Buyers have just 10 days left to bag a moving slot before Christmas, according to Bankrate UK.

If not, they run the risk of finding removals firms are already fully booked.

The mortgage comparison site found that searches for ‘removal companies’ has reached a five-year high, while removal companies are reporting 37% year-on-year growth for November bookings and a 26% increase for December bookings.

The surge in buyer demand was fuelled by the stamp duty holiday, with buyers keen to purchase their next home ahead of the 31st March deadline.

Close to capacity

As a result, removal companies across the country are struggling to meet the increase in demand for pre-Christmas move-in dates, with many already close to capacity.

Nisha Vaidya, mortgage expert at Bankrate UK, said: “With shorter days, bleak weather and the impending festive period, November and December are historically the least popular months to move home.

“However, with each stage of the home buying process taking longer than usual and the stamp duty deadline looming, there appears to be a trend of homeowners actively pushing to complete before Christmas.”

Tony Daley, operations director at Daleysmove, added: “We’re at 90% capacity for November and 67% capacity in December already and our year on year bookings in these months are up 37% and 26% respectively. I’d be very surprised if December isn’t fully booked by 21st November.”

It is typical for removal companies to have bookings planned eight weeks before a removal date. However, due to the increased demand from the stamp duty holiday, removal companies are being given 4-5 weeks’ notice or in some cases, only 2–3 weeks. Some customers have even been calling the day of their move.