Quick list: the 15 best removal companies in Canterbury
| Company | Best for | Based in |
|---|---|---|
| Andrews of Kent Removals & Storage | Best for full service house moves and storage | Canterbury CT1 |
| G7 Removal Ltd | Best for man and van and office moves | Canterbury CT1 to CT4 |
| Phileo Clearance & Removals | Best for house clearance combined with removals | Canterbury CT1 |
| Canterbury Man and Van | Best for small moves and single items | Sturry CT2 |
| Doo's Removals | Best for fragile items and small teams | Aylesham near Canterbury |
| Stranks Removals & Storage | Best for storage and larger family homes | Serves Canterbury from Ashford CT postcode area |
| Bearsbys | Best for experience with Canterbury access rules | Serves Canterbury and wider Kent |
| More Than Movers | Best for a small consistent crew | Serves Canterbury from Folkestone CT20 |
| Medway & Kent Removals | Best for fixed price quotes | Serves Canterbury from Rochester |
| Heads Removals | Best for established family run service | Serves Canterbury from East Kent branches |
| Giant Van | Best for instant online quotes | Serves Canterbury CT1 to CT4 |
| Viking Group (The Transporter Removals) | Best for washing machine disconnection and reconnection | Serves Canterbury from Margate and Ramsgate |
| Minters Ltd | Best for long established container storage | Serves Canterbury from Dover |
| Pickfords | Best for national and international moves | National coverage including Canterbury |
| Bishop's Move | Best for larger national brand reassurance | National coverage including Canterbury |
1. Andrews of Kent Removals & Storage
Best for: Best for full service house moves and storage.
Andrews of Kent has been trading for more than thirty five years and is a member of the British Association of Removers. The firm works from a Canterbury base and covers the whole city plus the CT postcode villages.
A relocation representative visits your home before the move and puts together a written quote covering every item you want handled. Packing materials and dismantling and reassembly are all part of the standard offer.
This suits families moving a full house who want one company handling packing loading and storage under one roof. Their own vehicles cover local national and international jobs.
Services: House removals · Storage · Packing · Office removals · European removals.
Phone: 01227 201647.
2. G7 Removal Ltd
Best for: Best for man and van and office moves.
G7 Removal is a long standing Canterbury man and van operation with over three hundred Google reviews. They cover everything from single item collections to full house and office moves.
Same day bookings are common and the team handles furniture dismantling as part of the job. Many customers use them for university flat moves given the large student population in the city.
Good for anyone who wants a flexible no fuss service without booking weeks ahead.
Services: Man and van · House removals · Office removals · Furniture dismantling.
3. Phileo Clearance & Removals
Best for: Best for house clearance combined with removals.
Phileo works across Canterbury doing removals and clearance jobs side by side. Reviewers on Checkatrade mention friendly staff and a tidy finish at the end of a job.
The firm suits people downsizing or clearing a property before or after a move since both jobs can be booked together.
Local knowledge of the city centre and the university areas helps them plan routes around the pedestrian restrictions.
Services: House removals · Man and van · House clearance.
4. Canterbury Man and Van
Best for: Best for small moves and single items.
Based in Sturry just outside the city this small operator has built a name for punctuality on both large and small jobs.
It suits students and young professionals moving a room or a flat rather than a whole house. Bookings are flexible and can often be arranged at short notice.
The team knows the Sturry and Canterbury roads well including the routes around the ring road that avoid the city centre restrictions.
Services: Man and van · Student moves · Furniture collection.
Phone: 07727 170590.
5. Doo's Removals
Best for: Best for fragile items and small teams.
Doo's Removals is a small firm based in Aylesham covering all of south east Kent including Canterbury. Reviewers highlight speed and careful handling of fragile items such as glassware and mirrors.
The smaller size of the operation means a personal service where you often deal with the same person from quote to move day.
A good option for a straightforward house move where you want a compact experienced crew rather than a large national outfit.
Services: House removals · Man and van.
6. Stranks Removals & Storage
Best for: Best for storage and larger family homes.
Stranks has been moving families across Canterbury and the wider CT postcode area since 1941 and is now run by the fourth generation of the Strank family.
The firm operates seventeen staff four trucks and five vans from its Ashford depot and surveys every Canterbury property first to plan access around the narrow city streets and the Castle Street height limit.
Containerised storage and shipping support for European moves make this a good fit for bigger family homes or people with antiques and pianos to move.
Services: House removals · Storage · Packing · Fine art and piano moving.
7. Bearsbys
Best for: Best for experience with Canterbury access rules.
Bearsbys has been serving Kent families and businesses since 1987 and lists over thirty five years of experience moving people around Canterbury.
The team knows the rising bollard restriction on the High Street and The Parade which operates between 10:30am and 4pm and plans routes using Pound Lane or Station Road West when a completion falls in that window.
Good for anyone moving into or out of the historic centre who wants a firm that has already solved the access puzzle many times before.
Services: House removals · Business removals · Packing · Storage.
8. More Than Movers
Best for: Best for a small consistent crew.
More Than Movers is a family run firm working out of a Folkestone depot about half an hour down the A2 and has been moving Canterbury customers since 2017.
The same small team handles your quote call and the loading and unloading so you are not passed between strangers. They cover the terraces around St Dunstan's and Wincheap and the villages of Bridge and Littlebourne.
Evening and weekend slots are available on request which suits people juggling work around a moving day.
Services: House removals · Office removals · Packing · House clearance.
Phone: 01303 765496.
9. Medway & Kent Removals
Best for: Best for fixed price quotes.
Medway & Kent Removals works across the full Canterbury district from a Rochester base and offers fixed prices confirmed within an hour of enquiry.
The firm carries out several hundred moves a year and covers Canterbury neighbourhoods from within the city walls out to Sturry Bridge and Blean.
Friday and end of month dates fill up four to six weeks ahead so early booking is worth doing if your date falls then.
Services: House removals · Man and van · Packing · Storage.
10. Heads Removals
Best for: Best for established family run service.
Heads Removals has been trading for over thirty years and runs a dedicated Canterbury phone line alongside branches in Dover Thanet and Folkestone.
The firm offers a full packing service with trained staff and stores customer belongings at a purpose built facility in St Nicholas at Wade.
A solid choice for anyone wanting an established name with decades of East Kent experience behind it.
Services: House removals · Business removals · Storage · Packing.
Phone: 01227 806333.
11. Giant Van
Best for: Best for instant online quotes.
Giant Van covers every Canterbury postcode from CT1 to CT4 with an instant online quote system and same day availability in many cases.
House removals start from around £250 and the firm includes GPS tracking and goods in transit insurance as standard.
Useful for people who want a quick digital booking rather than a home visit before the move.
Services: Man and van · House removals · Office removals.
12. Viking Group (The Transporter Removals)
Best for: Best for washing machine disconnection and reconnection.
Trading as The Transporter Removals this Margate and Ramsgate based group also runs a dedicated Canterbury line and has been trading for over nine years.
A free washing machine disconnection and reconnection service is included which can save calling a plumber at both ends of the move.
The team offers twelve month payment plans which can help spread the cost of a bigger house move.
Services: House removals · Man and van · Packing · Furniture dismantling.
Phone: 01227 200892.
13. Minters Ltd
Best for: Best for long established container storage.
Minters has been trading in Dover since 1920 and covers Canterbury as part of its wider East Kent removals work.
The firm holds its own container storage so belongings can be kept safely between a sale falling through and a new completion date.
A long history in the area makes this a dependable choice for a straightforward house move with a storage gap in the middle.
Services: House removals · Storage · Packing.
14. Pickfords
Best for: Best for national and international moves.
Pickfords is one of the UK's best known removal names and covers every postcode in the country including Canterbury.
The firm runs the largest self storage network of any UK remover along with a dedicated international moving service for people relocating overseas.
Good for anyone moving a long distance from Canterbury or needing a global relocation package alongside the domestic move.
Services: House removals · International removals · Storage · Business removals.
Phone: 0800 019 8556.
15. Bishop's Move
Best for: Best for larger national brand reassurance.
Bishop's Move is a long running national removals brand with branches covering Kent and the south east including Canterbury moves.
The company offers containerised storage and a structured survey process before quoting for larger family homes.
A sensible option if you want the backing of a bigger established company alongside the smaller local firms on this list.
Services: House removals · Storage · International removals.
How much do removals cost in Canterbury?
Removal costs in Canterbury depend on how much access the crew has and whether your move falls inside the city walls. A one bedroom flat move is typically the cheapest option and a five bedroom house the most expensive.
| Property | Local move in Canterbury | Canterbury to London |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bed flat | £300 to £500 | £450 to £700 |
| 2 bed house | £450 to £700 | £600 to £900 |
| 3 bed house | £650 to £950 | £800 to £1,200 |
| 4 bed house | £900 to £1,300 | £1,100 to £1,600 |
| 5 bed house | £1,200 to £1,800 | £1,500 to £2,200 |
Parking and permits for removal vans in Canterbury
Canterbury City Council controls parking in the historic centre and a bay suspension is usually needed if your move involves the pedestrian zone around the High Street or The Parade. Apply through the council in good time since approval can take a couple of weeks.
The pedestrian zone operates rising bollards between 10:30am and 4pm which stops vans passing through at those times. Firms familiar with the city plan around this using Pound Lane or Station Road West or by scheduling the load for early morning.
Outside the centre most streets in Wincheap and Northgate use resident permit parking so a temporary permit or a suspended bay is still worth arranging for a large van.
To book a parking suspension or dispensation visit the Canterbury City Council parking page.
Tips for moving in Canterbury
- Check whether your old or new address falls inside the pedestrian zone before booking a time slot
- Victorian terraces around St Dunstan's often have narrow stairwells so ask your firm about hoisting equipment
- The ring road can be a faster route into estates on the edge of town than cutting through the centre
- University term dates push demand up in September so book early if you are moving a student flat then
- Castle Street has a 1.95 metre height limit that rules out larger removal lorries
- Villages like Bridge Chartham and Sturry have narrow country lanes so confirm your removal firm has surveyed the access
How to choose the right removal company in Canterbury
- Get at least three quotes from firms that know Canterbury.
- Check Google and Trustpilot ratings. Aim for 4.5 stars or higher.
- Ask about goods in transit and public liability insurance.
- Confirm who arranges any parking suspension.
- Get a fixed written price not an hourly estimate.
- Ask if storage is available in case your chain is delayed.
Areas of Canterbury these movers cover
Canterbury covers the historic centre within the city walls plus Wincheap and Northgate close by and larger neighbourhoods further out including St Stephens Hersden and the university area around CT2. Postcode districts CT1 to CT4 take in the city and its immediate suburbs.
Just beyond the city sit villages including Bridge Chartham Littlebourne Sturry and Fordwich which many of the firms above also cover as part of their regular Canterbury district work. Blean and Rough Common lie to the north west and are popular with people wanting a quieter setting close to the city.