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Office moves

A small office or shop move by man and van is priced as a fixed job or by the hour, usually with a two-hour minimum. The total turns on the amount of IT kit, when the building lets you use its lift, and whether the work runs into an evening or weekend.

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Illustration: an office desk and chair

What it costs and what it covers

Typical price. AnyVan quotes small office removals from £59 and says its same-city office moves averaged under £300 last year (AnyVan office removals page, October 2026). See the man and van cost guide.

Typical jobs

  • Moving a six-desk office from a second-floor suite to a ground-floor unit across town on a Saturday
  • Taking desktop PCs, monitors and a networked printer in lidded crates to a serviced office after the building's 6pm cut-off
  • Shifting a shop's shelving, stockroom boxes and counter between two high-street units on a Sunday
  • Moving filing cabinets and archive boxes from an office into a storage unit as a lease ends
  • Collecting a boardroom table and chairs that have to be taken apart to fit the goods lift

What is involved

A man and van fits small offices, shops, studios and surgeries, where the load is desks, chairs, filing cabinets, computers, stock and some boxes for each person. A job involving server racks, partition walls or a whole floor of workstations is commercial removals work for a larger crew with several vans.

Building rules come first. Many managed office buildings and shopping centres only allow moves out of hours, want the goods lift booked days ahead and lined with protective panels, and keep the loading bay to set times. Some will not confirm a slot until the moving firm sends a certificate of insurance showing its public liability cover, the limit and the dates. Ask the building manager at both ends what they need and how far in advance, and pass it to each firm when you ask for a quote.

IT kit takes the most preparation. Back up data before the day, photograph how the cables connect, and label every machine and its leads with a desk number. Many firms hire out plastic crates with lids, which stack more firmly in a van than cardboard and let staff empty a desk in minutes; ask the price per crate per week and when they are collected. Fantastic Services says its office team packs and moves IT and electronic equipment (October 2026), but ask any firm whether its cover includes computers and screens, and the limit per item.

Timing changes the price. Fantastic Services offers same-day, weekend and bank holiday office moves, and its London van rate of £43 an hour runs from 7am to 7pm, with extra fees for later work (October 2026). AnyVan says midweek moves are usually cheaper. A Saturday or evening move avoids closing the business for a day, so compare a weekday quote with an out-of-hours one before deciding. See the hub for parking and insurance.

Choosing a firm

Send each firm a written list: desks and whether they come apart, chairs, filing cabinets and whether they will be emptied, computers and screens, printers, and roughly how many crates or boxes. Give the floor, lift size and booking window at both buildings. Tell each firm about the lift even if it does not ask, because it changes the time.

Get the certificate of insurance before you book the lift, and check that the business name on it matches the firm you are paying. Ask whether the price is fixed or hourly, when the clock starts, how time after 7pm or at weekends is charged, and whether taking desks apart and putting them back together is included.

Ask who unplugs and reconnects the computers. Moving the kit and setting up a network are different jobs, so ask whether the firm reconnects anything, and book your IT support for the morning after the move rather than the evening of it.

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Common questions

How much does a small office move cost?

AnyVan prices office removals from £59 and says the same-city office moves it arranged last year averaged under £300 (October 2026). Firms charging by the hour typically ask £30 to £70 an hour, according to Compare the Man and Van (October 2025), with a two-hour minimum. More desks, more IT kit and out-of-hours work push the total up.

Can a man and van move an office at the weekend?

Yes, many do. Fantastic Services offers weekend and bank holiday office moves and AnyVan says it works weekends. Evening work can cost more: Fantastic Services' standard London rate applies from 7am to 7pm, with extra fees after that (October 2026).

What is a certificate of insurance for an office move?

It is a document from the moving firm's insurer showing its cover, usually public liability, with the limit and the dates it runs. Office buildings and shopping centres often ask for one before they book a goods lift or loading bay. Ask the building what limit it requires before you choose a firm.

How do you move computers safely in an office move?

Back up the data, photograph the cable layout and label each machine and its leads to a desk. Screens travel upright, wrapped in blankets or in their original boxes, and small items go in lidded crates. Check that the firm's cover includes electronics and what its limit per item is.

Firms offering office moves

2,026 firms on the site offer it. The busiest towns:

A few to start with

A spread of firms from the biggest towns, one from each.