Am I Entitled to a Day Off to Move House?

Moving house can be a stressful event and requires exceptional time management skills for all involved.

In advance of your move, viewings, solicitor’s appointments, surveys, removal companies, amongst other things, all need to be arranged and some of these require meetings during working hours. In the weeks leading up to your move you need to start packing before the day itself.

For those in full time employment it can be quite tricky to find the time to get everything ready.

Entitlement to Leave When Moving House

Whilst it is in the best interest of employers to be accommodating to staff and provide a degree of flexibility by allowing employees to take time off during the moving process, it is legally very much at their own discretion.

The only legal right employees have for time off work in these situations is in accordance with their normal holiday entitlement. Statutory (the legal bare minimum) annual leave in the UK for a normal 5 day working week is 20 days plus the additional 8 Bank and Public Holidays.

Employees do not have any specific right to be allowed time off for reasons such as moving house. However, an employer would have to justify why they have refused an employee’s request.

What Should I do?

In the first instance, you should consult your staff handbook and employment contract to determine your personal entitlement. Some employers allow additional days off (paid or unpaid) or entitlement for special occasions such as a wedding or honeymoon.

Historically, the preferred day for house moves is a Friday. For the majority of home movers, the day is spent undertaking last minute packing and loading all your possessions whilst waiting for the removal van and notification confirming completion.

Once you have picked up the keys for your new house the process starts again, in reverse, with the remainder of Friday and the weekend spent unpacking and settling in. It is completely understandable why people want to take time off in the days preceding and following the move.

To find out more about your employment rights, make an enquiry with your employer about leave entitlement for moving house.

Property Conveyancing from Howells Solicitors

If you’re looking for reliable conveyancing services for your house move, Howells can help. Call 0808 178 2773 to arrange an initial meeting with a member of our friendly team today.