Keston is the village on the southern edge of the London Borough of Bromley, between Hayes and Biggin Hill, with Keston Ponds and the surrounding common at the heart of the village character. The properties are mostly large detached homes on wooded plots, with very few terraces. Our Keston work is country-home in character despite the London-suburb location: long drives, mature gardens, often significant antique contents.
Keston properties are mostly large detached homes set in mature grounds. Long drives are common; gravel surfaces too. We pad-wrap as standard and inventory at item level for the higher-value contents.
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We’ve been moving Sussex households since 1982. Currently rated 4.9/5 from 120+ independent reviews. The reviews page has the full set. Book a free survey by emailing office@markratcliffemoving.co.uk or calling 01323 848 008. We’ll come to you, walk through the property and email a fixed-price quote within 48 hours.
Across Keston the property types we move are a mix of family homes, period properties and modern builds. Family homes carry the larger inventories — kitchens with multiple appliances, garages that double as overflow storage, gardens with sheds, swing sets and BBQ kit, and a few corners with awkwardly stacked boxes that have lived there for years. Period properties bring the careful-protection requirements: corner boards on plaster walls, padded wrapping on original mantelpieces, slow door clearances to protect the architraves and the listed-property fittings.
We survey every Keston job in person where the inventory justifies it — typically anything over a one-bedroom flat. The survey takes 30 to 45 minutes and produces a written, itemised quote inside two working days. For smaller jobs — studio flats, single rooms, baggage shipments — a video or phone survey covers the same ground.
Keston sits within a comfortable single-day radius of our Eastbourne and Lower Dicker depots. A typical local Keston move — loading in the morning, unloading by mid-afternoon — completes in a single crew-day, pad-wrap included at both ends. Longer routes are scheduled around the keys-release time at the new property: an early load means earlier arrival and a more relaxed unload, which is what we aim for on every chain-day.
For moves further afield from Keston — to London, the Midlands or further — we run two-crew or two-day schedules depending on inventory size. The lorry is normally back at our depot the same evening, so storage between contracts (between completion and the start of the new tenancy, for example) is straightforward. International moves out of Keston route through our customs-controlled holding bay at the A22 depot where the container is loaded after the final inventory check — we don’t sub-contract international work to brokers.
A Keston move starts with a 30-to-45 minute survey at the property. The surveyor walks every room, counts cartons by size, photographs every awkward corner (lofts, narrow staircases, the gap behind the wardrobe that the previous owner left a marble-topped table in), and discusses access at both ends. The written quote follows within 48 hours and is itemised by line, so the cost of pad-wrap, materials, insurance and any specialist handling is visible separately rather than rolled into a single anonymous number.
Once you accept the quote, a 20-25% deposit confirms the date — protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee so it’s never at risk if the worst happens. The balance is payable on the day of completion. Crews are directly employed and uniformed, the lorry is our own, blankets are laundered between jobs, and we don’t use agency labour. The reason that matters is consistency: the same hands that survey your home are the hands that wrap and load it.
Most Keston 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 Keston 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 20–25% 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 — standard for Keston.
Yes — all standard.
J4 typically.
Keston sits in Kent, roughly 55 miles from our Lower Dicker depot on the A22 between Hailsham and Lewes. Practical detail: A21 northbound; Keston’s rural setting means good lorry access but watch for low branches in summer. We run Keston jobs as day-runs — load by mid-morning, unload by mid-afternoon — with a typical crew of two on smaller volumes and three on a full 3-bed-plus. Crew leave Lower Dicker around 7:30 am for first-jobs and would expect to be on-site at the loading address within an hour for most Keston addresses.
For storage between completion dates — common on Keston moves when chains slip — possessions come back to the Lower Dicker depot and into individual steel storage rooms with 24-hour CCTV. We’ll happily run the return leg back to your new Keston address whenever you’re ready, with the same crew that loaded you in.
Call us today for a free, no-obligation quote — or use our online form. Whether it's a one-room move or a full international relocation, we've handled it before.