A Middlesbrough move is often decided at the back of the house. The grid of terraced streets running off Linthorpe Road is regular, tightly packed and almost always served by a back lane, so the first question is which side of the house the van should be on.

Further out, the town is a different job. Acklam, Marton and Nunthorpe have driveways and room to turn, and what catches people out there is not the access at all.

So start by working out which Middlesbrough you are moving from.

Front door or back lane?

On a lot of the streets off Linthorpe Road the back lane is the better route, particularly for wide items. It is not always. A rutted lane and a gate that only half opens can make the front the sensible choice instead.

Our answer: we use whichever gives the shorter, safer carry, and we would rather settle that before the day than on it. You can help with three things:

Tell us about the lane — that it exists, what the surface is like, and whether a van can get along it.
Check the yard gate. Does it open fully? A gate that stops halfway decides what can come through it.
Send a photo taken from where the van would stop, with the exact address. It tells us more than a description does.

Then measure the carry. Twenty metres instead of five, walked once for every item in the house, is a longer job — and it belongs in your quote from the start.

Check the parking before you fix the date

Middlesbrough Council runs a residents' parking scheme, and the rules depend on the street. Do not go by what a neighbour did two years ago. Ask the council two questions, for both addresses if both are in the town:

Is the street in a permit zone?
What does a removal van need to stand there for the day?

Suitable parking as close as reasonably possible to both addresses is the customer's responsibility. If your street has a permit or a restriction, tell us when you ask for a quote and we will plan around it — charges or penalties from parking arrangements we were not told about may be passed on. Our parking and access guide covers the rest of the jobs around a move.

Acklam, Marton and Nunthorpe

These are the simpler moves to reach: driveway access, room for the van, short carries. In a bigger house, the thing to watch is volume — the loft, the garage and the shed are what people leave out of the count. Mention all three when you ask for a price, even if you think they hardly hold anything.

Linthorpe sits between the two. Some of it moves like the terraces and some like the suburbs, so the photo matters there as well. Our Middlesbrough removals page covers the town area by area.

Student moves near Teesside University

For a room or two of belongings, booking by the hour is usually the cheaper way to do it. There is a two-hour minimum, plus 93p a mile between your addresses, and three ways to book:

Driver and van, £40 an hour — you load, and the driver drives.
Man and van, £60 an hour — our driver carries, with your help on anything big.
Two movers and van, £80 an hour — we do all the carrying.

September is the busiest month for these, so book early. Our guide to student moves in Durham is written for a different city, but the planning is the same.

What to book, in order

The council, if either address is in a permit zone. Do this first, while you still have time to change the plan.
The date. Two weeks is our preferred minimum, and further out is better for a Saturday.
The photos, of the street, the lane and the gate.
Packing, if you want it done for you. We pack the day before.

What it costs

A typical local move with us is £190 for a one-bed, £270 for a two-bed, £350 for a three-bed and £430 for a four-bed. Stairs, distance and a fuller load add to that, so two homes of the same size, one on a terrace off Linthorpe Road and one on a drive in Nunthorpe, may not cost the same. Our North East cost guide goes through what moves the price. A 30% deposit holds your date, and the balance is due when the move is finished.

We price two ways. With one price for the job, the day is yours and there is no waiting charge, so late keys do not cost you more. By the hour often works out cheaper for smaller moves, up to a two-bedroom home, and waiting after the first 30 minutes is charged at £21 plus VAT per half hour. Our guide to the two ways of paying explains which one suits what.

The catch

A back lane can look like the answer and not be one. We work from what you tell us and we do not usually visit first. So if the lane turns out to be impassable, or the gate does not open, the carry changes — and access we were not told about can change the job. We will talk to you before doing anything, but the photo is what stops that conversation from happening at all.

When you know your street and your date, tell us what you are moving and we will price it.