Pickfords review
The largest single removal operator in the UK, with every accreditation that matters and a 4.8 from 13,000 reviews, priced for people who want one accountable company rather than the lowest quote.
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Quick facts
- Type
- Removal company
- Ownership
- Independent
- BAR member
- Yes
- Trustpilot
- 4.8/5 · 13,059 reviews
- Years trading
- 14 (incorporated 2012)
- Coverage
- UK and international
- Price level
- £££
- Quotes by
- Home survey, Video survey, Online quote, Phone
Red flags
- No insurance details published. Neither goods-in-transit nor public liability cover is stated by the company.
Rating breakdown
- Customer reputation (30%)9.2
- Trust & protection (25%)8.5
- Range of services (15%)8.3
- Coverage (10%)10.0
- Value & pricing transparency (10%)2.0
- Quote & booking experience (10%)10.0
Data confidence: medium · not stated: insurance, pricing basis. How we score
Pros
- BAR member with the Advance Payment Guarantee, FIDI FAIM Plus accredited, and bound by the BAR Code of Practice and ombudsman scheme.
- A 4.8 Trustpilot rating from 13,059 reviews, spread across branches rather than concentrated in one depot.
- Own branch network covering every UK and Ireland postcode, with employed, trained crews.
- Full, fragile-only and owner-packed options, storage, international and business moves under one roof.
- An optional late-key and cancellation waiver for chain completions.
Cons
- Insurance limits, exclusions and cancellation charges are not published; they are given at survey.
- Typically more expensive than a local independent for a simple move.
- Replies to 68% of negative reviews, below the best-run independents.
- No man-and-van or single-item service, so small jobs are better served elsewhere.
- Quotes depend on a survey and the branch diary, so it is less instant than a marketplace.
Location
Head office: Pickfords Park, Laxcon Close, Drury Way, London, NW10 0TG
Services
From the company’s own website. Source, checked 2026-11-04. A dash means the company does not say either way.
- House removalsLocal and national moves from its own branches; "Pickfords Gold" for larger homes.
- Full packingA Pickfords team packs the whole home.
- Partial / fragile-only packingFragile pack: crew packs china, glass, mirrors, pictures and ornaments; you pack the rest.
- Packing materialsOwner-packed service with materials supplied, and an online box shop.
- Unpacking - not stated
- Dismantling & reassembly - not stated
- StorageHousehold and self-storage at company facilities.
- Man & van
- Office / commercial movesBusiness relocation through its commercial division.
- International (export packing & crating)FIDI FAIM Plus accredited; destination services through FIDI agents.
- European removals
- Piano & specialist items - not stated
- Student moves - not stated
- Single-item delivery
- House clearance & waste - not stated
- End-of-tenancy cleaning - not stated
- Handyman - not stated
- Pet & vehicle relocationPet shipping is listed under international moving.
- Weekend / bank holiday / out-of-hours - not stated
- Same-day / short-notice - not stated
- Chain-break / delayed-completion supportAn optional late-key and cancellation waiver is offered.
What customers say
Pickfords holds a 4.8 Trustpilot score from 13,059 reviews when we checked on 4 November 2026, 88% of them five-star and 4% one-star. For a national operator with branches across the UK and Ireland that is a strong and unusually even record: the score is not being carried by one good depot, and the volume means a handful of bad days cannot move it.
The reviews name crews by branch, which is useful. Bath, Preston, Bristol, Gloucester and south-west London teams are praised repeatedly for speed and care during full packing. Criticisms, where they appear, are about the things scale brings: a quote process that can feel impersonal, dates that need to fit the branch diary, and the price, which is higher than a local independent for a simple move.
Pickfords replies to 68% of negative reviews, typically within 48 hours. That is a lower reply rate than the best independents and than Britannia’s central profile, though faster than most. We do not hold verified Google review data, so this summary rests on Trustpilot alone.
Read Pickfords’s Trustpilot reviews · Replied to 68% of negative reviews, typically within 48 hours (Trustpilot).
Insurance & protection
- Goods in transit: Not stated
- Public liability: Not stated
- Storage: Transit and storage cover is arranged through a specialist third-party insurer; Pickfords says full details of the cover are discussed at the survey.
- What you can claim: Pickfords does not publish its liability limits, excess or exclusions online. The removals insurance page says cover for UK and international moves comes from a third-party transit and storage insurer and that the details are given at survey, so ask for them in writing before you book.
- BAR membership: Yes · BAR Advance Payment Guarantee: Yes
- Other accreditations: BAR Overseas Group, BAR Commercial Moving Group, FIDI FAIM Plus, SAFEcontractor, Association of Relocation Professionals, Office Moving Alliance
- If something goes wrong: Works to the BAR Code of Practice, approved by Trading Standards, which gives access to BAR conciliation and the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman.
Pricing guide
- Pricing: Not stated
- Payment: Not stated
- Cancellation: Standard cancellation charges are not published on the website. Pickfords sells an optional late-key and cancellation waiver, which is worth pricing if your completion date could slip.
Typical UK removal costs by home size
Local moves, from our own cost data - not Pickfords’s prices. Use them to judge whether a quote is fair.
Best for
- Long-distance and international moves where one accountable company has to manage the whole job.
- Larger homes with valuable contents that want trained crews, full packing and proper accreditation.
- Moves that need storage between completion dates, or a waiver against late keys.
Not ideal for
- Studio and one-bed moves, single items or anything a man-and-van could do.
- Anyone who wants an instant online price without a survey.
- Budget-led moves where a local independent with good reviews will quote less.
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Alternatives to Pickfords
| Company | Our score | Trustpilot | BAR | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holdem Removals | 8.3 | 5.0 (1,895) | Not stated | UK-wide |
| AnyVan | 8.0 | 4.6 (209,163) | Not stated | UK and international |
| Finest Van | 7.2 | 5.0 (1,465) | Not stated | UK-wide |
| Britannia Movers International | 5.0 | 4.6 (1,140) | Yes | UK and international |
Pickfords: frequently asked questions
Is Pickfords a legitimate company?
Yes. The business trades as Pickfords Move Management Limited, Companies House 08044368, incorporated 25 April 2012, active, registered at Pickfords Park, Laxcon Close, London NW10 0TG, with accounts and confirmation statement up to date when we checked on 4 November 2026. The company traces its name to a carrier working near Manchester in 1630 and describes a 400-year history.
Is Pickfords a member of the British Association of Removers?
Yes. Pickfords states its BAR membership on a dedicated page, along with membership of the BAR Overseas Group and Commercial Moving Group and the Advance Payment Guarantee. Every BAR member works to the BAR Code of Practice, approved by Trading Standards, and must pass ongoing site inspections.
How much does Pickfords charge?
Pickfords does not publish prices. Quotes follow a home or video survey and reflect the size of the move, distance, packing and storage. In our experience of the market it sits at the upper-middle of the price range, above most local independents and below the specialist high-value movers. Our calculator gives a benchmark to compare a quote against.
What insurance does Pickfords provide?
Pickfords says its customers have access to cover from a specialist third-party transit and storage insurer, for UK and international moves, with the details discussed at survey. It does not publish limits, excess or exclusions online, so ask for the schedule in writing and check what applies to items you pack yourself.
Does Pickfords offer a late-key waiver?
Yes. Pickfords lists a late key and cancellation waiver among its services. It is an optional extra that removes charges if your keys are late or the move has to be cancelled or postponed within the notice period. If you are in a chain, ask for its price when you get the quote.
Does Pickfords do international moves?
Yes. It is FIDI FAIM Plus accredited and a member of the BAR Overseas Group, and offers European moves, international shipping, international baggage and pet shipping. Destination services overseas are carried out through FIDI-accredited partner agents, which is the standard arrangement for the industry.
Questions about Pickfords
Ask anything the review does not cover. Our removals expert answers, and customers who have used Pickfords can add what happened to them.
5.0 Our verdict
Pickfords is the benchmark for a fully accredited national mover. It is a BAR member with the Advance Payment Guarantee, FIDI FAIM Plus accredited for international work, a member of the BAR Overseas and Commercial Moving groups, and it works to the BAR Code of Practice, which brings the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman into play if a dispute cannot be settled. Its branches cover every UK and Ireland postcode with its own trained crews, and 13,059 Trustpilot reviews rate it 4.8, 88% five-star. That combination is rare.
What it does not do is publish its numbers. Liability limits, excess and exclusions are "discussed at your survey", cancellation terms are not on the website, and there is no price list. None of that is unusual for a surveyed, fixed-quote mover, but it means you must get the insurance schedule and the cancellation terms in writing before you pay, and compare the quote against a local independent, which will usually be cheaper for a straightforward two- or three-bed move.
Pickfords earns its premium on complex jobs: long-distance moves, moves with storage between completions, international shipments where one company has to own the whole chain, and large homes with high-value contents. For those it is the easiest company in the country to recommend. For a simple local move it is a safe choice at a higher price, and the optional late-key waiver is the one extra worth asking about.
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Reviewed by Alexander Bruce, removals expert with 14+ years in the UK industry.
Last updated 4 November 2026 · Data verified 4 November 2026 · BAR status: yes · How we rate removal companies
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