Student moves look small on paper and rarely are. A single room’s worth of belongings does not need a lorry, but it does need to arrive on a specific day, often at a building with a one hour unloading slot, on the same weekend that several thousand other people are doing exactly the same thing.
Whether you are a parent doing the first drop off or a third year moving out of a shared house for the summer, here is how to make it painless.
Moving into halls for the first time
Check what is already provided
Almost every hall of residence provides a bed, mattress, desk, chair, wardrobe and often a small fridge. Some provide bedding and kitchen equipment as a starter pack. Read the accommodation handbook before you buy anything, because duplicated kitchenware is the single most common waste of money in a first year move.
Find out the arrival arrangements
Most universities allocate timed arrival slots and restrict vehicle access to a short window. You will usually need to know:
- Your arrival date and time slot, which is rarely negotiable during freshers’ week
- Where to park and for how long
- Whether there is a lift, and whether it is shared with three hundred other arrivals
- Whether trolleys are provided
- Where to collect keys, which is often not the accommodation block
Pack for the first fortnight, not the year
Winter coats, spare bedding and anything seasonal can come at Christmas. Bringing everything at once is how a small room becomes unliveable in week one.
Useful things people forget: a four way extension lead, a door wedge, paracetamol, a bottle opener, a proper mug, a reusable water bottle, plasters, a laundry bag and enough coat hangers. Advice on the wider university transition is available through UCAS student life, and Save the Student is a reliable source for budgeting.
Moving into a shared house in second and third year
This is the bigger job, because you are now furnishing a house rather than filling a room. Coordinate with housemates before anyone buys anything, and agree who is bringing the microwave, the hoover and the iron.
- Check the inventory on day one and photograph everything, including existing damage. Student deposits are disputed more often than any other category.
- Confirm who is on the tenancy and whether liability is joint. It matters enormously if someone drops out.
- Sort bills early. Agree how utilities are split before the first bill arrives, not after.
- Check parking and access for moving day. Terraced student streets are frequently permit only and very tight for vehicles.
The summer storage problem
Most student tenancies run for around 44 weeks, which leaves a gap of two months or so where you have a house full of belongings and nowhere to put them. The usual options are driving everything home, abandoning it, or storing it.
For anyone whose family home is a long way away, or who is returning to the same city in September, storage is the obvious answer. Belongings are collected at the end of the tenancy, held securely over the summer and delivered to the new address in September. It costs far less than an extra two months of rent and removes an entire weekend of driving at each end.
Splitting a container between housemates makes it cheaper still, and our container storage and student removals service are built around exactly this pattern. Book early: the last week of June is the busiest week of the student year for every storage provider in the country.
International students
If you are flying home for the summer or returning at the end of your course, the calculation is different again. Airline baggage allowances make bringing everything back impractical, and shipping a few boxes is often cheaper than replacing a room’s contents. We can store belongings between academic years or arrange international removals at the end of a course.
Graduating and moving on
The final move is usually the messiest, because it happens during exams, everyone leaves on different days and the house needs to be returned in a lettable condition.
- Agree a single clearing day with all housemates and put it in the diary in April, not June.
- Deal with shared items early. Sell, donate or agree who takes them.
- Donate what you cannot take. Most university cities run end of term donation schemes with local charities.
- Take meter readings and photograph the empty house room by room.
- Give the deposit scheme a forwarding address that will still work in three months.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a removal firm for a student move?
For one room and a car boot, no. For a shared house, a long distance move, a September arrival with a timed slot, or anything involving storage over the summer, a professional crew removes a genuinely stressful day.
How much does student storage cost?
It depends on volume and duration, and splitting a container between housemates brings the per person cost down significantly. Tell us roughly what you have and we will quote for the actual summer period.
Can you collect from one address and deliver to another?
Yes, and that is the normal pattern: collection at the end of one tenancy, storage over the summer, delivery to the new house in September.
What should I not bring to halls?
Candles, portable heaters and anything with an open flame are banned in most halls on fire safety grounds. Large furniture is unnecessary, and a printer usually turns out to be too, given campus printing.
When should I book?
For September arrivals and end of June collections, as early as you can. Those two windows are the most concentrated of the year.
Planning a university move?
We handle student moves and summer storage across Liverpool, Chester, Manchester and the wider North West. Get your free quote or call 0151 343 1264.
