Man with a van guide · Ealing · 9 min read
A man with a van in London costs £45 an hour for one mover and a Luton van, or £65 an hour for two, both including VAT with a two-hour minimum. Single items are £69, a studio or 1-bed flat move £220 and a 2-bed £340. The variables that actually move the bill are stairs, parking distance and how ready you are.
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
Same guide, different front doors. Here is the housing reality across 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.
An hourly booking is bought by the clock, and around Ealing the clock is spent on the carry, not the drive. 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 — a second-floor walk-up with no lift can add an hour to an otherwise identical load, which is why we ask for floor and lift details before quoting rather than after.
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. Most Ealing van bookings run two to four hours including travel between addresses, and 26.7% of households here are single-person — studio and one-bed loads, which is exactly the size an hourly van is cheapest for.
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 man with a van in London costs £45 an hour for one mover and a Luton van, or £65 an hour for two, both including VAT with a two-hour minimum. Single items are £69, a studio or 1-bed flat move £220 and a 2-bed £340. The variables that actually move the bill are stairs, parking distance and how ready you are.
What £45 an hour actually buys, when two movers cost less than one, and every charge to ask about.
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 Man with a Van Prices in London: Hourly Rates Explained in fullLocal insight
Ealing borders Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, Harrow, so crews already working nearby can often slot a Ealing job either side of one there, which is one of the reasons the same-day availability above holds up even on a short notice period.
On the ground, that looks like this: Hanwell (W7) is served by Hanwell (Elizabeth line), where narrow bridges over the brent, permit bays near the station and driveways elsewhere. Across the borough in Northolt (UB5), near Northolt (Central), the housing is different again — post-war estate houses with gardens, 1930s semis and low-rise flats. Two postcodes in the same borough, two different jobs.
Applied to Ealing: 133,657 households across 367,115 residents on Census 2021 figures, at 2.75 people per home. That average is what decides whether the job above is a two-hour van booking or a four-hour one — the volume follows the household size long before it follows the postcode.
Ealing in one line: The 'Queen of the Suburbs' at Ealing Broadway, plus Acton's terraces, Southall's Punjabi high street and Greenford's industry. Victorian villa suburbs built for City commuters, expanded hugely by the Great Western and the Central line.
In Ealing the loading sets the pace. 50.3% of homes here are houses, so most of the step above happens off a driveway or straight off the kerb, and crew size rather than carry distance is what shortens the day.
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 · Man with a Van Prices in London: Hourly Rates Explained across London · All man with a van guides · Man with a van in London
Questions
We quote an hourly rate with the likely hours written down before you book, so a Ealing job is not open-ended. The hours turn on the carry — with 49.5% of homes here being flats, stairs and floor level matter more than distance — plus the number of items, whether anything needs dismantling, and ULEZ, which are included in the figure rather than added later.
£45 an hour including VAT for one mover and a Luton van, or £65 an hour for two movers. Both carry a two-hour minimum, and after that we bill in 30-minute blocks rather than rounding up to the next hour.
No deposit is taken for a standard hourly booking. You confirm the slot, we confirm the rate in writing, and payment is due when the job is finished.
Almost always three things: more items than described, stairs that were not mentioned, and nothing being packed when the crew arrives. All three are avoidable, which is why we ask for a photo of the load before quoting.
Saturday and evening slots are charged at the same hourly rate; they simply sell out first. Bank holidays and the last working day of the month are the two dates worth booking early.
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.
This is the best man and van with house moving service that I have ever come across! The driver and his mate were very respectful, kind and polite while packing my stuff and they delivered my items with care. I recommend this company to everyone. Their quote was also fair and affordable and they have… Read in full →
We hired a Man with a Van, and the service was excellent. I would recommend to anyone needing an efficient move with little fuss.
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