Removal Day Parking in London: Bay Rules by Council
Who decides on your street, and how much notice each council asks for
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
Who decides whether a van can stop outside your home?
The borough for a borough road, and Transport for London for a red route. TfL says “Red routes we manage make up 5% of London's roads, but carry up to 30% of the city's traffic.” It also says “Some London boroughs now use red routes on their own roads”, and for those “Any issues or concerns regarding maintenance, or any PCNs received on borough red routes, should be directed to the relevant London borough.”
So the first step is to find out which authority owns your street. The City of London says “Dispensations for a Red Route are issued by Transport for London (TfL).” TfL says “If you need a dispensation for a borough road, you'll need to contact the relevant London borough.” Bromley goes further for its own red routes: “We are unable to grant dispensations for red routes.” Kensington and Chelsea states “The council is not responsible for suspensions on red routes”.
Can a removal van stop on a TfL red route?
Only with TfL's permission. The page says “In special circumstances we can relax the parking rules on our red routes, for example if you are moving house, making a bulky delivery or doing building works.” The fee is “If you need to stop on either a double red or a single red restriction, the fee is £48 per day per vehicle.”
TfL's dispensation page gives no number of working days for processing, so ask TfL early and confirm the figure for your date. Stopping without permission is costly: “On TfL's red routes the PCN for traffic offences paid within 28 days is £160. If the PCN is paid within 14 days, it will be reduced to £80.” Check TfL's own pages for the current fee.
How much notice does each council ask for?
From three working days to 17 days, and the figures below are the notice for a bay suspension unless stated. Bexley and Bromley ask for at least three working days; Lewisham asks for five working days; the City of London needs six working days to process one. Hackney and Southwark ask for seven; Ealing accepts three working days but charges less per bay for seven. In the pages that have their own guide, Brent in Wembley and Sutton ask for seven working days.
Ten working days is the commonest figure in the middle of the range: Croydon (minimum), Hounslow and Enfield, plus Merton in Wimbledon, Newham in Stratford and Westminster. Richmond in Twickenham gives both seven and ten working days on one page, and Harrow says its applications can take up to 10 working days to process.
The longest notice comes from the boroughs with their own pages: two weeks in Haringey in Tottenham, 14 days for an Islington bay suspension and 17 days in Camden. Redbridge says it will give its decision within seven working days. These are from pages saved on 7 and 9 November 2026, so confirm them on each council's own page before you book.
Where the route is different
Some councils do not offer the usual bay booking to a householder. Havering’s suspension page is for utility and street-work firms, while its permits page sells virtual permits for home removals through MiPermit and tells trade workers to buy a dispensation; see Romford. Lambeth says “A half day suspension is from midnight to midday.” Estates are separate: Islington sends a move to or from an estate to its Housing Services for a temporary permit, and Westminster says its online system cannot book suspensions on housing estate land. Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets treat a household move differently, and the London guide sets out how.
Councils with no figure here
Five further boroughs have their own page: Barnet (seven calendar days for a bay, two working days for a dispensation), Barking and Dagenham (five working days for a bay), Greenwich (ten working days), Enfield (ten working days for a suspension) and Hammersmith and Fulham (no notice period on its loading page). No notice period is given here for Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth or Wandsworth, so use each council’s own parking page for notice and cost. For event days that close roads, see London event days and removals; for the emission zones and lorry rules, see the London removals page.
Questions about moving abroad from London
How do I know if my street is a TfL red route?
Look at the red lines and signs on the street, or ask your council.
TfL decides on its own red routes, and the borough decides on borough roads, including any red routes the borough runs.
Can TfL allow a removal van on a red route?
TfL says it can relax the parking rules on a red route in special circumstances, for example if you are moving house.
Its page gives the fee as £48 per day per vehicle on a double or single red line.
How long does a TfL red-route dispensation take?
TfL's page gives no number of working days, so apply early and ask TfL how long it needs for your date.
Which council wants the most notice?
Among the councils on this page, Camden asks for at least 17 days before a suspension starts.
Bexley and Bromley ask for at least three working days.
What if my council is not listed with a notice period?
Use the council's own parking page for the notice and cost, and ask the removal firm to confirm it before you book the date.
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Share your postcode, the month you plan to leave, your destination and how much you are moving.
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