Cost of moving drops by third in a decade

Research from reallymoving.com, a provider of instant online quotes for home-movers, showed that the cost of moving has fallen by more than a third in the last ten years, despite the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) and increasing house prices.

The average cost of moving in 1999 was GBP 2,402 and is almost GBP 800 less in 2009 at GBP 1,604. While the costs of services such as conveyancing (-10%), surveys (-24%) and removals (-15%) have decreased over the ten year period, and even with the additional cost of a HIP, the cost of moving is still lower than a decade ago.

In addition, the stamp duty holiday for properties under GBP 175,000 that has been in place since September 2008 has added an extra saving for home movers who have not had to pay the land tax.

Rosemary Rogers, director, reallymoving.com said: “Ten years ago it was not as easy to source a number of quotes for a move, and consumers would simply go with the first firm they spoke to or rely on a personal recommendation. Today’s canny home movers can use websites to receive a number of competitive quotes within minutes with one simple click of the mouse.”