Removal companies cannot carry everything. Some items are legally prohibited in transit, some create a safety risk inside a loaded van, and some fall outside goods-in-transit insurance. The main things a removals firm will not move are hazardous and flammable materials, gas bottles, paint and solvents, perishable food, plants, pets, and irreplaceable valuables. Knowing this list ahead of your move means you can make other arrangements rather than being caught out on the morning.
At Alltime Removals, a Bedfordshire family firm trading since 2002 and accredited with AIM, MoveAssured and the RHA, our advisers go through all of this during the free home survey, so nothing is a surprise on the day.
Why removal companies have exclusion lists
The exclusions exist for three reasons, and it helps to know which one applies to each item.
Legal prohibition. Some materials cannot travel on a public road in an ordinary removal vehicle without specialist haulage licensing. Compressed gas cylinders, corrosive chemicals and certain fuels fall into this bracket under UK road transport rules.
Insurance void. Goods-in-transit insurance excludes a defined list of items. A firm that loads excluded goods takes on a liability its insurer will not cover, and a leaking or shifting prohibited item can damage everything around it.
Operational risk. Some items are not banned outright but create conditions a crew cannot safely manage. Leaking liquids soak nearby boxes, loose items change the load balance, and some materials mark furniture on contact.
Items removal companies will not move
Below is the standard exclusion list. Individual firms vary slightly, and your Alltime adviser confirms the specifics at the survey.
Hazardous and flammable materials
These are prohibited in transit and excluded from insurance:
- Petrol, diesel, paraffin and other liquid fuels
- Aerosol cans with propellant left in them (hairspray, deodorant, spray paint)
- Fireworks and pyrotechnics
- Ammunition and explosives
- Compressed-air cylinders (air rifles, diving gear)
- Solvents such as turpentine, white spirit and acetone
What to do: drain petrol equipment such as mowers, chainsaws and pressure washers completely before the crew arrives. Take fuels and solvents to a household waste recycling centre.
Gas bottles and canisters
Propane and butane bottles, patio-heater cylinders, and camping-stove cartridges cannot travel on the van. They are pressurised and prohibited under transport rules.
What to do: use them up, or return refillable bottles to your supplier or a stockist. Most gas suppliers take empties back.
Paint, varnish and adhesives
Tinned paint is the most commonly overlooked exclusion. A tin that tips in transit warps its lid and leaks across other boxes. Part-used tins are almost always excluded, and newer sealed tins are only sometimes accepted at the crew’s discretion.
What to do: use up what you can beforehand, or dispose of surplus paint at a recycling centre. In Central Bedfordshire, the council runs household waste recycling centres, including sites at Thorn Turn near Houghton Regis and Rackley Lane in Leighton Buzzard, which take paint, chemicals and garden waste. Check the Central Bedfordshire Council recycling pages for opening times and what each site accepts.
Perishable food
Frozen and opened refrigerated food is not accepted. Defrosting in a sealed van creates moisture, odour and contamination risk for other items. Sealed tins and dried goods are generally fine.
What to do: run down the freezer and fridge in the two weeks before you move, and defrost the freezer 24 to 48 hours before load day.
Plants
Most companies exclude live plants. Soil can carry pests, and plants are fragile in a van with no temperature control and constant vibration, so the firm is not liable for damage.
What to do: for short local moves within the Dunstable and Luton corridor, our crews will often carry hardy potted plants on request, loading them last and unloading them first. For longer national moves, plants travel better in your own car.
Pets and animals
No licensed removal company moves live animals. Animals in transit need ventilation, temperature control and monitoring a loaded van cannot provide.
What to do: book a licensed pet transport specialist, or arrange for a friend or family member to drive them on moving day. Your vet can advise on settling animals into the new home.
Valuables, documents and medication
Goods-in-transit insurance has a per-item limit, so anything above that, and anything irreplaceable, should travel with you. That means jewellery, cash, passports, original documents, family heirlooms and prescription medication. Powered medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators or CPAP machines should also travel in your own car to avoid any power or handling risk.
What to do: pack a separate bag for these and keep it with you. Your written quote will confirm the per-item cover limit so you know exactly where to draw the line.
Items to flag at the survey
Some items are not banned but need a plan in advance:
- Firearms and air weapons must be unloaded and in a locked case, and the licensing obligations stay with the owner in transit. Many owners find it simpler to carry them in their own vehicle.
- Pianos: upright pianos are moved regularly, grand pianos need specialist equipment and are quoted separately.
- Slate-bed pool and snooker tables need specialist dismantling.
Who is liable: boxes you pack versus boxes we pack
This is the question most guides avoid, so here is the honest answer. It matters more than most people realise.
Boxes packed by the removals crew are covered for breakage under the firm’s goods-in-transit insurance. If the crew wraps and boxes your china and a plate breaks in transit, that is the firm’s responsibility, because they controlled how it was packed.
Boxes you pack yourself (known in the trade as “packed by owner”) are treated differently. The firm will cover the box against external events such as the van being in an accident or a box being dropped, but it will generally not cover breakages inside a box it did not pack and could not inspect. If a self-packed box of glasses arrives with a cracked glass and there is no external damage to the box, that usually falls outside cover, because the firm cannot verify how it was packed.
This is not a loophole, it is standard across the industry, and it is worth knowing before you decide how much to pack yourself. If you have fragile or high-value items, having the crew pack them shifts the liability onto the firm. Our packing service runs from a breakables-only option, where we pack the kitchen and fragile items and you do the rest, up to a full pack. Your adviser will explain exactly how cover differs for packed-by-owner and crew-packed boxes at the survey, in writing, so there are no misunderstandings if a claim ever arises.
Your pre-move checklist
Work through this before load day:
| Item | Action | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol equipment | Drain fuel fully (mowers, generators, chainsaws) | You |
| Gas canisters | Use up or return to supplier | You |
| Aerosols | Keep only sealed, full cans; discard part-used ones | You |
| Paint and solvents | Use up or take to a recycling centre | You |
| Freezer | Defrost 24 to 48 hours before load day | You |
| Fridge | Empty and clean the night before | You |
| Plants | Discuss with adviser: local moves often fine, long-distance use your car | Adviser confirms |
| Valuables and medication | Keep with you in a separate bag | You |
| Pets | Book pet transport or arrange a driver | You |
| Firearms | Confirm the transport plan with your adviser in advance | Adviser and you |
Common mistakes customers make
- Leaving the lawnmower full of petrol. The most frequent load-day issue. Draining it takes five minutes beforehand and avoids a problem on the morning.
- Packing part-used aerosols in boxes. A pressurised can in a compressed box is a risk, so dispose of these before the crew arrives.
- Assuming plants will be fine on a long move. A six-hour journey in a hot van in summer is damaging. Plan ahead for national relocations.
- Leaving valuables in bedside drawers. Jewellery, medication and passports can end up boxed with the furniture. Pack a separate bag that stays with you.
- Not mentioning the piano. A surprise piano on load day adds time the crew has not planned for. Flag it at the survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if it has been drained of fuel completely before load day. A petrol mower with fuel in the tank cannot travel on the van. Electric and battery mowers are fine, ideally with the battery removed or fully discharged before packing. Your adviser will check at the survey.
Part-used tins and tins with damaged lids are excluded. Newer sealed tins in good condition are only sometimes accepted, at the crew’s discretion. The safest approach is to use up or recycle surplus paint before moving day. In Central Bedfordshire you can take it to a household waste recycling centre.
The crew will ask you to remove it from the load. For small items like an aerosol or a gas canister, this takes minutes. For larger items it can affect the start time. The advance survey exists precisely to avoid this, as your adviser will flag anything that needs a separate arrangement before the day.
Boxes you pack yourself are covered against external events such as an accident or being dropped, but breakages inside a box the firm did not pack are generally not covered, because the firm cannot verify how it was packed. Boxes packed by our crew are covered for breakage. For fragile or high-value items, having the crew pack them shifts the liability onto us. Your adviser explains this in writing at the survey.
Firearms and air weapons can be transported, but they must be unloaded and in a locked, approved case, and the licensing obligations stay with the owner throughout. Many owners choose to carry them in their own vehicle as the simpler option. Discuss this with your adviser when you book the survey.
Ready to book your free survey?
The simplest way to know exactly what travels on the van and what needs a separate plan is a free home survey. An adviser visits your property, walks each room, and confirms it all in writing before moving day.
Book a free home survey and written quote from Alltime Removals, a Bedfordshire family firm trading since 2002, accredited with AIM, MoveAssured and the RHA.
