Research reveals cost of moving home in the UK up 24%

-Insurer reveals price postcode lottery for home movers across the UK, with cost varying by over 30%-

• Brits need to budget an extra £1,962 to cover the cost of moving house – a quarter more than in 2019 (£1,584)
• Brighton revealed as the most expensive place to move home outside of London (£2,430), while Swansea is the cheapest (£1,616)
• 44% of movers admit to budgeting less than £1,000 for moving home – a potential shortfall of almost £1,000 based on the insurer’s research
• Most common home moving claims reported to Admiral include damage to TVs, sofas and fridges

A new UK-wide investigation by Admiral Home Insurance has revealed the cost of moving home has increased by 24% over the last 4 years, with an additional £,1,962 needed to avoid being hit by unexpected costs.

While movers may budget for deposits, stamp duty and legal fees, it’s often the additional costs that cover the logistics of moving that can tip buyers and renters alike over budget.

Admiral’s investigation gathered quotes for different moving services in locations across the UK, and found Brits need to budget an extra £1,962 when moving house to cover essentials like removal services and postal redirection. This compares to £1,584 in 2019, when the insurer last carried out theresearch ¹.

SERVICE	AVERAGE UK COST IN 20191	AVERAGE UK COST IN 20231	% INCREASE
Home removal service2	£353	£486	UP 38%
Temporary storage space3	£177	£390	UP 46%
Professional home cleaning4	£147	£151	UP 3%
Painting and decorating5	£873	£901	UP 3%
Post redirection	£34	£34	No change
TOTAL COST	£1,584	£1,962	UP 24%

Aside from deposits and legal paperwork, people moving in Swansea face the lowest costs, followed by those in Belfast and Edinburgh.

Common claims

Over the last 10 years, Admiral has seen 277 incidents reported relating to moving home, with the average cost of a claim coming in at £1,349. Items most commonly claimed for include damaged sofas, TVs and fridges, and the insurer has also seen claims for items getting lost in transit, or stolen while stored in garages or vans.

Cost of moving home

It’s little surprise that movers in London face the highest costs with North London the most expensive place to move house according to Admiral’s data. Both South London and West London also feature in the top five, and Brighton is the most expensive city for house movers outside of London.

10 MOST EXPENSIVE LOCATIONS
RANK	AREA	COST1
1	North London	£2,416
2	South London	£2,229
3	Brighton	£2.430
4	West London	£2,198
5	Norwich	£2,124
6	Exeter	£2,186
7	Birmingham	£2,066
8	East London	£1,968
9	Glasgow	£1,893
10	Plymouth	£1,973

Admiral also spoke to UK movers to find out more about how well they plan for moving home and found 44% of movers admit to budgeting less than £1,000 for the process – a potential shortfall of almost £1,000 based of the insurer’s research of the average cost of moving.

Home Removals

Admiral found the average cost of using a home removal company in the UK totals £486 and people can expect to pay more if they want help safely packing everything up.

Exeter was the most expensive city for home removal services with an average price tag of £721, while people in Newcastle pay the least – with an average cost of £278 for help moving. 

Over half (58%) of movers said they had called upon a professional remover or ‘man with a van’ to help last time they moved home, while a quarter (26%) opted to hire a van and tackled the move themselves, or with the help of family and friends.

As experts in packing and moving items, there are clearly benefits to using a professional home removal company over doing it yourself, and it can save you a lot of stress and time but will usually cost you more.

Professional home removal service2
Cheapest	Most expensive
Newcastle – £278	Exeter – £721
East London – £362	Leeds – £632
Bristol – £369	Nottingham – £628

For those opting to hire and drive a van themselves, movers in Plymouth get the best deal-with vans available to hire from as little as £71 a day, while those in Edinburgh face paying over three times as much with an average price tag of £237. The average cost for this in the UK is considerably cheaper than using a home removal service at £102 per day.

Van hire6
Cheapest	Most expensive
Plymouth – £71	Edinburgh – £237
Cambridge – £73	North London – £158
Newcastle – £74	Exeter – £136

Temporary storage fees

For movers who need to leave their belongings in a storage unit when moving between properties, Admiral’s research found the average length of time needed is 15 weeks, whilst most people store their belongings for less than ten weeks.

South London is the most expensive place for temporary storage, movers here pay £560 which is more than twice the £246 movers in the cheapest city, Belfast, pay for three months storage.

Decorators

Nearly half (45%) of movers said they would use the services of a professional decorator to give their new property a lick of paint. Younger movers under 44 years of age were twice as likely to engage the services of a professional decorator than those over 55 years of age.

Full-house cleaning

Nearly half of movers (48%) said they’d use a professional cleaner – spending on average £151. Men were more likely to book a cleaner with 48% choosing to do so versus just 39% of women.

Movers in the most expensive city, Brighton, pay four times as much for a full day’s cleaning, shelling out £312 compared to the cheapest area, East London, where people pay just £75.

The True Cost of Moving Home – Admiral

Noel Summerfield, Head of Household Insurance at Admiral said: “Whether moving into a property you’ve bought or are renting, the cost of moving to a new home can quickly add up. It’s often the unexpected things that can send budgets spiraling, and our data suggests 44% of people are budgeting less than half the amount of cash they might actually need.

“Moving is often billed as one of life’s most stressful experiences, with 87% of Brits agreeing they found the process stressful last time they moved. But a little bit of planning can go a long way, work out what services you will need in advance and compare prices to find the best option for your budget.

“It’s easy for home insurance to slip off the list of priorities, but this could leave your belongings at risk when moving, so make sure you let your insurer know before the day of the move, so your belongings are fully covered. We’ve found that people make most claims for TVs, sofas and fridges damaged during a house move. Admiral’s Gold and Platinum tier policies include accidental loss or damage cover to contents if they are being moved by a professional removal company to a new home, but different policies could have different conditions.

“Some professional removal companies will also have their own insurance to cover your possessions whilst they’re being moved. It’s worth checking with any removal companies exactly what loss and damage they will cover in case anything happens during the move.

“If you’re buying your new home, you should also make sure you have buildings cover in place when you exchange contracts. Your insurer may be able to transfer your existing policy to a new home, but it’s always best to check.”