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Five kinds of London building
Between them these account for most of the housing in the capital, and each imposes a different set of constraints on a moving day.
- 01 Mansion flats c.1880–1930 Red-brick blocks with porters, service lifts and rules that predate the lift. The first question Which lift, and how big — Passenger, service, or neither. The internal dimensions decide what can travel vertically and what has to be carried.
- 02 Period terraces c.1840–1910 The London default — and the staircase turn that catches everyone out. The first question The staircase diagonal — Measured against the largest items, not eyeballed. This is the constraint.
- 03 Conversion flats Victorian houses, divided A flat inside somebody else’s house, with a shared stair and four sets of interests. The first question Which floor, and the turns — A third-floor conversion with two half-landings is a different job from a garden flat.
- 04 Stucco and listed houses Georgian and Regency Where what you may not do matters more than what you can. The first question Listing grade and extent — What is protected, and whether interiors are specifically mentioned.
- 05 New-build apartments 2000 onwards Good lifts, good bays — and a concierge with a booking sheet that fills up. The first question Bay and lift booking — Reserved through the concierge, usually days ahead and in a fixed slot.
Somewhere else entirely?
Ex-council maisonettes, warehouse conversions, mews houses, purpose-built 1960s blocks, houseboats — London has all of it and we move out of all of it. These five simply cover the most ground. Tell us what you have and we will tell you what it needs.
Next step
Not sure which yours is?
A photograph of the front of the building and one of the staircase will usually settle it in thirty seconds.