If you’re moving with us, you don’t need to arrange parking yourself. We apply to the council for a parking suspension or dispensation on every job that needs one, and you only pay what the council charges. Here’s how it works in Edinburgh, and what’s worth doing if your street doesn’t need either.
What do I need to do?
Nothing, apart from booking your move. We already have your address and dates, so there’s no form for you to fill in. We arrange parking for house moves, storage collections and deliveries, and we don’t charge for doing it.
We also choose the vehicles before the day. Our fleet runs from 3.5 tonne low loaders up to 18 tonne HGVs, so we can send what suits the job.
What’s the difference between a suspension and a dispensation?
A suspension reserves parking bays for your move, so nobody else can park in them. We can request suspension of pay and display bays, residents’ bays and loading bays. A suspended loading bay is for our use only while the suspension runs.
A dispensation lets our vehicle stop where it normally couldn’t stay for long: on single or double yellow lines, or in a loading bay.
Some streets need this more than others. On Northumberland Street, for example, we wouldn’t attempt a move without a suspension in place.
How much does a parking suspension cost in Edinburgh?
A suspension costs the same as the pay and display rate on that street, whether the bays are pay and display, residents’ or loading bays. There’s no admin fee. A dispensation is currently £16 per vehicle, per day.
You can see the pay and display rate for your street on the council’s parking map. Rates change, so check the council’s dispensations and suspensions page for current figures.
How much notice does the council need?
For a suspension, Edinburgh needs at least three working days’ notice for residents’ bays and two for public bays. The council also has to put signs up on the street at least three working days before the suspension starts. A dispensation needs at least 24 hours’ notice.
What happens if someone parks in a suspended bay?
Once the parking suspension is in place, moving a parked car is up to the council, not you or us. At some addresses the council won’t move vehicles, so a suspension doesn’t guarantee a clear space everywhere.
What about streets without parking controls?
Around the edges of the controlled parking zones are Priority Parking areas, where restrictions only apply for 90 minutes at some point in the day. We can still arrange a suspension there, but the council won’t move cars out of the bays, so it depends on people seeing the signs.
Outside the controlled zones there’s nothing to apply for. The most useful thing you can do is speak to your neighbours a few days before your move. Tell them the date and roughly when the van will arrive, and ask if they can keep the space outside clear.
To check which applies to your street, use the council’s parking zone finder and search for your address.
Can you arrange parking outside Edinburgh?
Yes. We arrange parking with other councils too, often London boroughs such as Westminster and Camden. London councils usually need more notice and charge more than Edinburgh. Westminster asks for 10 working days’ notice for a suspension. Camden asks for bookings at least 17 days ahead and adds an admin charge to each suspension, though it waives the first day’s space charge for home moves, up to three spaces.
If you’re moving to London, let us know your date as early as you can.
Moving soon?
Once you’ve booked, parking is one less thing for you to deal with. Get a quote or call us on 0131 555 3949.
