Student removals: a practical guide

Student moves fall into a few familiar patterns. There is the first trip into halls at the start of the year, the move from halls into a shared house for second year, moves between shared houses each summer, and the end of course move back home or into a first job. Each one has a different load and a different deadline.

What they share is timing. Halls have fixed arrival and departure windows, tenancies on shared houses often start and end on the same date across a whole city, and everyone wants a van on the same weekend.

Halls rooms are small and usually furnished, so the temptation to bring everything is worth resisting. Bedding, clothes, a few kitchen basics, a laptop, books and some personal items are the core. Check what the accommodation provides before buying duplicates, and leave larger furniture at home unless the room is genuinely empty.

Many halls have rules about what you cannot use in a room, often covering certain electrical items such as some heaters or cooking appliances. Read the accommodation guidance before packing so you do not carry something there only to take it home again.

Moving from one shared house to another usually means more stuff than halls: a desk, a chair, perhaps a bed frame or a small sofa bought second hand, plus everything accumulated over a year. Agree early with housemates who owns what, especially shared items like a television or kitchen equipment, so nothing is fought over or left behind on the last day.

Leave the old house as clean as your tenancy requires before you go. Our guide to moving out of a rented home covers deposits and the checkout in more detail.

Some students keep a room over the summer, others hand back their keys and take everything home. If you are heading home, sort and pack in the last couple of weeks of term rather than the final night. Throw out the things you would not buy again, and label boxes by what is inside so you can find your course notes in September without unpacking the lot.

A typical student room, including bags, boxes, a desk chair and a few small items of furniture, is usually comfortably within one van load. Several rooms can also fit, depending on the amount of furniture involved. When you ask for a quote, list the bigger pieces and give a rough number of boxes and bags, and mention whether either address has stairs or no lift.

Our guide comparing man and van with full removals explains where the line usually falls between the two.

Start and end of term weekends are the busiest dates, so book as soon as your move date is clear. If you can move a day earlier or later than everyone else in your street, it usually makes the day easier, with quieter roads and more choice of times. Check the exact times you can collect and return keys at both ends, because a van arriving before the room is ready is time wasted.

Sturdy boxes of a sensible size are easier to carry than overstuffed bin bags, which split on stairs. Keep heavy books in small boxes and bedding in large ones. Write your name and the room or address on each box, particularly if you are sharing a van. Our how to pack for a move guide has more detail on packing safely.

When several friends are moving to the same new house, sharing one van often makes sense. Agree a loading order in advance, keep each person's belongings together and labelled, and make sure everyone is packed by the time the van arrives. If people are going to different addresses, tell us when you ask for a quote so the route can be planned.