Compare removal companies in Shortlands

Most houses have a driveway or open kerb frontage, so a van can usually be brought close to the door. Flats converted from larger houses are the exception, and those often depend on street space that fills up in the evenings.

Where a road sits inside a controlled parking zone, a bay suspension has to be applied for through the council and needs at least three working days' notice. A mover who works this part of Bromley regularly will tell you whether yours is affected.

The ULEZ covers every London borough, this neighbourhood included, so any van used on your move needs to meet the emissions standard or the operator pays the daily charge. Most established firms have already replaced older vehicles, but ask the question while you are comparing quotes. The Congestion Charge zone is confined to central London and does not reach here.

Access differs sharply between a detached house with a drive and a first-floor conversion reached by a shared staircase. Loft rooms, tight turns on stairs and original doorways in the older villas all slow a carry down. Describe the layout, including which floor you are on, before anyone quotes.

Bromley Road carries the through traffic. The residential turnings off it are narrower, and parked cars can leave only one clear lane for a large van.

Weekday mornings between the commuter peak and the school pick-up give a van the clearest run. Demand across the Bromley area rises through the summer, so dates go earlier then than in the winter months.