When you’re planning a move, the first instinct is often to ask friends and family for help. It seems like the obvious way to save money—free labour from people you trust. But the reality of relying on friends for moving help is more complicated than it appears, and the “free” option often comes with hidden costs that aren’t immediately obvious.
This guide honestly examines both options so you can make a decision you won’t regret.
The Appeal of Asking Friends
There are genuine reasons why people turn to friends and family for moving help. You trust them with your belongings in a way you might not trust strangers. There’s no invoice at the end of the day. You can work at your own pace without feeling like you’re on the clock. And there’s something appealing about the camaraderie of getting through a big task together.
For small moves—a single room, a few pieces of furniture, a short distance—friends can genuinely be the right choice. The task is manageable, the time commitment is reasonable, and no one feels taken advantage of.
The problems emerge when the move is larger, more complex, or more demanding than anyone anticipated.
The Hidden Costs of “Free” Help
Friends may not charge an hourly rate, but that doesn’t mean their help is free. The costs are just less visible.
Food, Drinks, and Thank-You Expenses
The unwritten rule of asking friends to help you move is that you provide food and drinks. For a full day of work, you’re looking at breakfast or lunch (or both), plenty of drinks, and probably a takeaway or pub meal at the end to say thank you. Budget £15 to £30 per person for a day’s worth of refreshments—more if you’re buying dinner or drinks afterwards.
With three or four helpers, that’s £60 to £120 before you’ve even hired a van. The “free” labour isn’t quite as free as it first appeared.
Favours Owed
Asking someone to spend their Saturday lifting heavy furniture creates a social debt. At some point, they’ll need help with something—their own move, a DIY project, airport runs, furniture assembly—and you’ll be expected to reciprocate.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s how friendships work. But it’s worth recognising that the help isn’t free—it’s deferred payment in a different currency.
Taking Up Their Time
A full day of moving help is a significant ask. Your friends are giving up a weekend day they could spend with their families, on hobbies, or simply relaxing. The closer and more genuine the friendship, the more likely they are to help—but also the more you should consider whether you’re asking too much.
The Reliability Problem
One of the biggest risks of relying on friends is that they might not show up. Life happens: children get sick, work emergencies arise, hangovers prove more severe than expected, or people simply forget. Unlike a professional service, there’s no contract, no commitment, and no real consequence if they cancel at the last minute.
Moving companies report that a significant proportion of last-minute bookings come from people whose DIY move fell apart when helpers didn’t materialise. By that point, you’re in a difficult position—desperate for help, with limited time to find it, and likely paying premium rates for emergency service.
Even when friends do show up, punctuality can be an issue. If you’ve booked a hire van for the day and your helpers arrive two hours late, you’ve lost valuable time and may face late return fees.
Skill and Efficiency Differences
Professional movers do this job every day. They know how to lift heavy items safely, navigate tight staircases, protect furniture and walls, and load a van efficiently. What takes them three hours might take inexperienced helpers six or seven.
Friends, no matter how willing, lack this experience. They don’t know the best way to angle a sofa through a doorway, how to disassemble a bed frame quickly, or how to stack boxes to maximise space without crushing anything. They’re learning on the job, and that learning curve costs time.
There’s also the question of stamina. Moving is physically exhausting. Professional movers are conditioned for it; they pace themselves and work efficiently throughout the day. Friends often start strong but flag after a few hours, especially if they’re not used to heavy physical work.
Injury and Damage Risks
Moving heavy furniture is one of the leading causes of back injuries. Without proper lifting technique and equipment, the risk of someone getting hurt is real. When a professional mover injures themselves, their employer’s insurance covers it. When your friend hurts their back carrying your wardrobe, the situation becomes uncomfortable at best.
Similarly, damage to belongings is more likely with inexperienced helpers. Professionals know how to wrap and protect fragile items, secure loads properly, and handle awkward shapes. Friends are more likely to drop things, scrape walls, or stack boxes in ways that cause damage.
If a professional damages your belongings, their insurance covers it. If a friend breaks something, what do you do? Asking them to pay feels wrong, but absorbing the cost of a smashed television or scratched antique is frustrating.
The Relationship Factor
Moving day is stressful. Tempers fray, patience runs thin, and people say things they don’t mean. When you’re paying professionals, a tense moment is just business—everyone moves on. When it’s friends, harsh words or frustrated outbursts can linger.
There’s also an uncomfortable power dynamic when friends are helping with something this demanding. You’re asking a lot, and both sides know it. If the move takes longer than expected, if the task proves harder than anticipated, or if things go wrong, that dynamic can create resentment—even if no one says anything directly.
Many people have experienced the awkwardness of a friend who agreed to help but clearly wishes they hadn’t, or the guilt of watching someone struggle with a task you’ve asked them to do. These situations can affect friendships in subtle ways that persist long after the move is complete.
When Friends Work Well
Despite these concerns, there are situations where friends are genuinely the right choice.
Small, manageable moves suit friends well. If you’re moving from a studio flat with minimal furniture, or just shifting a few items between properties, the task is reasonable enough that it won’t strain anyone. Student moves often fall into this category—young people with fewer possessions, surrounded by friends in similar situations who expect to help each other.
When you have genuinely willing helpers—people who actively want to be involved rather than those who felt obligated to say yes—the dynamic is different. Some friends enjoy physical work and see moving day as an opportunity to help rather than a burden.
If you’re comfortable with a slower pace and have flexibility in your timeline, friends can work well. The pressure comes when you’re racing against a van return deadline or trying to complete the move in a single day.
When Professionals Make More Sense
For larger moves, professional help almost always provides better value when you account for all the factors involved.
If you have heavy or valuable items—pianos, antiques, expensive electronics—professional handling reduces the risk of costly damage. If you’re moving a fully furnished house, the scale of the task exceeds what you can reasonably ask of friends. If your timeline is tight, professionals complete the job faster and more reliably.
Professional help also makes sense when your available helpers have limitations. If your friends are older, have physical restrictions, or simply aren’t suited to heavy labour, asking them to help with a demanding move puts them in a difficult position.
And if you value your friendships, there’s something to be said for not testing them with an exhausting, all-day task that nobody actually enjoys.
The Middle Ground
You don’t have to choose entirely one way or the other. Many people find the best results by combining both approaches.
Hiring professionals for the heavy lifting—furniture, appliances, the loading and unloading that requires strength and skill—while handling smaller tasks yourself or with friends can strike a good balance. You might move boxes, clothes, and personal items in your own car over several trips, then have professionals handle the furniture in a single efficient session.
This approach gives you the cost savings of doing some work yourself, the reliability and expertise of professionals for the demanding parts, and lets you involve friends in ways that don’t strain the relationship—perhaps helping with packing beforehand or unpacking afterwards, rather than the brutal physical work of moving day itself.
Calculating the Real Comparison
When you honestly compare the two options, the gap is often smaller than expected.
Friends helping for a full day might cost: van hire (£80), fuel (£30), insurance excess waiver (£15), food and drinks for four helpers (£100), thank-you drinks or meal (£60). Total: approximately £285—plus a day of your own hard work and favours owed to four people.
A man and van service with two professionals for five hours at £70 per hour costs £350. Everything is included, the job is done faster, and you walk away with no obligations.
The professional option costs £65 more in direct spending but saves you significant physical effort, completes faster, carries proper insurance, and doesn’t create social debts. For many people, that’s better value.
Making the Decision
The choice between friends and professionals ultimately depends on your specific circumstances. Consider the size and complexity of your move, the reliability and physical capability of your available helpers, how important speed and efficiency are to your timeline, the value of your belongings and your tolerance for damage risk, and honestly, how much you value the relationships you’d be testing.
For small moves with genuinely willing friends, DIY can work well. For anything substantial, professionals often provide better value than the headline comparison suggests.
If you’d like to see what professional help would cost for your move, you can get an instant quote online and compare it against the true cost of the alternative.
