How to hire
Match the mover to the size of the job first. A man and a van suits a few items, a single room, a student move or a furniture collection: one driver, one van, charged by the hour or for the load. A full removals firm suits a whole house, especially with packing, storage, piano work or an overseas leg, and quotes after a survey rather than by the hour. When you first enquire, list every room, the big pieces, and both addresses with stairs, lifts and where a van can wait.
Check trade standing before you book. The British Association of Removers runs a find-a-mover and check-a-mover service, and members follow a code of practice with payment protection and an independent ombudsman behind it [1]. The National Guild of Removers and Storers runs its own search, with members signed to a customer-first code and inspected cover [2]. Ask for the membership detail, then check the name on the register yourself rather than taking a badge on a van at face value.
Ask about the van and the cover in the same breath. A business needs a goods vehicle operator licence for heavier lorries and trailers; most single-van local work falls outside that duty — but Europe hire-or-reward rules reach smaller vans too, so ask if your move crosses water [3]. More important for you: get the liability terms in writing, whether cover on declared values or a fixed limit per item, and read how claims work. If the quote adds clearance or rubbish removal, ask for the waste carrier registration and check it on the public register [4].
Telford brings its own wrinkles, so name them in the enquiry. Whether the move runs between Wellington and Lawley or out from Madeley toward the Gorge, the same three facts decide the day: stairs and lifts, the carry from door to van, and where the van can legally wait at both ends. If part of the job is getting rid of things, the council runs bookable bulky-item collections for borough households, covering furniture and large electricals left within the property boundary [9]; anything the mover takes for disposal instead needs a waste carrier behind it [4]. The borough's recycling centres are residents-only, with vehicle checks and an e-permit route, and they turn away commercial waste [12] — so a van-load of rubbish is not a free tip run, and the quote should say where it goes. On-street space is tightest around the older streets and the Gorge, so agree the waiting spot before moving day, checking the council's parking pages for local schemes and enforcement [11]. Ironbridge Gorge is a World Heritage Site, and several Telford and Wrekin streets sit in conservation areas, so agree access and timings in writing [10].
Get two or three written quotes on the same inventory so you compare like with like. Each quote should state hourly or fixed pricing, any minimum charge, mileage and fuel, stairs or difficult access, packing materials, what you pack versus what the crew packs, whether VAT is added, the liability terms, and payment stages — a deposit for the booking is normal, while full payment before loading is not. Treat an outlier, far above or below the rest, as a question rather than a bargain, and ask what is included or left out [8].
For a whole-house move, expect a home or video survey before anyone names a fixed price; walk the surveyor through every room, the loft, the shed and anything that will not travel. Confirm the crew size, the arrival window and the van size for the day, and agree who dismantles and rebuilds furniture. On the day, check items against the inventory as they unload and note any damage promptly, since the written terms set how claims run.
A typical job runs in this order. First contact carries the full inventory, both addresses with stairs and parking, and the date or date range. Above a single load, a home or video survey follows, and the surveyor should see every room, the loft, the shed and anything staying behind. Written quotes arrive on the same inventory — compare the rate or fixed price, the minimum charge, mileage, packing, VAT, liability terms and payment stages. Once you choose, confirm the date, arrival window, crew size, van size and who dismantles furniture, all in writing. On the day, walk the crew through both ends, check items against the inventory as they unload, and note damage promptly with photos. The paperwork at the end should mirror the quote: a final invoice against the same inventory, the liability note, and anything you signed on the day.
Keep every piece of paper: the quote, the written terms, the inventory, the liability note and the final invoice [8]. If an item arrives damaged, raise it under the firm's own terms first, with photos and the inventory to hand. If the dispute will not resolve, Citizens Advice sets out your consumer options and template letters for faulty services [7].
Pricing
As of summer 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: one mover with a van around £35–£93 per hour, averaging near £64; two movers with a van around £50–£105 per hour, averaging near £78; three movers with a van around £68–£120 per hour, averaging near £94 [5]. Prices run higher in London and parts of the South East, and Telford usually sits below those levels [5]. These are ballpark averages for straightforward jobs, not fixed prices.
For a full house with a removal team of two and a van, expect around £50–£80 per hour and an average move cost near £500–£700 [6]. Small single-load jobs often carry a two-hour minimum charge, so a forty-five minute collection still bills for two hours — ask where the minimum sits before you book [6]. Packing help is usually priced apart, near £35 per hour, with a full pack averaging near £400 [6].
For a single-item collection — a sofa, a bed, a second-hand pickup across town — the one-mover hourly rate above usually decides it, with the two-hour minimum doing the heavy lifting on short jobs [5] [6]. Stairs at either end, the distance between the two addresses, and whether the driver loads alone or brings a second loader move the final figure more than mileage across Telford. Where a gap between tenancies needs storage too, the firms in this round that hold their own storage price it inside the same quote, while the rest route it through partners — so the written quote should name the store, the access terms and the weekly figure alongside the moving price.
Crew size and van size move the price most: more hands cost more per hour but finish sooner, while too small a van means paid-for second trips [8]. Distance and fuel, stairs and awkward access, parking at either end, packing materials, and timing all add or subtract — weekends, month-ends and summer book out first, while quieter midweek and mid-month dates often come in keener [8].
Ask whether the quoted figure includes VAT and get the answer in writing, since published ranges may state it either way. Firms in this round mostly quote bespoke or by calculator and publish almost no set rates, so treat any single fixed price for a large move with no breakdown as a question, not an answer. Get the inventory, the rate or fixed price, the minimum charge, mileage, extras, liability terms and payment stages in writing before moving day, and keep every quote and invoice together [7].
Red flags
Quotes a whole-house move with no visit, video survey, photos or written inventory.
Cannot name its liability cover or show it in writing when asked.
Claims trade-body membership you cannot find on the association register [1] [2].
Offers clearance or rubbish removal alongside the move but has no waste carrier registration to show [4].
Asks for full payment in cash before loading, with no written quote or terms [7].
Quotes by the hour with no minimum, mileage or extras stated, then the hours stretch.
Will not put the scope, price and moving date in writing before moving day.
Changes the price on the doorstep over stairs, access or items that were all named in the enquiry.
Will not say who is actually coming — one driver or a crew — before moving day.