Flat and 1-bed removal costs
Last updated: August 2026
1-bed flat removal costs run £430–£520 fixed with a small removals crew, or by the hour with a man and van — £35–£90+ an hour (Checkatrade, 2026). Studios come in cheaper, 2-bed flats higher, and which service is cheaper for you depends mostly on stairs, packing and how lean your load is. The numbers, the trade-off and a worked example are below.
The numbers
1-bed flat removal costs at a glance
Man and van pricing is hourly — £35–£90+ an hour (Checkatrade, 2026); a second person adds £15–£25 an hour — so the totals below assume a two-person team working a typical local job. The crew column is a fixed quote: one number, agreed up front.
| Flat size | Man and vanhourly · typical total | Removals crewfixed quote |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | £100–£320 | £250–£450 |
| 1-bed flat | £150–£420 | £430–£520 |
| 2-bed flat | £200–£530 | £600–£880 |
Sources: Konnect You (8,598 verified moves, 2022–26) · HomeOwners Alliance (Nov 2025)
Both columns are local-move figures (under 25 miles). Moving 25–100 miles adds roughly £150–£200 at these sizes; for a longer haul, run your numbers through the removal costs calculatoror see the full removal costs guide.
Flat moves are quoted quickly — small job, fast diary. Five real prices pin down your range.
The real question
Man and van or removals crew: which is cheaper for a flat?
A man and van is usually cheaper for studios, ground-floor flats and lean 1-bed loads — £35–£90+ an hour beats a fixed quote when the job is short. A removals crew wins once stairs, packing or a fixed schedule are involved: a locked £430–£520 price can't overrun.
The cost of moving a flat is mostly labour time. Hourly pricing rewards small, well-prepared loads — everything boxed, ground floor, short drive — and punishes surprises: every extra flight of stairs and every unboxed drawer runs the meter. A fixed quote absorbs those risks and includes basic insurance, which hourly jobs often skip.
The honest play is to hold both: compare man and van quotesfor the hourly side, and flat removals crewsfor the fixed side. For small moves the two are often within a hundred pounds of each other — at which point buy the certainty.
Budget for these
The flat-specific costs people forget
Stairs: most firms charge per flight above the second floor when there's no lift — typically £20–£40 a flight, because stairs are time.Parking: if the van can't stop outside, a parking bay suspension in a London borough runs £30–£70 a day and usually needs about a week's notice — book it when you book the van, not the night before.
The two-hour minimum: almost every hourly operator has one, so a 40-minute job still bills at two hours — £100–£210 of minimum spend. And Saturday tenancy handovers are small-move rush hour: expect 15–20% over the same job midweek, because every check-out inspection in town wants the same morning.
Side by side
A worked example
The move: a 1-bed flat on the 2nd floor, no lift, going 12 miles across town.
Man and van, two people: two hours to load down two flights, half an hour of driving, an hour and a half to unload — four hours at the two-person rate, about £310. If the stairs slow it to five hours, £390.
Removals crew, fixed: quoted after a video survey at around £430–£520 — the stairs priced in up front, goods-in-transit insurance included, and the number can't grow on the day.
Verdict: the man and van comes in cheaper at four hours — and an hour of overrun narrows it. If the load is lean and the clock doesn't worry you, take the hourly price; if your handover is at 2pm, the fixed price is the calmer buy. Moving somewhere bigger instead? Start at 3-bed house removal costs.
Good to know
Flat removal costs FAQs
What's the cheapest way to move a studio flat?
Usually a two-person man and van for two to three hours — £100–£320 all in, at £35–£90+ an hour (Checkatrade, 2026); a second person adds £15–£25. A studio flat removal cost rarely justifies a full crew unless there's packing or serious stairs involved. Compare both anyway; for studios the gap is often under a hundred pounds.
What's a normal man and van hourly rate?
£35–£90+ an hour depending on crew and region (Checkatrade, 2026) — with a minimum booking, often around two hours. A second person adds £15–£25 an hour and is worth it above the ground floor. The rate includes the van, the driver and fuel for local jobs.
Do flat removal quotes include the van and fuel?
Yes. An hourly man and van rate covers the van, driver and local fuel, though longer trips add a mileage charge — ask where that line is. A removals crew's fixed quote is all-in: van, crew, fuel and basic goods-in-transit insurance, which is why it doesn't move on the day.
Should I book the morning or the afternoon?
Morning, if your move is tied to a tenancy check-out or a key handover — you want slack in the day, not a crew arriving as the agent does. Afternoon slots are sometimes cheaper because they're the crew's second job of the day; take one only when nothing depends on your finishing time.
Price your flat move properly
Up to five quotes — hourly and fixed — from companies that do small moves well. Free, no obligation, about two minutes.