At Mark Ratcliffe Moving & Storage we offer a complete moving and storage service. Having worked in the industry for more than 30 years, you can put your trust in us to look after your move.
Choosing the right removals firm to move your possessions is very important. You need to know you have secured good value, but also be confident that the team arriving on the morning will understand your requirements properly and have both the training and necessary equipment to ensure a successful and straightforward move.
Mark Ratcliffe has been working in the UK domestic removals and storage market, working with customers throughout Newhaven, the South East and nationally, for more than 30 years. Quality is at the core of everything we do, it is what we have built our enviable reputation within the industry upon. Our removal firm are one of just a handful with a dedicated staff training centre and all of our staff are trained to the highest industry standards in packing fragile and non-fragile personal effects, moving and wrapping household furniture for home and overseas moving, as well as vehicle loading and customer services. You can expect the highest standards, competitive prices and a real commitment from everyone involved in your move when choosing Mark Ratcliffe moving.
At Mark Ratcliffe Moving we offer a complete moving service for removals in Newhaven and the surrounding Sussex area. Whether you have a 3 piece suite to move across the town, or a 4 bed house to move up to Scotland, we are equipped with the necessary equipment, staff and skill to move you with ease. We are also well placed to help and advise you on all of your moving needs.
Mark Ratcliffe will visit your home at a convenient time to carry out an onsite survey and discuss all aspects of your forthcoming move with you. Packing requirements and insurance cover for your valuable possessions can also be discussed. A fixed quotation can be provided for moving, packing and storage if required. We also offer a house clearance service and can discuss this in more detail with you. On your move day a fully trained and uniformed crew will arrive and lay down floor covers to protect carpets, cover exposed banisters and doors etc. If required, they will pack and move your belongings with care and transport them safely to your new home in Newhaven or further afield.
Mark Ratcliffe Moving can provide a full packing service or packing of fragile items only. Should you decide to carry out your own packing prior to move day, we provide flat pack moving boxes, plain paper, bubble wrap, tape etc...all at a minimal cost and can be collected from our shop located in Eastbourne, 7 days a week.
Mark Ratcliffe Moving also offer secure self storage rooms to rent for customers who prefer to deposit / remove their own goods to / from store. Various size rooms are available with our most popular size being 77 sqft which equates to 850 cubic feet / 24 cubic metres. We rent this size room at £30 plus vat per week. Our storage rooms are much higher than our local competitors and our charges are over 50% less than the rest. Please call in anytime to view our rooms and satisfy yourself that your valuable possessions will be stored in a secure, damp free clean environment and you being the only key holder with great access for loading / unloading.
Whether you are moving within Newhaven or further afield in the UK, or even abroad, Mark Ratcliffe Moving is ready to help. We can meet all of your wider moving needs including secure storage, export packing and house clearance. We would be delighted to give you a quote without any obligation. Please call Sharon Harris at our Eastbourne branch on 01323 848 008 to talk through your moving requirements. Our opening hours are Mon - Sat 08.30 - 17.00 or by appointment for any other time including Sundays. A 24/7 Service for our Self Store Customers.
Most of our Newhaven work falls into one of three property categories. Tile-hung Victorian and Edwardian terraces on the older streets, where the move-out involves narrow staircases, sash windows that need protecting, and original mantelpieces that we wrap individually. Post-war semis and detached homes on the mid-century estates — wider doors, garages that often function as overflow loft space, and gardens that have accumulated sheds, greenhouses and outdoor furniture. And modern detached new-builds, where the move is faster but the inventory is usually bigger thanks to the bonus rooms and double garages.
Whichever of those three describes your Newhaven home, the survey covers the same ground: room-by-room walk, photo of every awkward corner, and a written, itemised quote within 48 hours. We don’t quote off a phone call for anything bigger than a one-bedroom flat — phone quotes too often miss the loft, the under-stair cupboard or the shed, and the price moves on move day. A proper survey is free, takes 30 to 45 minutes, and means the price you see is the price you pay.
Our daily routes out of the Lower Dicker depot put Newhaven within standard half-day or full-day reach, depending on inventory size and the destination address. A typical Newhaven 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 Newhaven 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 Newhaven routes through our customs-controlled holding bay at the depot, where the container is loaded after a final inventory check.
The Newhaven 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 20-25% 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 East Sussex cut corners on at least one of those steps.
Most Newhaven 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 Newhaven 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 — 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.