Walk St Paul's from St Paul's Cathedral outwards and the post-war pattern is obvious: 98% of the 4,914 households in EC4 live in flats, 2% in houses.
Private renting sits at 48% and owner-occupation at 37%; the first group books shed clearance and removal at short notice, the second plans it.
St Paul's substrates run to dot-and-dab plasterboard over blockwork; locally that also means with metal stud partitions between rooms — where 37% owner-occupation means the same home is booked again rather than a new tenant each year. Nothing is drilled until the wall has been sounded, because in EC4, short screws that grip only the board and slowly lever it off the dabs — which is why City of London Corporation kerb rules get settled before the van is loaded is the mistake that costs a EC4 customer twice.
Two streets can behave very differently in St Paul's: cathedral precinct, One New Change shopping and the streets running down to the Millennium Bridge. The quote reflects the street the job is actually on. St Paul's sits inside the Congestion Charge zone as well as ULEZ, so both are itemised on the quote rather than absorbed into an hourly rate.
Getting to the door matters as much as the job: pedestrianised zones and camera-enforced streets; loading needs a permit from the Corporation. St Paul's (Central) is the nearest station, and two crew and a Luton on a standard timber shed; three crew where the shed is a workshop size, the base is concrete or the only route out is through the house.