Friday 26th August – this year’s most popular day to move home

- August is the most popular month to move

- Almost 6k moves are expected on this date – four times more than average

- Approximately 1 in 3 households (28%) move on a Friday

The most popular day to move home this year will be Friday 26th August, according to HomeOwners Alliance and reallymoving. Analysis of almost 600,000 removal quotes collected by reallymoving found August has been the most popular month to move home for the last 10 years. 

There were over a half a million (512,000) owner occupier moves or approximately 1,400 moves per day in 2020-21. On the most popular day of the year, Friday 26th August, 1.15% of all moves are expected on this day - approximately 5,900 homeowners.  This is four times more than the average weekday. 

Looking at the most popular month and days to move, this means 61,000 homeowners will moving in the month of August alone and 145,000 homeowners moving on Fridays over the course of the year.

Commenting on the data, Chief Executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, Paula Higgins, says: “Many homeowners like to move during the school summer holidays so their children can settle into their new place in time for the new academic year.

“It may seem sensible to move on a Friday, so you have time to unpack and settle in over the weekend before heading back to work. But moving on a Friday with large swathes of other people can put pressure on the professionals helping you move, which can mean extra pressure and a greater risk of delays.

“Of course delays can occur at any time, but on the last Friday of the month, it is peak time for conveyancing fraud and you will need to pay more for a removal company. If there are delays in transferring funds, you may have to spend the weekend in a hotel or on a friend’s or family’s sofa.”

Rob Houghton, CEO of reallymoving, adds: “Moving on the busiest day of the year isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially with the August bank holiday also happening that week, pushing more moves onto the remaining four days. Ensure your conveyancer and everyone in the chain knows you’re working towards that date and book your removals firm well in advance, so you only need to confirm as soon as you exchange. It’s best to ask them to come to your house to assess the volume of your belongings. This ensures you have the right sized van and number of team members on the day of your move.”

  Tips on avoiding moving day delays:

- Suggest a mid-week move to all in your chain pointing out the potential downfall of choosing to move on a busy day like Friday. Savings are possible, for example, removals firms may offer mid-week deals on prices. See our guide to house removals costs.
- If you have to move on a Friday, ask your conveyancer to order the mortgage money from your lender the day before completion so it can be transferred first thing on the day of the move.
- Tell your conveyancer and insist that it is written in the contract that you should receive the keys by 1pm. Otherwise you will likely be stranded without keys to your new abode until Monday.
- If you're going to be moving this August bank holiday, remember things will be busier. Start getting quotes for removals firms as soon as possible and appoint them immediately after exchanging contracts. Here are more tips on how to find the right removals company
- Choose a removals firm you trust and have rapport with. Talk through what would happen if a delay occurred. For example, do they have emergency storage if needed?

 For further advice on all aspects of buying, selling, owning and moving home, visit https://hoa.org.uk

Research Summary

Key Findings:

The figures are based on 596,338 removals quotes collected by reallymoving.com over the last 11 years. This data shows that:

- Summer is the most popular season to move with 1 in 3 (31%) movers choosing to move in June, July or August.
- August is the most popular month to move, followed by July or September (12% of movers prefer August and 10% prefer July or September for their moving day).
- Friday is by far and away the most popular day of the week to move. Nearly 1 in 3 (28%) select Friday for their move.
- The last Friday in August tends to be the busiest day of the year to move.

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