For businesses
Pricing a man and van job: hourly, fixed, mileage, deposits
Man and van firms charge £50 to £80 an hour outside London and £60 to £100 in London, usually with a two to three hour minimum (Fantastic Services, September 2026). Whatever you charge, quote the total the customer will pay, including VAT and any ULEZ (£12.50) or Congestion Charge (£18) the job needs, and keep deposits small and cancellation charges tied to your real loss.
Should I charge by the hour or a fixed price?
Hourly suits jobs that are hard to size in advance, such as a customer who is still packing or a flat you have not seen. A fixed price suits jobs you can size from photos or an item list, and many customers prefer it because they know the total.
The CMA's price transparency guidance (CMA209) accepts that some prices are impossible to work out in advance. Then you can give a full price list that lets the customer work out the total, or a realistic 'from' price. Either way, set out the rate, the minimum, how time is counted and what costs extra before the job is booked.
For a fixed price, agree in writing what it covers: both addresses, floors and lift access, the item list and the date. Any change then has a clear starting point.
How many minimum hours should I charge?
Two hours is the common minimum. Compare the Man and Van (March 2026) puts the usual minimum booking at about 2 hours, and Fantastic Services (September 2026) says most bookings carry a minimum of two to three hours.
The minimum pays for getting to the job and for the slot around it, which is hard to fill. Say whether you charge in 15-minute or 30-minute steps once the minimum is used up.
Should time run from my base or door to door?
Door to door starts the clock when you arrive at the first address and stops it when you finish at the last. Customers find it the easiest to check.
From base runs from when you leave your yard or home until you get back. It covers travel on jobs across town, but it is harder for customers to compare between firms.
Many firms use door to door plus a fixed travel charge. Whichever you choose, put it in one sentence on the quote, for example: 'Time is charged from arrival at the collection address to finishing at the delivery address, plus a fixed £35 travel charge.'
How should I charge for mileage, ULEZ and clean air zones?
Fantastic Services (September 2026) says firms usually include fuel within a set radius and charge for extended mileage. HMRC's simplified expenses flat rate for vans is 55p a mile for the first 10,000 business miles in 2026 to 2027, then 25p. It is a tax allowance, not a price, but it is a fair floor for what a mile costs you.
Transport for London charges £12.50 a day for vans up to 3.5 tonnes that do not meet the ULEZ standards, and the Congestion Charge is £18 a day if paid on the day or in advance. The clean air zones in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Sheffield and Tyneside charge vans that are not Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol; Portsmouth's class B zone does not charge vans (GOV.UK).
Put these charges in the quote, not on the invoice afterwards. CMA209 says charges that come from the trader's own input costs belong in the total price rather than being shown separately, so a job that needs the Congestion Charge should include it in the price you give.
What deposit and cancellation terms are fair?
The CMA's unfair contract terms guidance (CMA37, updated 22 July 2026) says a genuine deposit can be kept in full if it works as a binding reservation, you tell the customer at the outset that it is needed, and the cases where it is not refunded are clear and narrow. It adds that such a deposit will not normally be more than a small percentage of the price.
Charges for a later cancellation should reflect what you actually lose, such as a day too late to rebook, less the costs you save. A term that makes a large prepayment non-refundable whatever happens is more likely to be unfair, as is one that lets you keep the customer's money when they cancel but gives them nothing when you cancel.
The 14-day right to cancel online and off-premises contracts does not apply to transport of goods booked for a specific date (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28(1)(h)). It can apply to an undated booking. Then start within the 14 days only at the customer's express request, and if they cancel they pay for the part already supplied (regulation 36).
Worked example: a one-bed flat move
These are example figures, not market rates. Two people and a Luton at £70 an hour, inside the £50 to £80 range above, with a 2-hour minimum, time charged door to door in 15-minute steps and a fixed £35 travel charge. The firm is not VAT registered.
Hourly. The move takes 3 hours 10 minutes from arrival to finish, rounded up to 3 hours 15 minutes: 3.25 × £70 = £227.50. Add the £35 travel charge for £262.50. The job is in London and the van does not meet the ULEZ standard, so add £12.50: £275.00 in total, all shown on the quote.
Fixed. The firm estimates 3.5 hours (£245), adds travel (£35) and the ULEZ charge (£12.50), and quotes £292.50 in full. A £30 deposit, about 10% of that price, kept only if the customer cancels within 48 hours of the move, is closer to the small, clearly defined deposit CMA37 describes than a large non-refundable one.
Common questions
Do I have to include VAT in my prices?
If you are VAT registered, yes, in the prices you show householders. CMA209 lists VAT among the mandatory charges that belong in the headline price.
Does a customer have 14 days to cancel a man and van booking?
Usually not when the booking is for a set date. Regulation 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 takes transport of goods with a specific date out of the 14-day right. Your own terms then apply, and they must be fair.
Can I charge a cancellation fee?
Yes, if it is clear before booking and reflects your real loss. CMA37 says a deposit kept in full should normally be a small percentage of the price, and the cases where it is kept should be clear and narrow.
Can I add the Congestion Charge to the bill afterwards?
It is better to include it in the price you quote. CMA209 says costs the trader passes on should be in the total price, not presented separately.