The unpacking service is our most-requested premium add-on, and the one that — honestly — most surprises customers with how much difference it makes. Instead of staring at 60 sealed cartons on day one of your new home, you finish move day with a fully-stocked kitchen, made-up beds, hung clothes, an organised wardrobe and a clear hallway. Every empty carton is flat-packed and taken away in our lorry the same day. You go to bed that night in a home that already feels lived-in.
Once your furniture is in place and the lorry is empty, our crew switches mode and starts the unpack. Standard inclusions:
A few categories we deliberately leave for you because they need decisions that aren’t ours to make:
It’s genuinely one of the most valuable add-ons for the right kind of move. We strongly recommend it for:
Honest guide prices (Sussex, in addition to your removal quote):
The variable is how much guidance you want during the unpack. A “you decide where it goes” pack is quicker than a “everything in alphabetical order on these specific shelves” pack — both fine, just different time commitments.
Once the unpack is finished, every empty box gets flat-packed and bundled. We take it all back to our depot at Lower Dicker the same day. Good-condition cartons go into our re-use stock; battered ones go through the commercial cardboard recycling stream. You don’t end up with a hallway of cardboard waiting for the next council collection.
Add a picture-hanging visit (often the day after) and we’ll hang every artwork, photograph and mirror to your chosen heights.
Flat-pack furniture (beds, wardrobes, IKEA-style units) reassembled. Included on most moves but flag it at survey.
Washing machines, dishwashers and dryers reconnected by our gas-safe-aware crew. (Gas-safe specifics: any gas hob disconnection or reconnection needs a registered engineer — we work with one we trust.)
Some customers pair the unpack with our recommended cleaning team who finish the property the day after — particularly common for downsizer moves.
Three customer types make up most of our unpacking bookings. Working professionals returning from a long-distance move find that arriving on Sunday and being expected at the desk Monday morning leaves no time to unpack — we have the kitchen, bedrooms and home office set up by the time the lorry leaves. Families with young children get the same value but compressed differently: priorities are the children’s rooms first, then the kitchen, then everything else, so the household resumes routine within hours rather than weeks. And older customers downsizing get the practical lift of a four-person crew turning forty cartons into a finished home in a single day, without back strain or week-long box-stack stress.
We unpack contents from boxes, place items where you direct, fill bookcases and wardrobes, make beds (with linen we’ve packed), set up kitchen drawers and cupboards by category, and remove and flatten every empty carton for collection. We don’t install IT equipment beyond plugging in obvious items (TV to mains, router to socket) — that’s a separate specialist job if you need it. We don’t hang pictures or art (we’ll place them ready against the wall where they’ll go), and we don’t assemble new flat-pack furniture you’ve bought for the new place (also a separate booking).
Most customers book the unpack as part of the original move quote — usually 50–100% premium on the removal day-rate depending on volume. It’s also possible to book retrospectively in the first week after a move if you didn’t initially expect to need it; we’ll always try to fit you in within a few days.
Most homes finish the same day as the move. A 3-bedroom semi unpack runs roughly 4–6 hours from when the lorry is empty, with our crew of 3–4 packers.
Absolutely. The most common request is kitchen and bedrooms first so dinner and bedtime are sorted — we always default to that unless you tell us otherwise.
Standard flat-pack furniture and non-gas appliances are included. Gas hob disconnect and reconnect needs a Gas Safe engineer — we work with one in Eastbourne we can introduce you to.
Yes, every empty carton is flat-packed and removed in our lorry the same day. We re-use good cartons for future moves; battered ones go through commercial cardboard recycling.
In principle yes, but in practice rarely. We need to know how your things were packed (which boxes contain what) to unpack efficiently. If someone else moved you and the boxes are well labelled, we can — email office@markratcliffemoving.co.uk with the situation and we’ll quote.
Always. Our crews are uniformed, directly employed, DBS-checked where the move warrants it (executor probate, vulnerable customer moves) and bound by a written confidentiality clause in their contracts. Anything personal in your home stays personal.
From the blog
Step-by-step packing for china, glass, framed pictures, mirrors, electronics — from BAR-trained packers.
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An 8-week countdown to move day. Week-by-week tasks, what to expect, and the first-night box that saves you.
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Pro-packer technique for china, glassware, art, electronics. The five mistakes that cause most self-pack damage.
Read article →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.