Moving your piano when you move house: how to coordinate the two

If you are moving house and the property contains a piano, the piano needs its own separate booking with a specialist mover. A general removals firm handles furniture. Piano moving is a different discipline with its own equipment, trained crews and scheduled delivery routes. The two jobs can happen on the same day or across different days, but they need to be booked independently. Get an instant fixed price for your piano move at book.pianospeed.com while you are organising the rest of the move.

Why a piano cannot go on the removal lorry

A general removal firm is not trained or equipped for pianos. An upright weighs 200 to 300 kilograms and must travel on a padded skid board inside a triple-thickness fitted transit cover, not wrapped in a moving blanket in a general-purpose lorry. A grand piano is disassembled before moving: the legs and pedal lyre come off, each packed into its own individual padded bag, and the body sits on a skid board inside a heavy-duty crate. Removal companies do not carry this equipment and their crews are not trained in these techniques.

Insurance is also a factor. A general removal firm's policy covers household goods at standard furniture values. A piano is a specialist instrument, and a damage claim with a non-specialist firm is often disputed or settled at a fraction of the instrument's value. A PianoSpeed move is fully insured as a specialist piano move from the moment the crew arrives.

• Top-of-range triple-thickness fitted transit covers, not loose blankets
• Padded skid board for transport, strapped securely in a specialist vehicle
• Individual padded bags for grand legs and pedal lyre inside a heavy-duty crate
• Piano-trained crew, not a general removals team
• Full specialist insurance covering the move from collection to delivery

Timing: which job goes first?

On the day you move out, the cleanest arrangement is usually to have the general removals team clear the piano's room and the hallway before the piano crew arrives. This gives the piano crew an unobstructed route from the instrument to the street and avoids two teams working around each other in a confined space.

At the delivery address, the reverse often works better. If the piano is going into a specific room, it is easier to position it correctly before the removals team fills the hall and other rooms with boxes. Agree a time window for each team before moving day so neither is waiting on the other.

How the delivery day system affects your planning

PianoSpeed runs scheduled weekly routes. Each postcode area has a set delivery day, which means the piano crew covers your area on a particular day each week, not on demand. If your completion date falls on the right day for both postcodes, the move can happen in one run. If it does not, the options are to move the piano on the nearest available day before or after completion, or to use specialist storage in the gap.

Book as soon as you have exchange of contracts and a confirmed completion date. Popular dates fill quickly, and knowing your completion date early gives you more flexibility to work around the delivery day schedule. The instant quote at book.pianospeed.com shows available slots for your postcodes.

If there is a gap between leaving one home and arriving at the next

Chain delays and deferred completions happen. If the piano cannot go directly from the old address to the new one, specialist piano storage is the right solution. Standard self-storage units are not suitable for acoustic pianos: the temperature and humidity inside them is not managed to the standard an instrument requires, and the piano will typically be moved in and out by non-specialist operators with unsuitable equipment.

Specialist piano storage is handled by the Pianospeed Group's sister site, pianostorage.co.uk. The piano is collected from your current address, stored in a climate-controlled piano vault, and delivered to your new address when you are ready. The two legs of the journey are booked as separate jobs, and you are not committed to a delivery date until you are ready to receive the instrument.

What to tell the crew when you book

The instant quote at book.pianospeed.com asks for the piano type, floor level and access at both addresses. For a house move, also have the following ready when you book:

• Whether a general removal team will also be working at the property on the same day, and roughly what time window they have been given
• The floor level and whether there are stairs at either address (stairs are chargeable and are priced automatically in the online quote)
• Any tight doorways, narrow corridors or restricted parking on the approach to either property
• Whether you will need parking bay suspensions for both the removal vehicle and the piano vehicle simultaneously if the street is in a permit zone

If anything about the access changes between booking and moving day, tell PianoSpeed as early as possible rather than on the morning. A lift that goes out of service, a new parking restriction, or a road closure on the approach all affect how the crew plans the job.

Common questions about piano moves during a house move

Can I just ask my removal company to take the piano?

A general removal company is not trained or insured for specialist piano work, and their equipment is not suited to the instrument. Book the piano move separately with a specialist. It is a different job, not an add-on.

How far in advance should I book the piano move?

As soon as you have a confirmed completion date. The set delivery day for your postcode may not fall on your exact completion day, so you need time to plan around it. If you have exchanged but not yet completed, you can book a provisional date and adjust it if the completion shifts, subject to availability.

Do the piano crew and the removal firm need to arrive at the same time?

No, and it is usually easier if they do not. Staggering the teams avoids two crews working in the same hallway simultaneously. Agree a time window for each before moving day and give each firm an indication of the other's schedule so neither is waiting unnecessarily.

What if completion is delayed on the day?

Call PianoSpeed on 020 7164 0000 as early as possible. The crew works to a scheduled route and cannot wait indefinitely at an address, but an early call gives the team time to adjust the plan or agree a revised window for the same day.

Can the piano go into storage if the new property is not ready?

Yes. Specialist piano storage at pianostorage.co.uk is the right solution for a completion delay or a gap between moving out and moving in. The piano stays in a climate-controlled vault and is delivered to the new address when you are ready.

Is stair access included in the price?

Stairs are chargeable at both addresses. The floor level and access at each end is priced automatically when you enter the details in the instant quote at book.pianospeed.com. The figure you see is the fixed price, not an estimate adjusted when the crew arrives.

What if the piano is going to a different address from the rest of my furniture?

That is straightforward. The piano move is booked with the collection postcode and the delivery postcode, regardless of where the rest of your belongings are going. Enter both addresses when you get your instant quote.

Book your piano move

Piano moves start from £125. Get an instant fixed price for your piano move at book.pianospeed.com, or call PianoSpeed London Limited on 020 7164 0000 to talk through the timing before you book. PianoSpeed is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 77 reviews, all from real piano moves. 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ.