Removals and Storage in Chichester: Moving and Storing Under One Roof
When a Chichester move and a storage need land at the same time, juggling two separate firms is the last thing you want. Combining removals and storage in Chichester under one team keeps your belongings in a single pair of hands from the moment they leave your door, and this guide explains exactly how that works and when it makes sense.
Published 2025-06-10 · Wolves Removals
Moving House Soon? Get a Free Quote
Get a fast, fixed price from your local Sussex removals team.
Chichester is a wonderful place to live, but moving here — or moving on from here — comes with its own rhythm. The cathedral city's Georgian terraces, the conservation streets around the Cross, the newer estates spreading out towards Tangmere and Fishbourne, and the surrounding villages each present a different moving puzzle. Add to that the reality that property chains rarely complete on the same day, and you can see why so many Chichester moves involve a spell in storage. As a family-run firm based near Pulborough and trading since 2016, we have handled countless moves where the answer was not simply a lorry, but a lorry and a storage unit working together. This guide sets out how combining removals and storage in Chichester actually works, when it saves you money and stress, and how to plan it well.
Why combine removals and storage in the first place?
On paper, removals and storage are two different services. In practice, they are so often needed at the same moment that treating them as one joined-up job makes life far easier. The most common reason is the gap between properties. Chains slip, completion dates move, and a family that has cleared their old home on a Friday may not get the keys to the new one until the following Tuesday. Rather than camping out or paying for a hotel while a lorry full of furniture sits idle, the belongings go straight into secure storage and come out when the new home is ready.
There are gentler reasons too. Downsizers often need to keep furniture in storage while they decide what fits the new place. Renovators want the dust-prone contents of a room or two kept safe while builders are in. People moving abroad need somewhere to keep belongings between leaving one home and the shipping date. And buyers relocating to Chichester from a distance sometimes need to move out of their old home before they have found a new one here, storing everything locally until they do. In every one of these cases, having the same team carry, transport and store your things means fewer handovers, fewer chances for something to go astray, and one phone number to call.
How the combined service works in practice
The mechanics are simpler than people expect. On moving-out day, our crew arrives, packs anything still loose, wraps and protects your furniture exactly as they would for a standard house removal, and loads the lorry. The difference is the destination. Instead of driving straight to a new address, the load goes into a clean, dry storage facility, where it is logged and kept secure for as long as you need. When your new home is ready, the same approach runs in reverse: we collect from storage, deliver and unload into the right rooms.
Because the team handling the move is the same team handling the storage, nothing has to be double-handled by strangers. Your wardrobe is wrapped once, carried once into the unit, and carried out once on delivery. That continuity matters. Every extra handover is an extra opportunity for a scuff, a dent or a misplaced box, and combining the services removes a whole layer of them.
Short-term storage between homes
For the classic chain gap — a few days to a few weeks — our short-term storage is usually the right fit. It is designed for exactly this kind of in-between period, where you know roughly when you will need your things back but want flexibility if dates wobble again. There is no need to commit to a long contract for a stay measured in days.
Long-term storage for bigger life changes
If you are travelling for several months, renovating extensively, or holding furniture while you settle into a smaller home, long-term storage is the more sensible and cost-effective choice. It suits anyone who needs months rather than days, and it keeps treasured pieces safe and out of the way until you genuinely need them again.
Working out how much storage you need
One of the most common questions we hear is simply: how big a unit will I need? It is easy to over- or under-estimate. People picture either far too much space or, more often, far too little — the contents of a three-bedroom house take up more room than most expect once everything is boxed and stacked safely rather than crammed.
The quickest way to get a realistic figure is our storage calculator, which lets you tot up your rooms and major items to arrive at an estimate of the space required. It is a genuinely useful starting point, and it means the quote you receive reflects what you actually need rather than a guess. If you would rather talk it through, we are happy to do that too — a quick conversation about what you are storing usually pins it down quickly.
What combined removals and storage costs in Chichester
Honest answer first: the cost depends on the move and the storage together, and anyone quoting a single flat figure without asking questions is guessing. The removal element is driven by the volume of your belongings, the access at your property, and how much packing and dismantling you want the crew to handle. The storage element is driven by how much space you need and for how long.
- Volume — the cubic footage of your possessions sets both the size of vehicle on moving day and the size of storage unit afterwards. Decluttering before you move reduces both.
- Access in Chichester — the conservation streets near the centre often have restricted parking and tight terraces, while newer estates and village homes vary from easy to awkward. Long carries and stairs add time.
- Duration of storage — a few days between homes costs very differently from several months while you renovate.
- Add-ons — packing, dismantling beds and wardrobes, and a full packing service all sit on top of the core figures.
Rather than chase the lowest headline number, look for a transparent quote that itemises both the move and the storage. Our pricing page explains how the different services compare, and you can request a quote tailored to your particular Chichester move and storage need. We will be straight with you about what is and is not included.
Chichester's local quirks worth planning for
Knowing a city well is what lets a removal team move you efficiently rather than learning the lanes on the day. Chichester has a few characteristics worth flagging before your move.
Parking and the city centre
The streets within and just outside the old city walls — around North, South, East and West Street, and the residential roads off them — are tight, often one-way, and subject to resident permit zones and loading restrictions. If you are moving to or from a central address, it is worth contacting the council in advance about a parking dispensation so the lorry can get reasonably close. A long carry from a distant space is exhausting and adds time to the job.
Period and listed homes
Chichester has a generous share of Georgian and Victorian houses with narrow doorways, tight staircases and original features you will not want marked. Measure your largest items against the access at the new property before the day. Occasionally a sofa or wardrobe has to come out through a window, and it is far better to know that in advance than to discover it mid-afternoon.
The surrounding villages
Move out to the Manhood Peninsula, the villages towards Midhurst, or the lanes around the South Downs and you may find single-track approaches, unmade drives or restricted turning space. A large lorry can sometimes park on the lane while smaller loads are shuttled to the door — straightforward when planned, chaotic when it is a surprise.
All of this is exactly the kind of thing we discuss when planning a move, and it is one of the reasons local knowledge matters. You can read more about how we work across the area on our Chichester removals page.
We’re a friendly, family-run Sussex removals and storage company that has been keeping its promises since 2016. From a single item to a full home or office move, every job is fully insured and led by a dedicated coordinator, so you always have one point of contact.
As a LAPADA member and a Checkatrade-verified team, we handle it all with real care — expert packing, home and business removals, clean, secure storage and specialist antiques handling across Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent.
A sensible timeline for a move-and-store
The smoothest combined moves start early. Here is roughly how the run-up tends to look.
Six to eight weeks out
Get quotes and book your removal-and-storage firm, especially if your move falls in summer or at month end when demand peaks. This is also the moment to start decluttering — every box you do not move or store is money saved twice over.
Three to four weeks out
If you are packing yourself, order your packing materials and start with rooms you rarely use. Decide what is going into storage and what you will need access to in the gap, and label accordingly. Begin notifying utilities and councils of your address change.
One to two weeks out
Confirm logistics, arrange any parking dispensation with the council, and pack everything except daily essentials. If you are storing items long-term, make sure the things you will want first are loaded last so they are easy to reach.
The final days
Pack an essentials box — kettle, mugs, chargers, medication, a change of clothes and basic tools — and keep it with you rather than in storage or the lorry. Our helpful moving tips walk through the finer details.
Packing for storage as well as for the move
Packing for storage is slightly different from packing for an immediate move, because your belongings will sit boxed for longer. A few habits make all the difference. Use sturdy, uniform boxes that stack safely rather than a jumble of supermarket cartons. Avoid storing anything damp, and never box up perishables or liquids that could leak. Dismantle beds and large furniture where possible to save space and reduce the risk of damage. Wrap upholstery and mattresses to keep them clean. If all of that sounds like a project in itself, our full packing service handles it properly, and for glassware, mirrors and ceramics our fragile packing service uses the right materials and technique. As a LAPADA member, we take particular care with antiques and fine pieces that are going into storage.
Why a single local team is worth it
The removals industry is unregulated, and quality varies enormously. When your move involves storage, the case for choosing one reliable local firm for both halves gets even stronger. A few sensible checks separate the firms you can trust from the ones you will regret.
- Insurance — ask what cover is in place for both transit and storage. We are fully insured with liability cover up to £10 million, so your belongings are protected from the moment they leave your home to the moment they are delivered.
- Verified reviews — look for an independent record rather than a handful of self-published reviews. We are Checkatrade-verified, so our reviews come from real, confirmed customers.
- One point of contact — using the same team for removals and storage means one phone number, one set of paperwork, and no finger-pointing if something goes wrong.
- Local presence — a Sussex-based team that knows Chichester's roads, parking and housing stock will move you more efficiently than an out-of-area firm.
If you are only moving a few items, or just need a smaller job done, our man and van service starts from £80 and can also feed straight into storage — you do not need a full crew and lorry for a partial move into a unit.
Bringing it all together
Combining removals and storage in Chichester is not a compromise or a fallback — for many moves it is simply the most sensible way to handle the inevitable gaps and changes that come with buying, selling and relocating. One team, one quote, and your belongings handled with continuity from start to finish. Whether you need a few days between homes, several months while you renovate, or somewhere safe to keep furniture while you decide what fits a new life in the city, the joined-up approach takes a great deal of the worry out of the process.
If you would like a clear, no-pressure quote for a combined move and storage in Chichester, give us a call on 01903 893731 or email contact@wolves-removals.co.uk. We are always happy to talk through the details — access, timings, how much space you need and how long for — before you commit to anything.
Removals and Storage in Chichester: Moving and Storing Under One Roof — FAQs
Yes — that is exactly what we do. The same crew packs, wraps and loads your belongings on moving day, takes them straight into secure storage, and delivers them to your new home when it is ready. Using one team means no double-handling by strangers and a single point of contact throughout.
The quickest way is our online storage calculator, which lets you add up your rooms and major items for a realistic estimate. If you would rather talk it through, a short conversation about what you are storing usually pins down the right unit size quickly.
Short-term storage suits the gap between homes — typically a few days to a few weeks during a chain delay. Long-term storage is more cost-effective for months at a time, such as while you travel, renovate or settle into a smaller home and decide what to keep.
Yes. We are fully insured with liability cover up to £10 million, covering your belongings both in transit and in storage. We are also Checkatrade-verified and a LAPADA member, so antiques and fine pieces are handled with proper care.
The streets around the city centre have permit zones and loading restrictions, so it is worth contacting the council in advance about a parking dispensation. That lets the lorry get reasonably close and avoids a long, tiring carry. We will help you plan this when we arrange your move.
