end of the year?
Regularly. Moves home to the rest of the UK are priced as one fixed figure for the whole job rather than by the mile, and the Congestion Charge applies only to the leg inside the zone.
My hall says I have a one hour slot. Is that enough?
For a single room, yes, if you are packed before we arrive. The lift queue is what eats a changeover slot, not the carrying. Have everything by the door and the hour is comfortable.
Related services
- Man and Van Hire in Central LondonOne driver or a two-person crew for jobs between a courier and a removals firm.
- Packing and Storage Runs in Central LondonFull or part packing, plus moves into and out of self storage in both directions.
- Rubbish and Waste Clearance in Central LondonEnd of tenancy, flat clearances and furniture disposal, carried out and disposed of legally.
- See all 10 services →
Student moves 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 student moves in Central London