Man and van in Kent, always with two people

What is our man and van service?

Our man and van service in Kent is a van with two trained people who do all the carrying, for jobs smaller than a full house removal. That covers a single room, a studio or one-bedroom flat with little furniture, one or two large items, or a collection from an auction house, reclamation yard or private seller. Every piece is wrapped the way it would be on a full removal, with blankets on upholstery, corners protected and straps inside the van so nothing shifts on the M20. We work anywhere in the county and take single items to London and the neighbouring counties. You send the addresses, the items and the access at each end; we reply with a quote. If the job is really a removal in disguise, we will tell you before you book rather than on the day.

It is not van hire with a driver watching from the cab. If you would rather do the lifting yourselves, renting a van costs less, and we will say so rather than take the booking.

Jobs we see every week

How do auction and saleroom collections work?

Kent has a good many auction rooms, antique centres, reclamation yards and architectural salvage dealers, and a large share of our man and van work never touches the customer's house until the very end. Salerooms are generally strict about collection: they hand goods over only against proof of purchase, often within a set collection window after the sale, and some charge storage once that window closes.

So when you book, send us the paid invoice or the lot number, the saleroom's collection address, and whatever collection window they have given you. Tell us whether staff there will help load, because many rooms do not, and whether the piece is upstairs or in a yard. We bring our own blankets and straps, wrap the lot on the saleroom floor, and deliver it to the room you want rather than leaving it in the hall.

Reclamation yards, stone and cast iron

Reclaimed stone, cast-iron radiators, fire surrounds, oak beams and church pews are heavier and more awkward than almost anything in a house. Tell us exactly what the item is and roughly its size; a photograph is better still. Two people and a van is one job. Two people, a van, a sack truck and a stair-climbing trolley is another, and we would rather arrive with the right kit than send a second trip.

Student moves in Canterbury and Medway

Canterbury and the Medway campuses at Chatham send a steady flow of student moves our way: a room into halls, a room out of a shared house, a desk and a bookcase back to a family home in another county. These are ideal man and van jobs. Agree with your landlord or hall office where a van may wait, because many student streets in Canterbury are resident permit parking and some halls control vehicle access. Pack small items into cartons rather than bin bags, which tear and cannot be stacked, and keep laptops and documents with you.

Showroom and online purchases

Plenty of furniture is sold with kerbside delivery only, or as collection-only from a private seller. We collect, wrap and carry the piece into the room you want, and take a sofa through a narrow Medway hallway in the way that suits the frame: feet off, on end, or round the newel post. If a piece really will not fit, we tell you before it is forced, not after.

When does man and van become a full removal?

Once you are past a room or two of furniture. A man and van booking made to save money on a whole flat turns into several runs and a long evening, and it can cost more than the house removal would have. Describe the job and we will tell you honestly which side of the line you are on. If the move involves storage, our packing and storage page explains how that works.

Where we go

Anywhere in the county for small moves, and beyond it for collections and single-item deliveries. A run to London, Sussex or Essex with one piece of furniture is ordinary work; further afield is quoted on the length of the run rather than the size of the item.