Contact Mark Ratcliffe Moving and you reach the people who run the jobs, not a call centre. Phone, email, and the addresses of all four sites are below, along with what to have ready so the quote you get back is the price you actually pay.
Contact Mark Ratcliffe Moving on 01323 848 008 during office hours, or 07437 414 589 if you are calling on a move day and need whoever is out with the vehicles. Email goes to office@markratcliffemoving.co.uk and is read by the same people who survey and quote.
We are open Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:30, and Saturday mornings from 09:00 to 13:00. Outside those hours the mobile is the better bet than email — if your chain has just collapsed and you need a van on Friday, ring rather than write.
We work from four addresses, and they do different jobs. Two points worth knowing before you set off: the Coulsdon address is a vehicle depot with no customer storage, and access to stored goods at any site is by appointment during depot hours — a crew member brings your things out to you rather than you walking the racks.
| Site | Address | What happens there | Can you visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Dicker | Unit J12 Swallow Business Park, Diamond Drive, Lower Dicker, East Sussex BN27 4EL | Steel storage rooms | Yes, by appointment |
| Croydon depot | Unit A2C, Redlands, Coulsdon, Croydon, Surrey CR5 2HT | Removals depot — crews and vehicles | No customer storage |
| Croydon crate store | Mill Lane Trading Estate, Mill Lane, Croydon, Surrey CR0 4AA | Crate storage | Yes, by appointment |
| Crawley crate store | 5 Kelvin Way, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 9SP | Crate storage | Yes, by appointment |
If you are storing with us and want to collect something, ring first so the room can be opened and the item brought out. Turning up unannounced means waiting while a crew is found.
Removal quotes vary wildly between firms for the same move, and most of that gap is incomplete information rather than dishonesty. The more of this you can tell us up front, the closer the first number is to the final invoice.
| What we ask | Why it changes the price |
|---|---|
| Both full addresses | Distance sets the vehicle time, and the postcodes tell us about access before anyone arrives |
| Property type and floor | A third-floor flat with no lift is a different job from a bungalow, at the same volume |
| Parking at both ends | A suspended bay or a long carry adds crew time; a driveway costs nothing |
| Rough date, even if it moves | Peak weeks book out; knowing early is what keeps the date open |
| Whether you want packing | Full, partial or none changes both the crew size and the day count |
| Anything heavy or fragile | Pianos, safes, antiques and large art need specific kit and sometimes a second crew |
| Whether storage is likely | A gap between dates changes the vehicle plan, not just the price |
You do not need all of it to make the first call. Ring with what you have and we will tell you what else matters for your particular move.
Nothing automated, and no pressure. The sequence is the same whether the job is a single room or a five-bedroom house going into store.
If you would rather see indicative numbers before speaking to anyone, the volume and cost calculator converts a home into cubic feet, and our pricing page publishes the storage rate card in full.
Not everything that reaches us is a domestic removal, and some of it is answered faster elsewhere on the site.
Mark Ratcliffe Moving & Storage is an independent, family-run firm established in 2017, working from Lower Dicker in East Sussex. We are a member of the British Association of Removers Overseas Group and work to the BS 8564 standard for overseas moving services. Deposits are protected under the BAR Advance Payment Guarantee.
Crews are directly employed rather than subcontracted, which is why the person who surveys your home is the person you can ring about it afterwards. You can read what customers have said, or more about how the business runs.
Ring 01323 848 008 during office hours. Five minutes on the phone usually establishes whether you need a survey, and for smaller jobs we can often quote there and then. If you would rather work it out yourself first, the volume and cost calculator gives an indicative figure.
No. Surveys are free and carry no obligation, in the house or by video call. We measure volume rather than counting bedrooms, because a four-bedroom house that has been decluttered can be a smaller job than a full two-bedroom flat.
Yes, by arrangement. Access to stored goods is by appointment during depot hours at every site, and a crew member brings your things out rather than you walking the racks. Ring ahead so the room can be opened and somebody is free.
It depends what you are coming for. Lower Dicker (BN27 4EL) is the main store and office. Crawley (RH10 9SP) and Croydon (CR0 4AA) are crate storage. The Coulsdon address (CR5 2HT) is a vehicle depot with no customer storage, so it is the one people most often arrive at by mistake.
Normally the same working day, and always within one working day. If your move is urgent — a chain that has just collapsed, or a completion date that has moved — ring rather than email, because the phone gets a faster answer than the inbox.
We cover East and West Sussex, Surrey, Kent and London for removals, and storage across the same area from four sites. Long-distance moves anywhere in the UK, plus European and worldwide destinations. See areas covered for the full list of towns.
Yes, and it happens often enough that we keep capacity back for it. Ring the mobile rather than emailing. Storage while moving house explains how the gap is handled and what it costs.
Tell us the two addresses and a rough date and we will arrange a free survey — in the house or by video — then send an itemised written quote. No obligation, and no pressure to book on the call.