Removal companies won't move anything flammable, pressurised or corrosive, such as gas bottles, petrol, paint and aerosols, and they won't take food, pets, rubbish or appliances that are still connected to the gas or water. Most will also ask you to carry cash, jewellery, medicines and important documents yourself. None of this is the crew being difficult: each item on the list is either a fire risk in a closed van, a legal problem for the firm, or something you would be badly stuck without if it went astray.
The items crews leave behind
Every firm writes its own list and words it differently, but the answer to what removal companies won't move barely changes from one company to the next. Ours is in section 13 of our terms and conditions: hazardous, flammable, illegal and perishable goods need to be gone before we arrive, and valuables, money, jewellery and important documents stay with you. Here is how that plays out in a typical London house.
| Item | Why it stays off the van | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Barbecue and patio heater gas bottles | Pressurised and flammable | Return to the supplier, or take it in your own car with the valve closed |
| Petrol, paraffin, lawnmower fuel | Flammable liquid in a closed load | Run the mower dry; take spare fuel to the council tip |
| Paint, thinners, white spirit, varnish | Flammable and leaks badly if a lid lifts | Give usable tins away; take the rest to the council tip |
| Aerosols, bleach, pool and drain chemicals | Can burst, react or corrode | Use up, give away, or carry a small sealed box yourself |
| Fireworks, flares, ammunition | Explosive | Never in a removal load |
| Frozen and fresh food | Thaws, leaks and spoils the boxes around it | Run the freezer down in the last fortnight |
| Pets and anything alive | No air, light or temperature control in the back | Travel with you, or stay with a friend for the day |
| Rubbish and things heading for the tip | Carrying waste needs a waste carrier registration | Book a registered carrier or the council's bulky waste collection |
The quickest way to catch all of this is a ten-minute walk round the places nobody packs until the end: the shed, the garage, the cupboard under the kitchen sink, the cupboard under the stairs and the loft hatch. That is where the gas bottle, the half tin of gloss and the can of WD-40 live. If you are clearing out, our guide to decluttering before moving house has a room-by-room order that leaves those spaces until you have somewhere to put things.
Gas bottles, fuel, paint and chemicals
This list causes the most friction on the day, usually because a crew finds a 13 kg propane cylinder behind the shed at 16:00.
A removal van is a sealed metal box that sits in traffic, sometimes in direct sun, with soft furnishings packed tight around everything. A leaking gas bottle or a split tin of thinners in that space is a fire waiting for a spark. The firm also carries the legal risk: a business that transports dangerous goods has rules on how they are packed, labelled and carried, and on the training its staff must have, as GOV.UK's guidance on moving dangerous goods sets out. A household removal is not set up for any of that, so the simple answer is that these items do not go on the van.
What you can do depends on the item. Gas bottles for barbecues and patio heaters usually remain the supplier's property, so a stockist will take them back and you can pick up a new one near the new address. Half a tin of a colour you will never use again is better given away than moved. Anything you genuinely need on day one, such as a small bottle of bleach for the new bathroom, can go in your own car, upright, in a sealed box, away from the passenger seat.
A lawnmower is fine once the fuel is out: run it dry on the last cut and it travels as an ordinary item.
E-bikes, scooters and lithium batteries
This is a grey area rather than a flat refusal, so ask when you book. An e-bike or e-scooter in good condition normally moves like any other bike. The concern is the battery.
The London Fire Brigade says that, on average, a lithium battery in an e-bike or e-scooter causes a fire in London every two days, at the time of writing, and that many of those fires start at home. Its lithium battery safety page is worth a read. A battery that is swollen, cracked, hot, or has been dropped hard or left out in the rain is not something any crew will want to stand next to in a loaded van.
The practical steps are short. Take the battery off if it is removable and carry it yourself. There is no need to charge it to full the night before it sits in a warm van. If it looks damaged in any way, do not move it: take it to a council recycling centre that accepts batteries, and buy a replacement from a reputable seller once you are in.
Appliances that are still plumbed or piped in
A crew will happily carry a washing machine, a cooker or a fridge-freezer. What they will not do is disconnect it, and they will not load one that is still dripping.
Gas is the firm line. The Health and Safety Executive says anyone employed to work on gas appliances in a home must be a Gas Safe registered engineer. Sliding a bayonet-fitted freestanding cooker out to clean behind it is not counted as gas work, but taking it off the supply to move it, or fitting it at the other end, is. Book an engineer for both addresses well ahead of the date.
The rest is preparation rather than law:
- Washing machine. Turn off the water, unplug it and drain it the day before. If you still have the transit bolts that came with it, fit them: they stop the drum swinging. If you have lost them, tell us when you book.
- Fridge-freezer. Empty and defrost it the day before so there is no meltwater in the van, then leave the door slightly open. Check the manufacturer's guidance on how long it should stand upright before you switch it back on.
- Hard-wired electric cooker or hob. This needs an electrician to disconnect, not a mover.
- Dishwasher. Same as the washing machine: water off, hoses drained and tied up.
An appliance still connected when the crew arrives gets left until last while you sort it, on time you are paying for.
Things you should carry yourself
Some items are not refused because they are dangerous, but because losing them would cost you far more than the move did. Most firms, including us, ask you to keep these with you.
Cash, jewellery, passports and the paperwork for the sale or tenancy go first on that list. So do prescription medicines, house keys for both properties, phone and laptop chargers, and anything sentimental that cannot be replaced: the box of photographs, a grandparent's watch. Goods-in-transit insurance is written around ordinary household contents, and no policy puts a lost passport right the day before a flight.
Pets go with you or to a friend for the day, and so does whatever food is left.
Houseplants vary by firm, so ask. On a short move most people put the ones they care about in the car, where they are not wedged against a mattress. If anything you are moving is going into storage first, the rules are stricter still; our post on what you can't put in storage covers that list.
Why your rubbish is a different job
People often assume the van can take the broken chest of drawers and six bags from the loft "while it's here". This is where the law gets in the way.
Moving your belongings is a removal. Taking away things you are throwing out is carrying waste, and in England that needs a waste carrier registration. The responsibility does not stop with the firm either. GOV.UK's household waste guidance says you could be fined if you give your household waste to someone who is not legally allowed to take it, and that a fixed penalty from your council is possible if something fly-tipped is traced back to you.
So treat rubbish as its own job. Book your council's bulky waste collection, take it to the tip yourself, or use a registered carrier and check their registration number on the public register before they load anything. Our man and van service lists small clearances and tip runs as an extra. Whoever you use, keep the rubbish physically apart from the things that are moving, so nothing you meant to keep ends up at the tip.
Heavy items nobody mentioned
The other reason something gets left on the pavement is that nobody knew it was coming.
A crew is sized to the job described at the quote. Two movers booked for a one-bedroom flat cannot safely carry a 200 kg upright piano down a flight of stairs, and an undeclared American-style fridge-freezer on a top-floor flat with no lift changes the whole plan. Our terms say it plainly: if an undeclared heavy item cannot be moved safely with the crew booked, it may be left or the job rescheduled. Upright pianos always go with at least three movers, and grand pianos and safes over 150 kg need a survey before a price is confirmed.
The fix is a list. When you ask for a quote, mention anything over about 100 kg, anything with glass or marble, gym equipment, and anything that looks as if it was built in place. Pianos and safes go to our piano and specialist items team with the right kit, and our guide to moving a safe in London explains the planning. Everything else on a normal house removal is priced in, stairs and dismantling included.
In short
Removal companies won't move gas bottles, fuel, paint, aerosols and chemicals, because they are a fire risk in a closed van and come under dangerous goods rules. They won't take food, pets, rubbish or appliances still connected to the gas or water, and they will ask you to carry cash, jewellery, medicines and documents yourself. A damaged lithium battery and an undeclared heavy item are the two things most likely to be left behind on the day. Walk round the shed, garage and kitchen cupboards a week before, and tell the firm about anything heavy when you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will removal companies move a gas bottle if it is empty?
Usually not. An "empty" cylinder still holds some gas, and the crew has no way to check it on the day. Return it to the supplier, swap it at a stockist near the new address, or carry it yourself, upright, with the valve closed, and keep it out of the passenger area.
Can I pack paint or cleaning products in a sealed box?
No. Sealing the box hides the problem from the crew without removing it, and a lifted lid can ruin everything packed around it. Give unwanted paint away, use up cleaning products, and carry the few you need on day one in your own car.
Will a removal company move my e-bike?
Usually yes, provided the bike and battery are in good condition. Take the battery off if it is removable and carry it yourself, and avoid charging it the night before. A battery that is swollen, cracked or water-damaged should be recycled rather than moved.
Do removal companies disconnect washing machines and cookers?
Not gas appliances: disconnecting and reconnecting a gas cooker is gas work for a Gas Safe registered engineer. For a washing machine or dishwasher, turn off the water and drain it the day before so it travels dry, and fit the transit bolts if you have them.
Can the removal van take my rubbish to the tip?
Only if the firm is a registered waste carrier and you have agreed it as a separate job. You can be fined if your waste ends up with someone who is not allowed to carry it, so check the carrier's registration before they load anything.
What happens if the crew finds something they cannot take?
It stays behind, and you deal with it once the van has gone. Easy with a tin of paint, awkward with a 13 kg gas bottle on completion day, which is why the walk round the week before is worth ten minutes.
If you are not sure about something in the garage, ask before the day rather than on it. Tell us what you are moving when you ask for a quote, mention anything heavy, hazardous or still plumbed in, and we will tell you what can go on the van and what needs a different plan.