According to the research , Friday is the most popular day to move house, Thursday is the most expensive and Sunday is the cheapest. Most of Britain prefer to move in the summer and on a Friday, though in Wales they favour Wednesday, and in Yorkshire and the Humber movers wait until December.
These are just a few of the trends unearthed by analysing data from nearly 66,500 UK movers that used Compare My Move services in 2017. From the most popular day, month and season to move house, to the most neglected moving day, Compare My Move reveal the best time to move house.
Britain's Favourite Time to Move House
After analysing nearly 65,000 house moves, we’ve discovered that Friday reigns supreme across every region in Britain, all except the regions of Wales and Central London. In fact, 30% of all Compare My Move house moves were on a Friday in 2017. Friday has long been a favourite for house movers keeping the time off work to minimum, and taking full advantage of the weekend to unpack.
The data shows that the favourite day to move in Central London is Saturday, though Friday comes in at a close second. This is likely to be Londoners wanting to miss the traffic during the rush hour that is the working week in the capital.
Movers in Wales are unique in the fact that their favoured day to move is a Wednesday.
This seriously bucks the Friday trend, but movers in Wales don’t stop there. Saturday is the least popular day to move in Wales, in comparison to every other region where they neglect a Sunday move.
Moving on a Sunday is almost universally deemed a bad idea by movers in Britain, with only 5% opting to move on the day of rest. Sunday is the most unpopular day to move in Britain, and with the closure of banks and the winding down of key services on a Sunday, plus the looming Monday morning, it’s easy to see why.
The most popular month to move in Britain is August, with movers taking full advantage of the (somewhat) dependable weather and long, bright days. Families tend to choose August to move to settle children ahead of the new school year.
A few regions buck the overall trend, with July being the favoured month for moves in the South West, North East, North West, and Scotland. September is favoured by movers in Wales, the West Midlands, and the East Midlands. Compare My Move users in Yorkshire and the Humber region buck the trend completely however, with a majority waiting until December to move, a month generally shunned by other regions.
Overall, movers in Britain prefer a summer move, with the months of June, July and August collectively being the busiest months for Compare My Move removal partners. However region-by-region, movers in Wales, the West Midlands, the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber prefer to wait for an autumnal move, whereas movers in the North East prefer to renew their living arrangements in spring.
The Day to Day Cost of Moving House
Compare My Move looked at the average removal quotes received by a sample of users to explore how the cost of moving house differs across the week. We selected only 3 bedroom house moves, and took the average of the highest and lowest quote price the user received.
Sunday is the cheapest day to move house, with an average three bedroom house move costing £683 This is a saving of 21% against the average across the week. Tuesday was the second cheapest day at £755, 14% cheaper than the average across the week. This trend demonstrates how the most unpopular moving days are the cheapest, with only 5% and 9% of movers choosing Sunday and Tuesday respectively. As house removal tends to be a 7 day a week industry, this lower cost may be indicative of companies filling their working weeks through off-peak discounts.
Thursday is the most expensive day to move house according to our data, with an average three bedroom move costing £1,012, 17% above the weekly average. It’s interesting to note that though Friday is the most popular day, it’s not the most expensive on average. This could be indicative of competition between removal companies keeping the Friday costs reasonable, as they vie over 30% of their weekly work.
Dave Sayce, Compare My Move Co-founder, had this to say: “Our research shows that Friday still reigns supreme for movers across Britain, with a huge 30% of movers choosing this day. With one day off work netting you three days to get settled in with the help of the weekend, it’s clear why Friday is such a favourite. If you want to nab a Friday move at a decent rate, make sure you book at least three months ahead of time, and always compare removal quotes.
If you’re looking for a budget move, our data shows that the cheapest rates are on the most unpopular moving days of Sunday and Tuesday. Only 5% of our users opted for a Sunday move, and with businesses and banks winding down on the day of rest and Monday morning looming, it’s easy to see why.
However, the potential for off-peak discounts by removal companies wanting to fill their working week on these days make bucking the trend worth it.
Whenever you choose to move, remember to always compare multiple removal companies, always be prepared to negotiate, and always expect a free house survey for a watertight quote.”
