Man with a van guide · Ealing · 11 min read
A clearance run is a licensed activity, not a removals job. Anyone taking your waste away must be a registered waste carrier, and as the householder you have a legal duty to check. Pricing is by van load and by weight at the transfer station, so an honest quote asks what the items are before it names a number.
Written for the 133,657 households in Ealing — 49.5% of them flats, across W3, W5, W7, W13 — with the stairs, parking and permit rules that apply here.
By The Hello Services moving team · Published 2026-08-20 · Updated 2026-08-20
Local read
The guide below is the London-wide version. This panel is what changes once the move is inside this borough. Ealing covers W3, W5, W7, W13, UB1, UB2, UB5, UB6, NW10 and 9 named areas, and the housing type, the stairs and the parking decide most of what an hourly van job here actually costs.
133,657
Households in Ealing
49.5%
Homes that are flats
2.75
People per household
9
Areas covered, each with its own guide
Edwardian villas, 1930s semis, Victorian terraces in Acton and new Crossrail-era blocks at Southall and Ealing Broadway. 50.3% of homes here are houses, so most jobs load off a driveway or straight off the kerb and the crew size matters more than the carry distance. That is what decides whether an hourly van booking is two hours or four.
London Borough of Ealing runs the local reuse and recycling centres, and vans generally need a permit — which is why a "quick tip trip" so often turns into a booking with us. We are a registered waste carrier, so a clearance run from Ealing leaves with a transfer note per load rather than a promise.
Volume and carry, in that order. 50.3% of homes in Ealing are houses, so most loads go straight off a driveway or the kerb and crew size matters more than carry distance. With 49.5% of homes in Ealing being flats, most clearance jobs here are stairs jobs, and reusable furniture is offered for reuse or recycling before it is treated as waste. Ealing is outside the Congestion Charge zone and inside ULEZ, so the access cost worth planning is a bay suspension with London Borough of Ealing — around ten working days' notice.
Ealing has 133,657 households across 367,115 residents on Census 2021 figures, with a median age of 36.5. 34% of households rent privately, so Ealing moves in tenancy cycles — end-of-month and end-of-quarter Saturdays book out first. 26.7% of households are single-person, which is exactly the studio-and-one-bed profile an hourly van handles best.
Mixed — driveways in Ealing and Greenford, but Acton and Southall have tight CPZs and busy narrow shopping streets. Ealing sits outside the Congestion Charge zone and inside ULEZ, so the access cost that matters is a parking bay suspension booked with London Borough of Ealing, usually around ten working days' notice.
With 17.5% of homes in social housing, most bookings here are private addresses where the only permission needed is the parking bay. We confirm the hourly rate and the likely hours for an hourly van job in Ealing in writing, so nothing about the bill is a surprise on the day.
Household, housing-mix and tenure figures: ONS Census 2021, borough level — the smallest geography publishing all three series. Access and permit notes: London Borough of Ealing, Transport for London ULEZ and Congestion Charge zones.
The guide
A clearance run is a licensed activity, not a removals job. Anyone taking your waste away must be a registered waste carrier, and as the householder you have a legal duty to check. Pricing is by van load and by weight at the transfer station, so an honest quote asks what the items are before it names a number.
What a licensed clearance van can legally take, what it costs by load, and why the cheapest quote is the risky one.
This guide covers
Read the full guide
The complete article — every section above, in full, with worked examples — lives on one canonical London-wide page shared by every borough.
Read Clearance Runs and Tip Trips in London with a Man and Van in fullLocal insight
Access in Ealing is the part that slips. Mixed — driveways in Ealing and Greenford, but Acton and Southall have tight CPZs and busy narrow shopping streets. On top of that, the borough is outside the Congestion Charge zone but inside ULEZ, so the access line that moves the price is a parking bay suspension with London Borough of Ealing, booked around ten working days ahead.
Tenure changes how this books locally: 34% of households in Ealing rent privately, so the borough moves in tenancy cycles and the end-of-month Saturdays go first. Book the date above as soon as your notice is served rather than when the keys are confirmed.
Geography, in practice: Ealing covers W3, W5, W7, W13, UB1, UB2, UB5, UB6, NW10 across 9 named areas, each with its own guide, best known for Ealing Studios and Walpole Park. Crews are routed to the loading point for the specific postcode, because inside one borough it is rarely the drive that costs time — it is the stairs and the parking.
Who this reads for in Ealing: 26.7% of households here are single-person and the median age is 36.5. That is exactly the studio-and-one-bed profile an hourly van handles best, and it is why most bookings in this borough are half-day rather than full-day.
Buildings in Ealing: with only 17.5% of homes in social housing, most bookings here are private addresses where the only permission needed is the parking bay. That keeps the step above to a single phone call rather than a managing-agent chain.
Housing stock, locally: Edwardian villas, 1930s semis, Victorian terraces in Acton and new Crossrail-era blocks at Southall and Ealing Broadway. That is why an hourly van booking in Ealing is surveyed before it is priced — the number you are quoted is the number you pay, and it is built from your actual doors, stairs and street rather than a borough average.
Choose the right service
Ealing splits almost evenly
Ealing runs at 50% flats and 50% houses, so both answers are common on the same street. Homes in Ealing average 2.58 bedrooms, and 49% have one or two. The deciding factor is the size of the load and whether you want a fixed price or an hourly rate.
From £45/hr
One mover + Luton van, 2-hour minimum
Studios, one-beds, room moves and single items anywhere in Ealing.
From £420
Fixed price after a video survey
Two-bed flats upwards, family homes and chain completions across Ealing.
The crossover sits at roughly a two-bed load: below it an hourly van almost always wins on price, above it a fixed-price crew wins on time and on the risk of a second trip. If a Luton van (about 500 cubic feet) would need more than one run between your two Ealing addresses, book the removals crew.
| What matters | Man with a van | House removals |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home size | Room, studio, 1-bed, occasionally a light 2-bed | 2-bed upwards, and any home with a full kitchen and loft |
| How you are charged | Hourly from £45, 2-hour minimum, billed in 30-minute blocks | Fixed price from £420 after a free video survey |
| Crew and vehicle | One or two movers, Luton or long-wheelbase van | Two to four movers, Luton van or 7.5-tonne lorry |
| Time on site | 90 minutes to half a day | Half a day to a full day, two days on larger homes |
| Packing | You pack; boxes can be delivered beforehand | Full or fragile-only packing available the day before |
| Paperwork | Booking confirmation and hourly rate in writing | Written inventory, condition notes and transit cover schedule |
| Parking in Ealing | One bay is usually enough; suspension optional on short runs | Bay suspension at both ends, booked with the council in advance |
| Completion-day chains | Workable, but the clock runs while you wait for keys | Built for it — waiting time and storage are priced in upfront |
Can you fit everything in one Luton van?
If yes, book the van and pay by the hour. If it needs a second trip, the removals crew is cheaper and finishes the same day.
Are you still packing this week?
An hourly booking charges for the wait. A fixed-price removals job with packing added protects you from that.
Is there a chain, or a same-day completion?
Chains in Ealing slip. A fixed price with waiting time and overnight storage built in is the safer booking.
Is it one bulky item or a marketplace collection?
That is a van job — from £69 in Ealing, no survey needed.
Housing mix and household figures: ONS Census 2021 (TS044 accommodation type, TS054 tenure, TS003 household composition); bedroom averages from TS050 at borough level. Prices are our published from-rates, excluding VAT where stated on the rate card.
By area
Acton Main Line (Elizabeth line) · near Acton Park and the former Acton laundries
Seven stations, Victorian terraces and a fast-changing town centre.
Victorian terraces in flats, post-war estates and new Elizabeth-line-era blocks.
Narrow terraced streets with permit bays, plus new towers requiring booked lifts.
Ealing Broadway (Elizabeth line, Central, District) · near Ealing Studios and Walpole Park
The Queen of the Suburbs — Walpole Park, the studios and a busy Broadway.
Edwardian villas, Victorian terraces in flats and new Broadway apartments.
Broadway loading windows, permit bays on the villa streets and booked lifts in new blocks.
Greenford (Central) · near The Grand Union Canal at Greenford
Canal-side industry, the Central line's wooden escalator and 1930s semis.
1930s semis with drives, post-war terraces and new canal-side flats.
Wide roads with driveways; the industrial estates carry heavy traffic at peak.
Hanwell (Elizabeth line) · near The Wharncliffe Viaduct
The Wharncliffe Viaduct, the Brent valley and a village-like clock tower centre.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces, 1930s semis with drives.
Narrow bridges over the Brent, permit bays near the station and driveways elsewhere.
Northolt (Central) · near Northala Fields
The aerodrome, Northala Fields' pyramid mounds and post-war estate housing.
Post-war estate houses with gardens, 1930s semis and low-rise flats.
Wide estate roads, driveways and easy turning space throughout.
Park Royal (Piccadilly) · near The Guinness brewery site and Central Middlesex Hospital
London's largest industrial estate, now with new residential blocks on its edges.
New apartment blocks, converted industrial units and terraced streets nearby.
HGV-heavy estate roads, gated units and new blocks with loading docks.
Perivale (Central) · near The Hoover Building on Western Avenue
The Art Deco Hoover Building, the golf course and 1930s semis along the Western Avenue.
1930s semis and terraces with drives, plus flats converted into the Hoover Building.
Driveway parking on most streets; A40 slip roads and industrial estate access govern the rest.
Southall (Elizabeth line) · near Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall
The Broadway's Punjabi shops and sweet centres, and the Gurdwara's golden dome.
Edwardian terraces in family and multiple occupation, plus new Green Quarter blocks.
Very busy Broadway with short loading windows; new blocks need booked lifts.
West Ealing (Elizabeth line) · near Brentham Garden Suburb
The Broadway market, Dean Gardens and the Brentham garden suburb nearby.
Edwardian terraces and semis, garden-suburb cottages and small flat blocks.
Level-crossing delays, market-day loading limits and permit bays near the station.
More guides
Man with a van in Ealing · Clearance Runs and Tip Trips in London with a Man and Van across London · All man with a van guides · Man with a van in London
Questions
Yes. We are a registered waste carrier, so everything cleared from your Ealing address leaves with a waste transfer note and reusable items go for reuse or recycling first. It is priced by volume and carry rather than by the hour. Note that London Borough of Ealing tips usually require a permit for a van, which is why a self-service trip often is not the cheaper option it looks like.
Only if they hold an upper-tier waste carrier registration. Ask for the number, check it on the Environment Agency public register and keep the receipt — the household duty of care sits with you.
It is priced by van load and by weight, with steps for a minimum charge, quarter, half and full loads. Heavy materials like rubble and soil carry a weight surcharge because they are priced at the weighbridge.
Yes, but both are quoted separately. Fridges need degassing and mattresses carry a per-item charge at almost every London transfer station, so they are not part of a general mixed load price.
You can, with a permit. Most London reuse and recycling centres require a van or trailer permit, cap the number of visits and refuse trade waste, so apply through your borough about a week in advance.
Was able to hire a van and driver at very short notice. Great value for money. Driver went above and beyond what he should've been expected to do based on my initial description of the job required. The driver also had excellent communication skills and kept me updated at every stage. Office staff very helpful… Read in full →
Used this service recently and can’t fault them at all they were on time did everything I needed and were very helpful. I’d recommend this company.
We hired a Man with a Van, and the service was excellent. I would recommend to anyone needing an efficient move with little fuss.
Read all 4 Man with a Van reviews →
Quoted verbatim from reviews customers left on our public Google and Trustpilot profiles. Nothing is edited, shortened beyond the link above, or written by us.
