What Is The Best Time to Move House in UK?

Even as a professional with years of experience in the removals business, you can’t pinpoint the best time to relocate. As professional service providers, It’s all the same to us because we have to meet the same expectations, regardless of the time frame, month or day of the week. On the other hand, we can use our knowledge and highlight the best time to move according to our customers’ specific requests throughout the years.

In the following study, we have gathered data from more than 10 years of removals services and we have analysed it to see what is the best time to relocate according to our customers. Hope that gives a solid answer to the aching question ”When should I move?”

What is the best time to move house?

Most of our clients have opted for early morning bookings. Removals slots from 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning are the most desirable, summing up almost 38.76% of all bookings. It makes sense for people to try and organise the relocation as early as possible, so they can have more time to unpack and settle in.

For those that are not interested in such morning activities, the 14:00 – 16:00 time frame seems far more desirable. It takes a solid second place as the best time to move house with 28.06% of the bookings.

Note that we are not talking about when would be the best time to leave your parents’ house at last. No, we are looking into the distinct time frames throughout the day, which seems to suit most of our clients.

Best time of the day to move according to our data:

(The percentage represents a portion of all the removals bookings we have received in our practice, spawning over a decade.)

What is the best day to move house?

Collectively, weekend days, including Friday, score 55.68% of all bookings made. The rest of the weekdays (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) get a total of 44.32%.

So, if you’ve been wondering whether Friday is a good day to move house, it appears it might just be the best day after all. The majority of the removal clients pick Friday as their best day to move, probably because they are taking a day off for the house move. This will leave them with two full days to settle in the new property and prepare to commute from their new home on Monday.

Besides, if they manage to finish the move early on Friday, they can even do most of their unpacking. Another option is the 14:00 slot on Friday, for those who finish work earlier and want to avoid taking a day off for moving. However, this means that at the end of the day, someone will be very exhausted!

But Friday is not the only option…

Saturday and Sunday, as weekend days are also popular. Saturday, for instance, is one of our most booked days, with 24.21% of all of the appointments. This is more than Friday and it’s 17.69%, but we can assume this is solely because not everybody can, or are willing to, take a day off from work.

Sunday comes last in the race with 13.77%, most likely because you don’t have a lot of time to cover for mistakes. Plus, it leaves you without a buffer day between the move and your first working day of the week, which can be downright exhausting and annoying…

So in conclusion, the weekend is definitely the preferred time of the week to move. Mostly Friday, but only if you can take a day off or finish work early. Otherwise, aim for Saturday or just any other day that suits your personal needs.

It can be more convenient to move on the weekend, as a way to avoid rush hour traffic. Removal companies who follow a set route save money on gas and rental truck time. Additionally, these movers produce less carbon monoxide while they are on the road, which ensures that the move is eco-friendly and drives down energy costs.

Best days of the week to move according to statistics:

(The percentage represents a portion of all the removals bookings we have received in our practice, spawning over a decade.)

What month do most people move house?

People tend to move house during the warmer months of the year, in summer or spring. In other words, it’s not just about the best month to move house, it’s about the best season as well.

The summer dominates the statistics with 39.56% of bookings, spread across June, July, August and September. The busiest months are July and August, with over 10% in terms of bookings each. The summer provides the most opportunities to relocate on a nice, warm and sunny day. Nobody wants to do heavy labour in the rain or in the cold, right? It is also the time of year when most people have planned their days off and can easily throw in a house move.

On top of that, families with kids can plan their moves during the school summer vacation, so there is one less thing to worry about, which in the case of relocation is a big plus.

Best months to move according to our data:

(The percentage represents a portion of all the removals bookings we have received in our practice, spawning over a decade.)

Factors to consider when choosing the best time to switch houses

The best time to move is influenced by a number of factors. Everybody is in a slightly different scenario and might prefer a different day, month or time of the day. Nonetheless, here are some of the factors to consider before making a final decision:

Actually, what we’ve already seen is that extraordinary circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can significantly shift the statistics by pushing people to start moving earlier than usual. Regardless of the circumstances, however, we always strive to provide the same level of service regardless of when you decide to book removals with Fantastic Services.

One important thing to clarify here is that there is no surcharge on weekends, which a lot of competitors implement. This practice actually led to the common belief that the weekend is a “no-go” for removal jobs, but as you can see from our stats, this is not the case here.

A lot of people prefer to pay a higher price in order to use their free time to the maximum, while others opt for weekdays and take days off if needed. All of this being said, when you have an idea of how and when you want to relocate, you can call in and the sales team will further aid you in planning your move and booking your slot.