Search for the best removal companies in Gloucester and you get a list. What you rarely get is the reasoning behind it. Most “top 10” pages are paid directories or scraped listings, and the order tells you very little about who will actually turn up and move your house properly.
So we have done this differently. Below are the four criteria we think matter when you are choosing a mover, the reasoning for each, and then how the genuine Gloucester-area firms measure up against them. We are one of the companies on this list, and we have put ourselves first, so read the criteria before you read the ranking and decide for yourself whether the method is fair.
The Four Criteria We Used
We picked these because each one is checkable. You can verify every single one yourself in about ten minutes, without taking our word for anything.
1. Review score and review volume
A 5.0 rating from four reviews is not the same as a 4.8 from four hundred. Score tells you about quality, volume tells you whether that score is reliable. You want both, and you want the reviews to be recent and on a platform that verifies the reviewer actually used the company.
Be careful comparing across platforms. Google runs on a five-star scale, Checkatrade scores out of ten, and Reviews.io and Trustpilot run their own systems. A 9.9 out of 10 and a 5.0 out of 5 are not the same measurement, and totals from different platforms should never be added together into one number.
2. Accreditation
Accreditation means an outside body has checked the company’s paperwork rather than taking its word for things. In UK removals the two main schemes are the British Association of Removers and Move Assured. Trade directories like Checkatrade run vetting checks too, covering identity, financial history and insurance.
The specific thing to look for is whether Goods in Transit and Public Liability insurance are listed as verified on the accreditation profile, not just claimed on the company website.
3. Range of services
A firm that only does van work will struggle if your completion date moves and you suddenly need your belongings held for a fortnight. Storage, packing, dismantling and reassembly are the services that absorb problems when a move does not go to plan. Ask what happens if your dates slip, because that is when the range of services starts to matter.
4. Genuinely local base
A local depot means shorter travel times, crews who know the parking restrictions on your street, and a real place you can visit. Some national brands advertise a Gloucester presence but subcontract the actual move to whoever is available. Ask directly whether the company that quotes you is the company that turns up.
The Best Removal Companies in Gloucester, Ranked
1. Cotswold Services Removals Ltd
We place ourselves first because we are the only firm on this list that meets all four criteria at once. That is the claim, and here is the evidence for it.
On reviews, we hold a 5.0 rating on Google, and the live rating widget on our site carries the current figure rather than a number typed into a page that goes stale. We are also listed on Checkatrade at 9.93 out of 10 from 37 reviews, with a 10 out of 10 score for communication. Those are two separate platforms on two separate scales, and we quote them separately rather than adding them together.
On accreditation, we are Move Assured accredited (member ID 197956, accredited for over three years) with Goods in Transit and Public Liability insurance both showing as verified on our profile. We are also a Checkatrade member and have been since February 2024, having passed up to 12 vetting checks.
On services, we cover house removals, office relocations, packing, storage, man and van, piano moves and office furniture installation. We hold belongings in our own containerised storage when completion dates slip, which happens more often than anyone expects.
On local base, our depot and storage facility sit at Northway Lane in Tewkesbury, a short drive north of Gloucester, with our office base at 246 Bath Road in Cheltenham. We cover Gloucester daily and we do not subcontract Gloucester jobs. The team that surveys your move is the team that arrives on the day.
See our house removals in Gloucester page for how we handle the city specifically, or the Cotswold Services Removals homepage for the full range of what we do.
2. KJS Removals
Gloucester-based family firm trading since 1995, with a Checkatrade score of 9.96 out of 10 from 612 reviews, the largest verified review volume of any removals firm in the Gloucester area. Covers house removals, office moves, piano removals, packing and storage.
3. Herbert Davis Removals
Gloucester firm established in 1919 and a member of the British Association of Removers, covering domestic, business, European and international moves. Also signed up to the BAR Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme operated by the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman.
4. Simon Long Removals Gloucestershire
BAR-accredited firm with offices serving Gloucester and Cheltenham, rated 4.84 from 160 reviews on Reviews.io. Offers house, business and overseas removals alongside commercial, personal and student storage, with video surveys available.
5. Andrews Removals and Storage
Family-run Gloucester firm, Move Assured registered, offering house, office and international removals with dehumidified containerised storage. Managed by Perry Andrews, with DBS-checked staff and fixed-price quotes on larger domestic and commercial moves.
What the Criteria Do Not Tell You
Every firm above is a real, established Gloucester-area business, and any of them could handle your move well. The criteria narrow the field, they do not pick for you.
What they miss is fit. A 612-review firm with a big fleet is a different proposition from a smaller outfit where the owner runs your survey personally. Some people want the scale, some want the direct line. Neither is wrong.
The other thing no ranking captures is how a company behaves when something goes wrong. Dates slip, chains collapse, keys arrive four hours late. The firms worth booking are the ones that have a plan for that, which is really what you are testing when you ask about storage.
Getting a Quote
If you are gathering quotes for a Gloucester move, our moving home checklist covers what to sort and when. For indicative costs across the county, our Gloucestershire Moving Costs Report pulls together published industry figures.
When you are ready, contact the team or request a quote and we will come back to you within 24 hours.
FAQs
How do I compare removal quotes like for like?
Get every quote in writing on the same basis: what is included, whether the price is fixed or hourly, the Goods in Transit and Public Liability limits, and what packing covers. Quotes differ because firms include different things, not because one is better value.
What is usually left out of a removal quote?
Loading, transport, unloading and furniture protection are normally standard. Dismantling and reassembly, loft and garage clearance, and disposal of unwanted items often are not. Ask which side of that line your quote sits on.
What can push the final price above the quote?
Waiting time when a chain runs late, a second vehicle, long carries from the nearest parking spot, and stairs beyond an agreed floor. A fixed price should absorb these. An hourly rate will not.
Should I trust a quote given over the phone?
Treat it as an estimate rather than a price. Without a survey or a walkaround video, nobody has seen your volume or your access. For three-bedroom properties and larger we carry out a free home survey, and for smaller moves a walkaround video usually gives us what we need.
One quote is far cheaper than the rest. What should I ask?
Ask what it excludes before assuming it is better value. The gap is usually packing, insurance limits, or an hourly rate that has been quoted against an optimistic number of hours.
What does Move Assured protect?
It verifies that a removals firm’s Goods in Transit insurance, which covers your belongings in transit, and Public Liability insurance, which covers damage to property, are genuinely current. Both show as verified on the member profile only when the company has supplied up-to-date documentation.
How do I check a company's Move Assured accreditation myself?
Open its profile on the Move Assured site and look at which documents show as verified, plus how long the firm has been accredited. Our profile shows Goods in Transit and Public Liability both verified, accreditation held for over three years, and member ID 197956.
Is Move Assured the same as BAR?
No. They are separate schemes. The British Association of Removers runs its own, including an Advance Payment Guarantee and an ombudsman-operated dispute resolution service. A firm accredited by either has been checked by someone other than itself.
