If you’re about to move home, the exact date you pick could make a substantial dent in your overall budget.
Most people naturally aim for the end of the week or the end of the month to give themselves the weekend to unpack, but that herd mentality creates massive spikes in demand, sending the cost of professional removal vans and packing services through the roof.
This Friday is forecast to be one of the busiest moving days of the entire year, with industry data showing vastly more households collecting keys than on any typical day. If your completion date isn’t set in stone, and you’ve still got a bit of wiggle room in your schedule, steering clear of peak days can easily save you hundreds of pounds. Here is why the calendar matters so much when you’re moving house, along with the cheapest days to book your slot.
Weekends and month ends tend to cost the most.
According to comparison site Moving Compared, the average cost of moving home, including a removal company with packing service, contents insurance, packing materials and mail redirection, comes to £1,737.29. That figure climbs to £2,011.29 if you move during busier periods, such as weekends or right at the end of the month.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the cheapest days to book, with average costs dropping to around £1,525.29. That’s a saving of nearly £500 compared to moving at the busiest times, simply by choosing a quieter day of the week.
Fridays are consistently the priciest day to move.
Removals company AnyVan has found similar patterns in its own data. Moving a two-bedroom home on a Friday, typically the busiest day of the week for removals, costs an average of £613, roughly £100 more than moving between Monday and Wednesday.
The same data shows August is the busiest month of the year for house moves, accounting for around 10 per cent of all annual moves, while January is the quietest, making up just 6 per cent. If your moving date has any flexibility at all, shifting away from peak months and days could meaningfully reduce your overall costs.
Booking early makes a big difference too.
Removal companies generally recommend booking as far in advance as possible, particularly if you’re planning to move during the summer months when demand is at its highest. If you do have a choice over which day to move, aiming for a quieter weekday, ideally somewhere between Monday and Wednesday, tends to be the more affordable option.
Don’t forget to update your home insurance.
Once you’ve sorted your moving date, insurance is one of the first things to think about. You can usually carry your existing home insurance policy over to your new address, but it won’t happen automatically, so you’ll need to let your insurer know what’s happening.
Be aware that moving can affect your premium, since pricing is based on factors like the size and value of your new property, along with things like flood risk. You may also be charged an admin fee to transfer your policy. In some cases, insurers may not be able to offer cover at all, for example if your new property has known issues with subsidence, meaning you’d need to shop around for a new policy instead. Whatever your situation, make sure buildings cover is in place from the day you exchange contracts, not the day you actually move in, since that’s the point you become legally responsible for the property.
The biggest costs involved in moving home.
Beyond removals, moving home comes with a fair few other expenses. Research from comparison site Reallymoving puts the average total cost of moving at almost £18,000, covering stamp duty, estate agent fees, conveyancing, surveys, removals and getting an EPC. That figure has risen by 27 per cent year-on-year, largely due to changes to stamp duty thresholds introduced in April 2025.
Stamp duty remains the single biggest cost, averaging £9,750, followed by estate agent fees at £4,615 and conveyancing at £2,182. First time buyers tend to face a much smaller bill overall, averaging £2,315 including stamp duty, conveyancing, surveys and removals, largely because most first time buyers won’t pay stamp duty or estate agent fees at all. Whichever stage you’re at, compare prices across different estate agents, conveyancers, surveyors, and removal companies rather than going with the first quote you receive.
Remember to update your car insurance as well.
Car insurance is another detail that’s easy to overlook during a move. Your address plays a role in how insurers price risk, so a new postcode could push your premium up or down depending on where you’re relocating to. You should update where your car will typically be kept overnight, since parking on a driveway, in a garage or on the street can all affect your quote.
If your commute or general car use is changing as a result of the move, for example if you’ll now be driving to a station or office you didn’t before, you’ll need to update your policy to reflect that too. If your premium goes up after moving, it’s worth comparing quotes to see whether a better deal is available elsewhere, though you should avoid cancelling your existing policy until new cover is fully in place. Remember to update both your driving licence and V5C logbook with the DVLA separately after a move, since updating one doesn’t automatically update the other.
There’s an unexpected costs that often catch movers out.
Even with careful budgeting, moving costs have a habit of creeping up in ways people don’t always expect. Common surprises include the cost of decorating a new property, along with buying curtains, blinds, furniture, and appliances that the previous owners didn’t leave behind.
Mortgage fees are another cost that’s easy to underestimate, often coming in close to £1,000 and sometimes exceeding £2,000 depending on the deal. Fee-free mortgage options do exist, but they typically come with a higher interest rate attached, so it’s important to weigh up whether paying a fee upfront or accepting a higher rate works out better for your circumstances. Comparing mortgage rates carefully, or speaking to a broker who can help balance a competitive rate against upfront costs, is generally a worthwhile step before committing to a deal.
With so many costs stacking up around a move, big and small, a bit of planning around timing alone could save you several hundred pounds without much extra effort. Picking a quieter day, avoiding peak season where you can, and booking your removal company early are some of the simplest ways to keep the overall bill down.
