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Norfolk removal companies: costs, firms and what to check
A three-bedroom move of 100 miles or more costs about £1,500 on reallymoving's figures, and Norwich is about 100 miles from London. Seven firms are checked here.
The average removal for a three-bedroom house in the UK costs £867, on reallymoving’s November 2025 figures. Moving that house 100 miles or more costs about £1,500, and Norwich is about 100 miles from London, so that is the better starting figure for a move from the capital. The seven firms below have each been checked against their own published credentials and, for the Norfolk companies, the Companies House register.
What a move costs
These are averages including VAT from reallymoving’s quote data, published by the HomeOwners Alliance. They are national figures; nobody publishes a Norfolk-only average.
- Local move: £432 for a one-bedroom house, £603 for two bedrooms, £867 for three, £1,196 for four and £1,590 for five.
- 100 miles or more: £800 to £1,200 for one or two bedrooms, about £1,500 for three, £2,000 for four and £2,500 for five.
- Packing a three-bedroom house: around £400 to £500 on top.
- Unpacking: about £200 more for a three-bedroom house, usually half a day’s work.
- Dismantling and reassembling furniture: about £125 if it is not already in the quote.
Local firm, national firm, online marketplace or man and van
| Type | How it works | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Local Norfolk firm | Its own crews and vans, usually with its own storage. Jarretts, Ollands, Hadley & Ottaway and Britannia Alan Cook are examples. | BAR membership and the Advance Payment Guarantee; whether it surveys in person |
| National firm with a Norfolk branch | A local office backed by a national network. Pickfords and Bishop’s Move are examples. | Which branch runs the job, and the insurance limit on your quote |
| Online marketplace | You book through a platform and an independent transport provider does the move. AnyVan works this way. | Who the provider is, and what the platform’s cover pays out |
| Man and van | A self-employed driver, usually hired by the hour. | Goods-in-transit insurance; you may need your own |
Norfolk removal companies, checked in 2026
This list was rebuilt in July 2026. An earlier version ranked eight firms with scores out of 10; when we re-verified it, four of them could not be confirmed to exist and were removed. We do not score firms, because we do not hold complaints or claims data that would make a score mean anything. The order reflects how much of Norfolk a firm covers from its own premises, the credentials it can show and the range of work it takes on. Company details were rechecked on 24 September 2026.
| Firm | Base | What we checked | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britannia Alan Cook | Loddon and Lowestoft, storage at Wymondham | BAR member with Advance Payment Guarantee; Britannia Movers International; Companies House 06561355 | South and east Norfolk, moves with storage |
| Bishop’s Move (Norwich) | Harleston | BAR founding member; BS 8522; ISO 9001 | International and long-distance moves |
| Ollands | Stratton Strawless | BAR member with Advance Payment Guarantee; LAPADA and BADA; Companies House 03441520 | Antiques, fine art, European moves |
| Hadley & Ottaway | Watton | BAR Advance Payment Guarantee; Which? Trusted Trader; FHIO; BS EN 12522; Companies House 00799003 | Breckland and mid-Norfolk, business moves |
| Jarretts Removals | Norwich (Waterworks Road) | Trading since 1911; BAR Advance Payment Guarantee; FHIO; Companies House 03751855 | Moves within Norwich, storage |
| Pickfords | Norwich (Heigham Street) | Local Norwich office and coverage list | Long-distance moves run by one firm |
| AnyVan | Online platform | Platform terms and standard cover | Small loads and single items |
1. Britannia Alan Cook
Britannia Alan Cook is the trading name of Cotmer Storage Ltd (Companies House no. 06561355), a family firm that dates its business to 1982. It is Norfolk’s member of Britannia Movers International and runs from two hubs, at Loddon Business Park south of Norwich and on Pinbush Road in Lowestoft, with a storage site at Gateway 11 Business Park in Wymondham. It is a BAR member and offers the association’s Advance Payment Guarantee. The work covers house moves in the UK and abroad, business moves, packing, self-storage and containerised storage, pianos and fine art. It is the natural first quote for a move that starts or ends in south or east Norfolk, or one that needs storage between completion dates.
2. Bishop’s Move
Bishop’s Move runs its Norwich service from 6 Speedwell Way, Harleston, in the Waveney valley. The firm was founded in Pimlico in 1854, is still run by the Bishop family, and was a founding member of the British Association of Removers. It holds BS 8522, the British Standard for commercial moving, and ISO 9001. Home moves start with a free survey and the quote is valid for a month. Ask for it if your move has an international leg or starts a long way from Norfolk.
3. Ollands
Ollands (Ollands Ltd, Companies House no. 03441520) has worked from Woodland Farm Industrial Estate at Stratton Strawless, off the A140 north of Norwich, since 1981. It is a BAR member with the Advance Payment Guarantee, and also belongs to LAPADA and BADA, the antiques trade’s associations. It moves fine art and antiques, runs European and international jobs with customs clearance, and says it made 165 European trips after Brexit. If half the load is inherited furniture or pictures, start here.
4. Hadley & Ottaway
Hadley & Ottaway (Companies House no. 00799003) dates to 1928 and has its head office at Neaton Business Park in Watton. It lists BAR’s Advance Payment Guarantee, Which? Trusted Trader status, membership of the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman scheme and certification to BS EN 12522, the European standard for household removals. It has about 30 staff, 20 of them drivers, and covers Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge, with a business relocation service alongside house moves. For Breckland and mid-Norfolk it is closer than the Norwich firms.
5. Jarretts Removals
Jarretts (Jarretts Removals Ltd, Companies House no. 03751855) has traded in Norwich since 1911 and is family-run from 115 to 121 Waterworks Road, west of the city centre. It offers the BAR Advance Payment Guarantee and belongs to the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman, so a complaint has somewhere independent to go. It has warehouse and containerised storage and does packing, house and office moves and international shipping. Use it for a move within Norwich or into the city, especially if your completion dates do not line up.
6. Pickfords
Pickfords dates itself to 1646 and has a local office on Heigham Street, Norwich. Its Norwich page lists the places it covers from there, including Costessey, Drayton, Hethersett and Cringleford. The process is a call, then a survey, then a move plan and quote. It is worth a quote when you want a single national firm to run a long-distance move from end to end. If you are moving to a village with narrow lanes, ask what size of vehicle it will send.
7. AnyVan
AnyVan is a booking platform. It prices the job on your inventory, the distance and the date, then matches you with an independent transport provider working in the area. Every move includes £50,000 of fire and theft cover as standard, providers must carry their own goods-in-transit and public liability insurance, and extra cover is sold separately. It suits small loads and single pieces of furniture. For a whole house, find out which provider has the job before moving day and check its details as you would any other firm.
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Why a Norfolk move takes longer than the mileage suggests
Norfolk is one of the few English counties without a motorway. The A11 joins the M11 for Cambridge and London, and the A47 runs west towards Peterborough, but the last stretch of almost any move into the county is on A-roads and lanes, and a firm that prices the day on motorway speeds will run over.
The destination matters more than the distance. In Burnham Market, Brancaster, Cley, Blakeney and the other coastal villages, a large lorry may not get to the door, and the firm will need a smaller van to shuttle the load, which costs more. Old flint cottages and converted barns have low doors and tight stairs. Summer traffic to Cromer, Sheringham, Hunstanton and Wells slows the coast roads, so ask for an early start.
All of this shows up only if someone looks. The HomeOwners Alliance advises getting at least two firms to survey the house before they quote, and a firm that surveys the Norfolk end as well as the one you are leaving is pricing the real job. Friday is the busiest day for removals, because most people move house on a Friday, and Monday is busy too; a midweek move can be cheaper.
Extra charges to ask about
| Charge | When it applies | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Long carry | The van cannot park near the door, as in the Norwich Lanes or a coastal village | The distance the quote allows, and the rate beyond it |
| Stairs and upper floors | Flats, attic rooms, steep period staircases | Whether the surveyor has seen both ends |
| Waiting time | Completion is late and keys are not released | The hourly rate; some firms charge £60 per house plus VAT and sell a late key waiver for around £40 to £50 |
| Overnight storage | You cannot get into the new house on the day | The nightly rate, in writing |
| Weekend or out-of-hours work | Saturday, Sunday or an early start | The surcharge as a figure, not a percentage of an unknown total |
| Specialist items | Piano, safe, hot tub, large artwork, antiques needing crates | A separate price for each item |
| Dismantling and reassembly | Wardrobes, beds, large tables | Whether it is included; about £125 if not |
Get at least three written quotes. reallymoving and Konnect You, the comparison service formerly called Compare My Move, both send one enquiry to several firms, and AnyVan covers small loads. The HomeOwners Alliance puts the average saving from comparing removal quotes at £290.
What to ask any Norfolk removal firm before booking
- Are you a BAR member, and if not, what complaints or ombudsman scheme do you use?
- What is your goods-in-transit cover, per item and per move? Some cover pays as little as £40 an item; better firms offer up to £10,000 per item and £50,000 in total.
- What public liability cover do you hold?
- Will the same crew load and unload?
- Will you survey in person or by video? For a large or complicated move, ask for an in-person survey.
- What are your surcharges and how are they worked out? Get the schedule in writing.
- What happens if completion is delayed and the load has to be stored overnight?
- How long do I have to make a damage claim, and how is it handled?
The rest of the move
How we produced this list
Each firm’s services, address and trade memberships come from its own website, read on 24 September 2026. The four Norfolk independents’ company numbers and active status were checked on the Companies House register the same day. BAR membership is as each firm states it; BAR’s own “Check a mover” search at bar.co.uk is the place to confirm it before you pay a deposit. What BAR membership involves comes from the association’s site. Cost figures are the HomeOwners Alliance’s, based on reallymoving’s November 2025 quote data. The list was first rebuilt on 5 July 2026 and is re-checked quarterly. See our methodology page for source links.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a London-to-Norfolk removal cost in 2026?
On reallymoving’s figures for moves of 100 miles or more, about £1,500 for a three-bedroom house and £2,000 for four bedrooms, including VAT. A one or two-bedroom home is £800 to £1,200. Packing a three-bedroom house adds around £400 to £500.
Who are the best removal companies in Norfolk?
Of the firms we checked, Britannia Alan Cook covers the most of Norfolk, from Loddon, Lowestoft and Wymondham. Bishop’s Move suits international moves, Ollands antiques and fine art, Hadley & Ottaway Breckland and mid-Norfolk, and Jarretts moves within Norwich. Pickfords has a Norwich office, and AnyVan suits small loads.
How far in advance should I book a Norfolk removal?
Get surveys and quotes once your offer is accepted, and book as soon as you exchange contracts, because that is when the completion date is fixed. Fridays go first, because most people move on a Friday.
Do Norfolk removal companies cover the whole county?
The larger ones do. Hadley & Ottaway covers Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge, and Britannia Alan Cook quotes local numbers for Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn. If you are moving to a village with narrow lanes, ask whether the firm has a van that can reach the door.
Should I pack myself to save money?
Packing yourself saves around £400 to £500 on a three-bedroom house. It is worth paying for on a long move, when the day is taken up with keys and handovers, and for antiques, which may need crating.
What insurance should a Norfolk removal company carry?
Goods-in-transit cover and public liability cover, with the limits in writing. Some transit cover pays as little as £40 an item; better firms offer up to £10,000 per item and £50,000 in total.
Are weekend moves in Norfolk more expensive?
Ask each firm for its weekend rate. The busiest and dearest day is usually Friday, when most people move, and Mondays are busy too; a midweek move is the one most likely to get a discount.
Should I use AnyVan or other aggregators for a Norfolk move?
For small loads and single items it can be the cheapest route. AnyVan books an independent provider to do the move and includes £50,000 of fire and theft cover. For a whole house, find out which provider has the job and check it as you would any firm.
What is BAR membership and does it matter?
The British Association of Removers is the trade body for UK removal firms. Members are audited every year against a code of practice monitored by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, customers get a free independent dispute service, and the Advance Payment Guarantee protects money paid in advance if a member fails. Good firms exist outside BAR; membership gives you a complaints route and deposit protection.
Run a Norfolk removals firm? See how to advertise on this site.
Data sources: Companies House register, each firm’s published service and accreditation pages, British Association of Removers, HomeOwners Alliance and reallymoving. Firms rechecked 24 September 2026. Author: James Ward, Money and Property Finance Editor.
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