From delivering single pieces of furniture to the contents of an entire household, our man with a van removals service offers a fast, efficient and great value moving service.
Welcome to Mark Ratcliffe Man and Van service, working with residents and businesses in Brighton and Hove for over 30 years. We offer a budget man and van service that operates 7 days a week with no extra charge for weekend moves. From small moves, bedsits, flats, collection / delivery of individual items all the way to long distance moves – our local team of movers are on hand to help. Working predominantly within the Brighton and Hove area, our local man and van staff have an in-depth knowledge of the local area and the wider area of East Sussex. We know the quickest routes to ensure your possessions are collected and delivered fast and efficiently.
Unlike other man and van companies out here, we supply high quality vehicles equipped with the latest technology to ensure a seamless journey and complete protection for your belongings:
Our rates are extremely good value and whilst we offer affordable prices this never means compromising on our highly rated, professional service. We offer two options:
Man and Van with working driver - £40 per hour / Man and Van with driver only - £30 per hour (you load and unload the van)
All prices are inclusive of vat and fuel (local area) and there is no additional charges for weekend Moves. With such affordable rates, this removal option is also ideal for collection and deliveries.
We provide a full packing service and a fragile packing option for single, delicate items. Alternatively, if you are self packing then we can supply flat pack boxes, plain paper, bubble wrap, tape etc...all at a minimal cost and these can be collected from our shop.
If you are interested in locating a storage facility where you can personally store your goods and collect them with ease, then we have the perfect solution. Our secure self storage rooms are available to rent with various sized units to choose from. Our most popular is the 77 sqft unit (equates to 850 cubic feet / 24 cubic metres). This room is rented at £30 plus vat per week and with our rooms being much higher than local competitors with charges over 50% less - you receive fantastic value for money. Your valuable belongings will be stored in a safe, damp free and clean environment with great access for loading and unloading, with you being the only key holder.
Whether you are relocating in Brighton or further afield in East or West Sussex, our professional and low cost man and van removal service is ready to assist. Call our friendly team for a free quote or if you simply need some advice on your Brighton removals we can help with that too.
Our opening hours are Monday to Saturday 08:30 to 17:00 or by appointment on Sundays. For our self storage clients this is a 24/7 service.
Brighton sits in the Sussex commuter belt and our work here covers the full property range. Victorian and Edwardian terraces close to the centre, 1930s and post-war semis on the inter-war estates, substantial detached homes on the larger plots, and a growing minority of new-build properties on the recent developments — the new-builds tend to have bigger inventories because the rooms are larger and people fill them.
For any move bigger than a one-bedroom flat we recommend a free in-home or video survey rather than a phone quote. It takes 30 to 45 minutes, walks every room, and produces a written, itemised quote inside two working days. The single biggest reason phone quotes mislead is the loft — almost every customer underestimates what’s in theirs by roughly double. The walk-through finds it before move day, not after.
Our daily routes out of the Lower Dicker depot put Brighton within standard half-day or full-day reach, depending on inventory size and the destination address. A typical Brighton pickup with a Sussex or Surrey delivery completes in a single day, including pad-wrapping at the load and unwrapping at the unload. The lorry leaves Lower Dicker in time to be on your driveway ten minutes before the stated load time — we don’t make customers wait around at 6am for a 7am scheduled start.
For chain-day moves out of Brighton the timings matter and we plan the schedule from the keys-release time backwards. For longer-distance UK moves — to the Midlands, the West Country, the north — we generally split the day across two crews if the inventory exceeds a single lorry. Anything heading overseas from Brighton routes through our customs-controlled holding bay at the depot, where the container is loaded after a final inventory check.
The Brighton quote process runs in five practical steps. First, a phone or web enquiry — tell us the address and the rough move date and we’ll suggest a survey slot. Second, the survey itself: either in-home (30 to 45 minutes) or over a video call. Both produce the same paperwork. Third, the written quote, emailed within 48 hours, itemised by line — pad-wrap, transport, packing materials, insurance, any specialist handling — so you can see what every cost line covers.
Fourth, the deposit and date hold: typically 25% on confirmation, fully protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee. Fifth, the move itself — uniformed crew, our own lorry, no agency labour, blankets washed between jobs, and a written inventory at handover. None of this is unusual but it’s worth saying because a meaningful minority of removal firms across Sussex cut corners on at least one of those steps.
Most Brighton moves use one of three packing options. Full pack — our crews pack everything in the house the day before move day, using removal-grade cartons and tissue. Fragile-only pack — we handle the kitchen, the display cabinets, the framed art, the mirrors, the lamps, and the customer packs the easy stuff (books, clothing, linen, garage). Self-pack with materials supplied — we drop off cartons, tape, bubble and tissue, and you do it yourself with our written room-by-room guide.
Where the dates don’t line up (the sale completes a fortnight before the purchase, the chain slips, or the new property isn’t ready), we hold the load at our A22 depot in steel strong-rooms with 24-hour CCTV. Short-term storage between contracts is charged by the week; longer-term storage is invoiced monthly. For Brighton customers needing self-access self-storage, the ground floor of the depot is fitted for that — individual digital-entry doors and 24/7 access via a key fob.
After the move, we come back to collect empty cartons free of charge if you’re within standard delivery range. We also offer an unpack service for customers who prefer the new home set up by us — particularly common for older customers and white-glove relocations.
For end-of-month dates in the May–September peak, six to ten weeks ahead. Mid-week, mid-month dates can sometimes be booked two to three weeks ahead. The earlier you book, the more choice of slot and crew you’ll have.
Yes — typically 25% of the quoted price on booking, with the balance payable on the day of completion. All deposits are protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee.
Crew time, our own lorry, fuel, pad-wrap (industry-grade blankets washed between jobs), basic transit insurance and labour. Packing materials, fragile-only or full packing service, and any specialist handling (piano, antiques, art, marble) are quoted separately so you see the price of each.
Yes — full British Association of Removers members and audited annually, including the BS 8564 international removal standard. Our membership number and current audit dates are on the BAR site.
Sometimes — depends on the date and the inventory size. Smaller jobs can often be slotted in within a week. Larger 3- and 4-bed moves usually need at least two weeks’ notice so we can crew correctly.
Yes — FIDI-network shipments to over 200 countries. International moves route through our customs-controlled holding bay at the A22 depot, where the container is loaded after a final inventory check. We don’t sub-contract international work to third-party brokers.