What is the right split?

Roughly half. Bedding, kitchen, desk, books, pictures and any piece you would genuinely miss come. Bulky furniture, garden things and large appliances stay.

Should we store in London or at home?

At home. Storing the half you did not bring in the city you are only visiting is the most expensive inversion described on this site.

Why survey the London flat too?

Because it decides what is worth bringing. A sofa that fits a suburban room may not pass a converted-terrace staircase, and here is a much better place to find that out.

Our employer is paying. What changes?

You decide what comes; the employer decides what the package covers. Knowing what the policy excludes before the survey is worth more than knowing it after the invoice.

What if the posting is extended?

Bring the stored half over then rather than at the end. One move instead of two, and the flat stops being a waiting room.

Should we plan the return now?

Sketch it. There is a date on paper, which makes this the only horizon where the return job can genuinely be anticipated.

A posting · C

A posting

The classic London arrangement, and the one with the clearest arithmetic on this site. There is an end date on paper, the accommodation is usually part-furnished at best, and roughly half a household should travel.

Store at home, not in London. Storing the half you did not bring in the city you are only visiting is the expensive inversion.

What a posting move involves

A half-household shipment Bedding, kitchen, desk, books, pictures, one or two pieces.

A hold at the home end Bulky furniture and anything that belongs to a house.

Both ends surveyed Because a London flat constrains what is worth bringing.

A written split Agreed before packing rather than decided on the morning.

Employer paperwork where relevant Purchase orders and policy references.

A return job sketched now Because there is a date on paper for it.

What crosses the line and what does not

Across: bedding, kitchen things you actually use, a desk and chair, books, pictures, and any single piece you would genuinely miss having around for two years. Those turn a let into somewhere you live.

Behind: bulky furniture, garden things, seasonal equipment, large white goods, and anything that belongs to a house rather than a flat. A London let will not take it and shipping it means paying to store it there instead.

The inversion that costs most

Shipping a full household to London and then renting a storage unit in London for everything the flat cannot hold. It happens constantly and it is the single most expensive arrangement described on this site.

The same goods held at the home end, where storage is generally cheaper and where they are going back to anyway, cost less and travel half as far. It is not a close decision once it is named.

Survey both ends

The London flat decides what is worth bringing far more than the home address does. A three-seat sofa that fits a suburban sitting room may not go up a converted-terrace staircase, and finding that out here is much better than finding it out there.

Photographs of the London property — rooms, doorways and the staircase — are worth more at the planning stage than anything else you can send us.

When the posting is extended

Bring the stored half over at that point rather than waiting for the end. It is one move instead of two, the flat stops being somewhere you are waiting, and the storage charges stop.

It is the decision the next page on this site is entirely about, because almost nobody makes it at the right moment.

A posting

Questions about a posting

What is the right split?: Roughly half. Bedding, kitchen, desk, books, pictures and any piece you would genuinely miss come. Bulky furniture, garden things and large appliances stay.
Should we store in London or at home?: At home. Storing the half you did not bring in the city you are only visiting is the most expensive inversion described on this site.
Why survey the London flat too?: Because it decides what is worth bringing. A sofa that fits a suburban room may not pass a converted-terrace staircase, and here is a much better place to find that out.
Our employer is paying. What changes?: You decide what comes; the employer decides what the package covers. Knowing what the policy excludes before the survey is worth more than knowing it after the invoice.
What if the posting is extended?: Bring the stored half over then rather than at the end. One move instead of two, and the flat stops being a waiting room.
Should we plan the return now?: Sketch it. There is a date on paper, which makes this the only horizon where the return job can genuinely be anticipated.

How long are you staying?

Both addresses, roughly what is going, and how long you expect to be here. A rough answer is enough — the boundaries between horizons are soft and the advice barely changes within one.

Get a quote Ask what to bring