The cost of moving house has increased to almost £10,000, with £1,332 of that amount alone being spent on removals, new figures reveal.
The average cost of moving home is £9,479, according to CompareMyMove, which of course excludes the price of the property, but does include estate agency fees, removal costs, and solicitors fees.
The average costs were calculated using the highest and lowest quotes that customers obtained from CompareMyMove’s removal partners listed on its website, along with the price they actually paid.
The data was collected from a total of 4,351 website users between 2019 and 2022.
The cost of moving house has increased to almost £10,000, with £1,332 of that amount being spent on removals, new figures have revealed
CompareMyMove believes that the total cost of moving home will continue to rise. David Sayce, of CompareMyMove, said: ”House removal costs will increasingly become an issue when moving.’
It forecast future increases using the percentage rises already seen during the past four years.
It said the average house mover spent £848.02 on removals in 2019, which is an increase of 66.83 per cent to last year’s £1,332.03.
Extrapolating that into the future, however, has created some eye-watering forecats that many may question. For example, it said the cost of removals could rise from £1,583.31 on average in the East of England last year to £5,651.85.
However, a great deal of the rapid rise in the price of moving up to 2022, came from the spike in purchases during Covid, aided by the stamp duty holiday.
A wall of demand met limited supply and sent prices soaring. Property transactions have since fallen substantially and movers report costs coming down and removal firms being happy to negotiate.
| The cost of buying a house | Average price |
|---|---|
| Stamp Duty | £1,350 |
| Property Surveyors | £500 |
| Conveyancing | £1,320 |
| Valuation Fee | £320 |
| Total: | £3,490 |
| The Cost of Selling a House | Average Price |
| Estate Agents | £3,268 |
| Conveyancing | £1,270 |
| EPC | £85 |
| Total: | £4,623 |
| General Moving House Costs | Average Price |
| Removal Company | £1,332.03 |
| Postal Redirection | £33.99 |
| Total: | £1,366.02 |
| Total Average Price: | £9,479.00 |
Since 2019, many costs associated with removal firms have increased, including higher fuel costs and wages. However, fuel prices have come down since the peak of the pandemic.
The latest inflation figures show CPI at 8.7 per cent, down from 10.1 per cent, although still four times the Bank of England target of 2 per cent.
The pandemic saw a wave of people move out of urban areas to the countryside following successive lockdowns amid the so-called housing market’s ‘race for space’.
It resulted in an unprecedented demand for removal firms, with some profiteering as firms were able to charge higher than normal prices.
The number of housing transactions has since dropped, although picked up at the start of the year again. Government figures estimated that the number of residential transactions in March 2023 is 94,870, 14 per cent lower than March 2022 and 26 per cent higher than February 2023.
| Region | 2019 Cost | 2022 Cost | Percentage Increase | Projected Cost in 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | £692.68 | £1,583.31 | 128.6% | £5,651.85 |
| East Midlands | £792.68 | £1,562.36 | 97.1% | £4,622.19 |
| South West | £861.60 | £1,543.81 | 79.2% | £3,544.98 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £741.23 | £1,234.88 | 66.6% | £2,883.72 |
| North East | £793.56 | £1,297.13 | 63.5% | £2,867.69 |
| London | £895.06 | £1,282.50 | 43.2% | £3,752.62 |
| Scotland | £785.46 | £1,122.89 | 43% | £3,393.48 |
| South East | £1,095.09 | £1,525.31 | 39.3% | £2,537.60 |
| Wales | £930.61 | £1,213.28 | 30.4% | £2,616.58 |
| West Midlands | £974.86 | £1,234.42 | 26.6% | £2,274.10 |
| North West | £809.85 | £917.83 | 13.3% | £1,182.27 |
| Source: CompareMyMove |
The number of housing transactions has dropped since their peak during the pandemic
The type and size of a property, of course, affects the cost of moving. The CompareMyMove research found that the cost of a one-bedroom house move increased the most from £323.52 in 2019 to £608.80 in 2022. It is an 88.2 per cent increase from 2019.
The figures show that two-bedroom moves saw the least change in price, increasing by 34.6 per cent from £755.47 to £1,017.06.
It is perhaps unsurprising that five-bedroom moves were the most expensive in 2022, up 55.9 per cent from £1,858.41 in 2019 to £2,897.25 in 2022.
| Move Size | 2019 Costs | 2022 Costs | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bed | £323.52 | £608.80 | 88.20% |
| 2-bed | £755.47 | £1,017.06 | 34.60% |
| 3-bed | £1,067.08 | £1,466.20 | 37.40% |
| 4-bed | £1,258 | £2,079.88 | 65.30% |
| 5-bed | £1,858.41 | £2,897.25 | 55.90% |
| Source: CompareMyMove | |||
How to cut the cost of moving
However, there are ways of negotiating the cost of removals, including choosing a quieter time of the week to move home, when demand for removals firms is lower.
Charles Rickards, of removals firm Aussie Man & Van, said: ‘The cost of hiring a removals firm has inevitably risen along with everything else, thanks to soaring inflation and higher wage costs.
‘However, it is worth paying for a professional service provided by trained staff who do a good job. Be careful of opting for a disreputable firm who might let you down at the last minute because they appear ‘cheaper’, as the consequential cost of a bad move can be disastrous. Avoid comparison websites; use a ‘real’ firm and deal with them direct, rather than an intermediary.
‘There may be ways in which those moving house can reduce the price, perhaps by moving at a quieter time of the week, say a Monday or Tuesday, rather than on a Friday. Look for a BAR member, ask friends for recommendations and read the Trustpilot and Google reviews.
‘Those tempted to do the move themselves in order to ‘save’ on costs ought to think carefully about what’s involved. Moving is backbreaking work and it’s always worth calling in the professionals. You could cut costs by doing your own packing but again, there is a risk associated with this. Our movers are trained to pack carefully and efficiently.’
