When you’re booking a man and van service, one of the first questions is: how long will this actually take? It matters for planning your day, for budgeting (since most services charge by the hour), and for setting realistic expectations about when you’ll be settled in your new place.
The honest answer is that it varies significantly depending on what you’re moving, where you’re moving from and to, and how prepared you are. But there are reasonable estimates for different types of jobs that can help you plan.
Typical Timeframes by Property Size
These estimates assume you’re already packed and ready, the movers are loading, transporting, and unloading only, and access is reasonably straightforward at both ends.
Studio or Bedsit
A small studio flat with minimal furniture—bed, small sofa, desk, a few boxes—typically takes around 2 to 3 hours total. Loading takes roughly an hour, transport depends on distance, and unloading is usually quicker than loading because items go straight into the new space without much positioning.
One-Bedroom Flat
A furnished one-bedroom flat usually takes 3 to 4 hours with two movers. If you have a lot of belongings or bulky furniture, it might stretch to 5 hours. Loading typically accounts for 1.5 to 2 hours of that time.
Two-Bedroom Flat or Small House
Expect 4 to 6 hours for a typical two-bedroom property. The exact time depends heavily on how much furniture and how many boxes you have. A minimally furnished flat will be faster; a heavily furnished property with contents accumulated over years will be slower.
Three-Bedroom House
A three-bedroom house typically takes 5 to 8 hours with a team of two or three movers. Loading alone often takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours. If you’ve lived there for many years and have full garages, sheds, and lofts, it could stretch beyond a standard working day.
Four-Bedroom House or Larger
Larger properties often require a full day or may even need to be split across two days. Eight to twelve hours is common, and properties with significant contents may need more. At this scale, you’re likely looking at a full removal company rather than a standard man and van service.
What These Estimates Include
The timeframes above assume:
Everything is packed and ready when movers arrive. Furniture that needs dismantling has been dismantled (or you’ve allocated time for movers to do it). Access is reasonable at both ends—no major parking problems, no exceptionally long carries, no difficult stairs. The distance between properties is local (under 20 miles or so).
If any of these assumptions don’t apply to your move, you’ll need to add time accordingly.
Factors That Add Time
Stairs and Access
Every flight of stairs adds time. Moving from a ground-floor flat with parking outside is much faster than moving from a third-floor flat with no lift and street parking 50 metres away. Narrow hallways, tight corners, and small doorways also slow things down as movers manoeuvre furniture carefully to avoid damage.
For upper-floor properties without lifts, a reasonable rule of thumb is to add 15-20% to your time estimate for each flight of stairs.
Parking Distance
If the van can’t park right outside, every item needs to be carried further. A parking spot 100 metres away doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re carrying heavy furniture back and forth dozens of times, it adds up quickly. Parking complications can add 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on severity.
Furniture Dismantling and Reassembly
Beds, wardrobes, and large tables often need to come apart to fit through doorways or into vans safely. Dismantling a bed frame takes 15-20 minutes; a large wardrobe can take 30 minutes or more. Reassembling at the other end takes similar time. If you have several large items needing this treatment, factor in an additional hour or two.
Special or Heavy Items
Pianos, safes, gym equipment, hot tubs—anything unusually heavy or awkward requires extra care and time. A piano alone can add 30-45 minutes to a move. Heavy appliances like American-style fridges need careful handling and often need doors removing.
Not Being Ready
This is the single biggest cause of moves taking longer than expected. If movers arrive and you’re still packing, still deciding what’s going, or haven’t emptied drawers and cupboards, expect to add 1 to 3 hours to your move time—and you’ll be paying for that time.
Distance and Traffic
Local moves within the same town might have 20-30 minutes of driving. Cross-city moves in rush hour could be 2 hours. Moving between cities adds significant transport time. For longer distances, the driving portion becomes a major part of the total job time.
Weather
Rain slows everything down. Movers need to protect items from getting wet, footing becomes more treacherous, and there’s often more wrapping and unwrapping involved. Bad weather can add 20-40% to move time.
How Crew Size Affects Duration
More hands make lighter work—and faster work. A two-person team will complete a job faster than one person working alone. For larger moves, three or four movers can reduce time significantly.
However, there’s diminishing returns. Four movers aren’t twice as fast as two, because some tasks can only have one or two people working on them at once. And more movers means higher hourly cost, even if the total hours are fewer.
For most man and van jobs:
One mover (driver only): Suitable for small, light loads where you can help with lifting. Slowest option. Two movers: Standard for most residential moves. Good balance of speed and cost. Three movers: Worth considering for larger properties or when you have heavy items and want to minimise time.
How Van Size Affects Duration
A larger van doesn’t necessarily make the move faster—loading and unloading take similar time regardless of van size. But the right van size avoids multiple trips, which definitely saves time.
If you underestimate and book a van that’s too small, you’ll either need a second trip (adding hours to the job) or face the frustrating choice of leaving items behind. Getting an accurate assessment of what you’re moving before booking helps ensure the right van size from the start.
Packing Time (If Included)
If you want movers to pack your belongings as well as move them, add substantial time to these estimates.
Professional packing for a one-bedroom flat typically takes 2 to 3 hours. A three-bedroom house might take 4 to 5 hours with two packers. A four-bedroom house could take 8 to 12 hours—potentially a full day just for packing before the move itself begins.
Packing is often done the day before the move to keep moving day focused on loading and transport.
Getting an Accurate Estimate
The more information you provide when booking, the more accurate your time estimate will be. Useful details include:
Property size and which floors are involved. Approximate number of rooms and how furnished they are. Large or heavy items (sofas, wardrobes, appliances, pianos). Access situation at both properties (parking, stairs, lifts). Distance between the two locations. Whether everything will be packed and ready.
Many removal services offer video surveys or detailed questionnaires to assess jobs accurately. These take a bit of time upfront but result in more realistic quotes and fewer surprises on the day.
Why Estimates Sometimes Go Wrong
Moves exceed estimates when customers underestimate their belongings (lofts, garages, and sheds are commonly forgotten), when access proves more difficult than described, when items need dismantling that wasn’t mentioned, or when packing isn’t complete when movers arrive.
Being thorough and honest when describing your move leads to accurate quotes. Trying to minimise the job description to get a lower quote usually backfires—you’ll pay the difference on the day anyway, plus any frustration from a job running over.
Planning Your Day
Build in buffer time. If you’re quoted 4 hours, don’t schedule something critical for 4 hours and 15 minutes later. Moves can run over for reasons outside anyone’s control—traffic, unexpected access problems, items taking longer to manoeuvre than expected.
If you’re coordinating with solicitors, key collection, or other appointments, communicate realistic timings to everyone involved. Better to finish early and have time to spare than to be stressed about running late.
For a clearer picture of what your specific move might take, you can get an instant quote by entering your move details.
