Man and van
Man and van, for the jobs that aren't a whole house
Not every move needs a crew of four and a Luton. A room, a studio, a sofa that has to go up three flights — that is a driver, a van, and someone who will actually carry it.
Man and van is the most abused phrase in the moving trade. A good proportion of the people advertising it will drive a van to your address and then stand next to it while you load. We do not work that way. If you book a man and van with us, the man carries — that is the whole reason you are paying for a person as well as a vehicle.
It is deliberately a lighter service than a full removal: a shorter booking, a van sized to the load, and one or two people depending on what you have told us about the stairs. No survey, no packing team, no materials unless you ask.
The sort of thing we get called for
- A studio or one-bed going to another flat across town
- One room out of a shared house
- A sofa collected from a showroom and carried up to a second floor
- A marketplace pickup that turned out much heavier than the listing suggested
- A few pieces going into or coming out of storage
- An auction lot that has to be cleared by the end of the week
- Clearing a rental back to empty for the check-out
- Taking three pieces to a relative and bringing two back
One person or two — get this right
It is the question that matters most and the one people most often answer wrong, usually to save money and usually costing themselves time.
A single driver is fine for a ground-floor collection, a building with a lift, or a load that is mostly boxes. The moment there are three flights of stairs and a two-seater sofa, one person is not a service — it is an injury waiting to happen and a booking that overruns.
So when you get in touch, tell us three things: the floor, whether there is a lift, and the heaviest single item. We would far rather send two people and finish early than send one and watch the clock.
Collections and deliveries
A decent share of this work is not a move at all. It is a sofa from a showroom, a table bought secondhand two counties away, a wardrobe from a house clearance, an auction lot with a collection deadline. For those we need the collection address, the name of whoever is releasing the item, and any order or reference number they will ask for at the door.
What we will not do is take rubbish away. Removing waste requires a waste carrier licence, and operating without one is an offence rather than a technicality. If what you actually need is a clearance rather than a move, we will say so and point you somewhere licensed.
When you need more than this
If the load is a whole flat or a whole house, or it needs packing materials and a survey behind it, you want house removals or flat removals instead. If you are a student moving out of halls, student removals is the same idea with term dates and summer storage built in.
Describe what you have got and we will tell you honestly which one you are. We do not make money by selling you the wrong size of job.
Good to know
Small moves, straight answers
Does the driver help carry, or just drive?
They carry. That is the entire reason you are paying for a person as well as a vehicle. Half the outfits advertising man and van will drive to your address and watch you load it — we do not work that way.
One person or two?
One is fine for a ground-floor collection, a lift building, or a load of boxes. The moment there are three flights of stairs and a two-seater sofa, one person stops being a service. Tell us the floor, whether there is a lift, and the heaviest single item, and we will send the right number.
Can you collect from a shop, warehouse or auction?
Yes — showroom sofas, marketplace pickups, auction lots, furniture from a house clearance. We need the collection address, whoever is releasing the item, and any order or reference number they will ask for at the door.
Will you take a piano or a safe?
Not as a standard man-and-van booking. Both need specialist equipment and the right cover. Tell us in advance and we will either bring the correct kit or be straight with you that it is a specialist job for someone else.
Do you take rubbish away?
No. Removing waste requires a waste carrier licence and that is a different business from removals. We will happily point you at a licensed clearance firm or your council collection service, but we will not quietly put it on the van.
Is there a minimum booking?
There is a minimum length of booking rather than a minimum load — the van and the driver have to reach you either way. What that looks like depends on where you are and when, and it goes in your written quote.
Describe the load and we'll tell you what it needs.
Floor, lift or no lift, and the heaviest thing in it. That is usually enough for us to come back with a figure.