Furniture delivery and single items

Typical jobs

• Taking a three-seater sofa from a shop's warehouse to a first floor flat, with the feet off to clear the door
• Moving a double wardrobe between two houses, taken apart and rebuilt at the other end
• Delivering a fridge freezer upright and standing it in place in the kitchen
• Moving a washing machine across town with its transit bolts refitted
• Collecting a king-size bed frame and mattress from a relative's house and carrying it upstairs

Single items are priced in two ways. Platforms such as AnyVan quote a fixed price for the item and the route: in June 2026 it listed £27 to £45 locally for a two-seater sofa or a double bed and mattress, £27 to £49 for a double wardrobe and £27 to £46 for a fridge freezer, rising to £58 to £184 for a sofa moved across the country. Local man and van firms more often charge by the hour with a two-hour minimum, which suits a job with stairs, dismantling or more than one stop.

Door and stair access decides whether a big item goes in at all. Measure the item's height, width and depth, then the narrowest point on its route: the front door, internal doors, the turn of the stairs and any landing. Sofas often need their feet off, and some have arms or backs that unbolt. If it looks tight, tell the firm before the day rather than after the van has arrived.

Dismantling and reassembly take time. Wardrobes, bed frames and corner sofas usually come apart, so ask whether the firm brings tools and will rebuild at the other end. On a full removal, reallymoving's average charge for dismantling is about £125 (HomeOwners Alliance, August 2026), and MyJobQuote puts flat-pack assembly by a handyman at £20 to £60 an hour (September 2026). Keep the fixings in a labelled bag taped to the largest panel.

White goods need preparation. A washing machine should have its transit bolts refitted to hold the drum still, and be disconnected and drained before the van arrives, since most man and van firms expect it ready to lift. A fridge freezer travels upright where possible; check the manufacturer's guidance on how long to leave it standing before switching it on. AnyVan notes that many standard couriers turn down items over 30 kg or 120 cm tall, which is where a two-person crew comes in.

Describe the item exactly: what it is, its measurements, its weight if you know it, the floor at each end and whether there is a lift. Send a photo. For a fixed price, check it covers both ends and any stairs; for an hourly price, ask how long the firm expects the job to take and what its minimum is.

Ask whether one person or two will come. A two-seater sofa can be a one-person job with your help, but a three-seater, a double wardrobe or a range cooker needs two. Ask how the item will be protected in the van, with blankets and straps, and what the goods in transit cover pays for a single item, since per-item caps can be low. The man and van page covers insurance in more detail.

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