Guides
Everything we get asked on the phone, written down: what changes a quote, how to plan the weeks before, which service actually suits your load, and what we do when access is difficult.
What actually drives the price of a move, a van or a storage unit — and how to get an accurate quote first time.
Removals pricing looks opaque from the outside, but it comes down to a small number of measurable things: how much there is, how hard it is to reach the van, how far it travels and how long the crew is on site.
Understand a removals quote line by lineMan and van is usually the cheapest way to move a part-load, a single room or a flat — but only when the job is sized correctly.
See how hourly man-and-van pricing is builtStorage quotes are built from three things — the space you occupy, how long you occupy it, and the work involved getting your things in and back out again.
Work out what storage should cost youMost student storage bookings are the same shape: a handful of boxes and a few bulky items, collected in June and returned in September.
Budget for storage between term datesA move from the North East to London, Manchester or Bristol is priced differently to a local job: the driving time dominates, and getting it into one trip is the main saving.
Plan the budget for a UK-wide moveCommercial moves are priced on downtime as much as volume. The cheapest quote is rarely the one that gets you trading again on Monday morning.
Budget a commercial relocationInsurance is the claim people check hardest when choosing a remover, and it is also the one most often misunderstood. Every LMD Logistics job is carried out fully insured, with goods in transit and public liability cover in place.
Understand the cover behind your movePeople usually ask what a move costs before they say how big the property is, and property size is the first thing that decides the answer. It sets the volume, the crew size, the vehicle and the number of hours.
Match your property size to the right serviceTwo houses with the same number of bedrooms can be quoted very differently, and it is rarely because one firm is trying it on. Removals pricing comes down to time, and a handful of things decide how long a job takes.
Understand what you are being charged forA quote is not just a number. It is a description of the job, and the number is the last line of it. If a quote does not tell you what you are getting, you cannot compare it with anybody else's.
Check a quote before you accept itDeposits worry people, particularly after a bad experience with a trade booking. In removals a deposit is normal practice for one reason: your date is being held and that slot cannot be sold to anybody else.
Know what you should be asked to pay up frontChecklists and timelines for the weeks before, the day itself and the hours after you get the keys.
Most moving-day stress is created weeks earlier by jobs that slipped. This checklist puts each task in the week it actually belongs.
Know what to do and whenPacking badly costs twice: once in breakages and again in the hours the crew spends working around loose items.
Pack so nothing breaks and unpacking is fastKnowing the shape of the day removes most of the anxiety. Here's how a typical house move runs with our crew.
Know what happens and when on the dayThe classic moving-day problem isn't weight, it's geometry. A sofa that came into the old house through a wide Victorian hallway may not turn on a modern staircase.
Check big items fit before the van arrivesAppliances and outbuildings cause more last-minute delays than anything else, because they need preparation that can't be done while the crew waits.
Get white goods and outdoor items move-readyEvery insured removals company has a restricted list. Knowing it a week ahead saves an awkward conversation at the van door.
Avoid a moving-day surpriseDistance from the van to the door is one of the few move factors entirely within your control — and it can change the length of the day noticeably.
Get the van close to the doorShort-notice moves happen — a chain collapses, a tenancy ends early, a job starts sooner than planned. The trick is doing things in the right order and dropping what doesn't matter.
Move in days, not weeksMost people either book far too early to be accurate or far too late to get the date they want. The honest answer sits in between, and it depends on whether your date is fixed.
Book the right slot at the right timeMan and van or full removals? DIY hire or a crew? Honest comparisons so you don't overpay for the wrong service.
These two services overlap, and picking wrong is the most common reason a move costs more than it should.
Pick the right service for your loadSelf-drive hire is genuinely the right answer for some moves. It's the wrong answer for more of them than people expect, because the headline day rate isn't the whole cost.
Decide whether DIY is really cheaperBoth keep your things safe. They differ on how often you need to get to them, and on who does the lifting.
Choose the right storage modelNational booking platforms are convenient. The trade-off is that the company quoting isn't always the company arriving.
Understand who actually turns upSofas, wardrobes, appliances, machinery and marketplace purchases regularly fall between a parcel network and a full haulage load. Here's how to tell which you need.
Ship something too big for a courierEvery item you move costs van space, and every item you store costs rent. A short decision pass before packing usually pays for itself.
Decide what's worth keepingNarrow lanes, no lift, delayed completions, awkward furniture — how we handle the moves that don't go to plan.
Large parts of the North East's housing stock are terraced streets with rear lanes that were never designed for a Luton. It's routine work — it just needs planning.
Move where a big van can't parkStair-only flats are one of the few jobs where crew size changes the total cost downwards — more hands means far fewer trips per person.
Move out of a stairs-only flatChains slip. When the sale completes before the purchase, your belongings need somewhere to be — ideally with the same company that's already carrying them.
Bridge a gap between two housesWeight is only half the problem — an item that two people can lift may still be impossible to turn on a staircase. Both get assessed before we quote.
Move something unusually heavyBefore assuming an item can't go in, work through the options in order. Most sofas that 'don't fit' actually do, on a different angle.
Get a big item into a small doorwayClearing a family home is rarely just a logistics job. Our approach is to work to your pace, keep the decisions reversible where we can, and never rush a room.
Clear a home with care and no pressureBoxes are the easy part. The awkward parts of a move are usually living things and heavy instruments, and each needs a decision before the day rather than on it.
Plan the parts of a move a van cannot solveNobody wants this conversation, but it is the one people quietly worry about while they watch a van being loaded. Damage is rare when a job is done properly, and it is not impossible.
Know the process before you need itCompletion day is the most stressful move there is, because the schedule is not yours. Funds move between solicitors, keys are released when they are released, and everybody in the chain is waiting on somebody else.
Plan for the day the keys arriveMove types with their own rules: tenancy changeovers, office relocations, downsizing and trade deliveries.
The gap between one tenancy ending and the next starting is usually days, not weeks. Everything we do for landlords is built around that window.
Turn a property round between tenantsAn office move succeeds or fails on preparation. The physical lifting is the easy part; the labelling system is what gets people working on Monday.
Move an office and keep tradingIf you sell furniture, beds, appliances or anything else a customer can't take home in a car, the delivery experience is part of your product. We run that leg for retailers across the region.
Outsource customer deliveriesAuction lots and marketplace bargains are only bargains if you can get them home. We collect from private sellers, auction houses and dealers anywhere in the UK.
Collect something you've boughtDownsizing is less about logistics and more about decisions. Our job is to make the physical side easy enough that you can concentrate on the choices.
Move to a smaller home calmlyMove-in weekend is the busiest few days of the academic year in Newcastle, Durham and Sunderland. Timing is everything.
Get into halls without the chaosPlenty of our work isn't house moves at all — it's the vehicle a joiner, fabricator or workshop needs for a day that their own van can't cover.
Get materials and machinery moved