Whether you’re moving down the road, to the next town, or from Inverness to Penzance, the cost of moving house in the UK is likely something that has crossed your mind. The price of a house move can weigh heavily on your mind, so let’s blow away doubts by delving into the typical cost of moving house in the UK along with additional costs and potential fines that you might want to avoid.

The Average Cost of Moving Home in the UK

Let’s cut to the chase. The average cost of moving house in the UK can range between £1,100 – £1,500 for a 3-bedroom house. Of course, several factors will influence the cost, and it can be even higher if you add in the additional costs for buying and selling a house, which we’ll cover in more detail a little further down.

For now, here are some further estimates of the cost of moving in the UK along with the distance:

• London to Manchester:                £1,200 – £1,350                211 miles
• London to Glasgow                        £1,350 – £1,500                415 miles
• Manchester to Birmingham:        £1,100 – £1,250                86 miles
• Glasgow to Leeds:                          £1,200 – £1,350                225 miles

Just remember that these prices are not final and can change depending on your situation!

Cost Factors

Of course, no price is set in stone as several variables will affect the final cost of moving house in the UK. Fortunately for you, we detail them just below:

Distance

Naturally, distance is a big factor and, the further you move, the more you’ll likely pay. However, you should be aware that removal companies may charge per mile or per hour.

So, if you’re moving a short distance with the possibility of traffic, per mile will benefit you as you won’t be paying for time spent in congested traffic. On the other hand, per hour will benefit you if you’re moving a long distance with the option of a motorway, as it might save you money since they’ll be covering the distance in less time.

Volume

Be prepared to pay a higher price the more belongings you wish to move. This is due to space on a lorry being a fixed capacity. With too many belongings, you might require additional capacity, while too little and you’ll be paying for empty space. If you’re a little more flexible and have a smaller volume, you might be able to share a trailer with someone else moving your same route and reduce your moving costs.

Removal Company (and How to Find One)

If you’ve decided to undertake the task of moving house without assistance, I commend you. I’ve done this in the past but certainly wouldn’t be so brave these days. While a removal company will certainly add to the cost of moving house, it will give you peace of mind and remove the struggle of having to actually transport your household goods from A to B.

However, finding a removal company can be costly in terms of time. You’ll need to call a plethora of firms to find one that can help you, and even more if you want to compare removal quotes to find the best price! Thus, if you wish to skip the tedium and use a medium then you should consider moving house with Sirelo. They will help you find up to 5 removal companies that you can compare to bring down the cost of moving house in the UK, pretty nifty.

Peak-Hours

One final thing to consider when it comes to the cost of moving within the UK is when you’ll be moving. There are two periods of time you’ll want to avoid, the end of the week and the summer holidays.

The weekend is often a popular time to move as people are usually free and as a result, there’s more demand. For the summer holidays, the reasoning is due to children having finished the academic year and a move is less disruptive to their education. Hence, you should avoid these times if you can!

Additional Costs When Moving House in the UK

There are some additional costs and fines that you can run into when moving house. Part of these additional costs come from buying/selling a house, so they may not be fully relevant to your situation. Nonetheless, you should still read about them just in case.

Buying

Surveyance fees

While a property survey isn’t required by law, it’s wise to have a property surveyed prior to purchase for any potential pitfalls that will drain your bank account after you move, such as faulty plumbing or wiring. Surveyance fees can run from £250 to £1,500 depending on the survey requested.

Stamp duty

If you decide to purchase a property, you better be prepared for Stamp Duty. Well, there’s not too much to prepare, you just need to be aware that it exists. Normally, your solicitor will cover this so it’s not much of a headache, but it should be factored in when buying a new home.

Solicitor fees

Speaking of solicitors, the person covering all bureaucratic paperwork will require payment too, when buying or selling. On average, you can expect to pay £1,100 for their services.

Selling

Estate Agent Fees

Unless you happen to stumble upon someone who wishes to purchase your home, you’ll likely be engaging the services of an estate agent to find a buyer for it. Usually, they work on commission, so you can expect a rate of 1%-2.5% of the sale price of your property as their fee.

Energy performance certificate

Before you can sell your property, you’ll need to have the energy performance rated and then make the rating available to prospective buyers. If your house already has a rating, then ensure it’s still valid as it’s only valid for 10 years.

Potential Fines

HMRC and council tax

As your address will be changing, you’ll need to inform HMRC for tax purposes. Additionally, you’ll need to update your new and old council about your change of address. In certain cases, you may face fines of over £100 for failure to notify them.

DVLA

Should you own a car, you’ll need to contact the DVLA to update your driving licence and vehicle log book (V5C) about a change of address. Failure to do so can result in a £1,000 fine. Be sure to make this a priority when you settle in.

Mail redirection

One final additional cost to moving house in the UK that you might actually want to splurge on is the mail redirection service offered by the Royal Mail. That is to ensure that you don’t miss any mail from family, friends, or forgotten crushes.

Well, that covers the majority of the costs of moving house in the UK that you can expect! We hope the numbers haven’t scared you off the prospect of moving to your new home. Honestly, every penny will be worth it to enjoy your new house, especially if it gives you some peace of mind during the moving process.