Choosing a removal company is different from choosing many other services.
You are trusting a team of people to enter your home, handle belongings that may have taken a lifetime to collect and make sure they arrive safely at the other end.
For businesses, the responsibility is just as significant. Furniture, equipment, files and IT systems need to be moved efficiently while keeping disruption to a minimum.
Experience therefore matters.
Mills Removals has been helping families and businesses move since 1984, making us one of the longest-established removals companies in Brighton and the wider Sussex area. What started with one vehicle more than 40 years ago has developed into a family-run operation handling everything from local house moves to office relocations, storage and moves further afield.
From One Van to More Than 40 Years of Moving
The Mills Removals story began in Brighton in 1984.
Founder Dale Mills started the company with one vehicle and a commitment to providing an honest, dependable removals service.
More than four decades later, Dale is still part of the business, now working alongside his sons and daughter. The fleet has grown to more than eight vehicles of different sizes, allowing the team to manage everything from smaller local moves to substantial household and commercial relocations.
You can meet Dale and the wider family and removals team on our Meet the Team page.
Being a family-run removals company in Brighton is not simply part of the company history. It continues to shape the way we work today.
Why Does 40+ Years of Experience Matter?
No two moving days are exactly alike.
Keys may be released later than expected. Access may be more difficult than it appeared during the quotation. Furniture may not fit through a doorway. The weather may change. A property chain may be delayed.
After more than four decades of removals in Brighton and Sussex, there are few moving-day scenarios our team has not encountered.
Experience helps us plan for the practical details before moving day and respond calmly when something unexpected happens.
Mills even offers a waiting-time waiver option for customers concerned about delays further up the property chain, while secure storage in Brighton can provide another solution if there is a gap between leaving one property and moving into the next.
That ability to adapt can make an enormous difference on what is already a stressful day.
Still Local to Brighton, Hove and Portslade
Although Mills Removals now undertakes moves throughout the UK and into Europe, Brighton remains home.
Our base is in Portslade, and our distinctive removal vehicles have become a familiar sight across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex area.
For customers searching for removals in Hove and Portslade, using a genuinely local company has practical advantages. Our team understands local streets, parking restrictions, property types and the access challenges that often come with Brighton and Hove homes.
From narrow streets and period terraces to flats, larger family homes and modern developments, local knowledge can help moving day run more smoothly.
You can find more about our dedicated Hove removals service or our wider Sussex removals services.
Helping Generations of Sussex Families Move
A house move is much more than transporting furniture.
For many customers, it represents a major life change: buying a first home, moving because a family is growing, relocating for work, downsizing or beginning retirement somewhere new.
Our house removals across Sussex are therefore built around the individual move rather than a fixed formula.
Some customers simply need a professional team to load, transport and unload their belongings.
Others want more support.
Our home packing service can include full packing, partial packing for fragile items or professional packing materials for customers who prefer to do the packing themselves.
We can also provide unpacking options at the new property.
Many of our customers have used Mills more than once or come to us following a recommendation from friends, family or neighbours — something reflected throughout our customer testimonials.
For us, repeat business is one of the strongest signs that a move has been handled well.
More Than House Removals
Over 40 years, the type of work we undertake has expanded significantly.
Alongside domestic removals, Mills provides professional office removals in Brighton and across the wider region.
Business relocations require a different approach from moving home.
The objective is not simply to transport belongings safely but to minimise the time the organisation is unable to operate.
Our commercial service can include:
- Move planning and scheduling
- Office furniture relocation
- IT equipment handling
- Crate hire
- Secure storage
- Out-of-hours moving
- Risk assessments and method statements
Evening and weekend relocations can also be arranged where appropriate to help businesses reduce disruption.
We also provide specialist piano removals, storage and longer-distance relocations.
A Team Built on Experience
A removals company is only as good as the people carrying out the move.
Many members of the Mills team have worked together for years, which has helped build the trust and teamwork needed when handling difficult or valuable items.
Founder Dale holds qualifications including Transport Manager CPC and an HGV licence, while his son Jay joined the business full-time at 17 and became one of the UK’s youngest qualified HGV drivers at 18.
That combination of professional experience and practical knowledge is something we have continued to develop across the wider team.
It also means customers are dealing with an established local operation rather than a newly assembled crew on moving day.
What Should You Look for in a Trusted Removals Company?
If you are comparing several companies, price will naturally form part of the decision.
But it should not be the only consideration.
Before choosing a removals firm, consider:
- How long has the company been established?
- Is it properly insured?
- Who will actually carry out the move?
- Does the company have its own vehicles and experienced staff?
- Can it provide packing if required?
- Is secure storage available?
- Can it handle unusual or fragile items?
- What do previous customers say?
- Is the quotation clear about what is included?
Mills Removals is fully insured and provides customers with details of liability cover as part of the quotation process.
You can also read genuine feedback from customers on our testimonials page before making your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has Mills Removals been operating in Brighton?
Mills Removals was founded in Brighton in 1984, giving the company more than 40 years of experience moving homes and businesses throughout Brighton, Hove, Portslade, Sussex and further afield.
Is Mills Removals still a family-run company?
Yes. Founder Dale Mills remains involved in the business and now works alongside his sons and daughter. The company has grown from a single vehicle into an established removals operation while retaining its family-run approach and local Brighton roots.
What should I look for when choosing a removals company?
Look beyond price alone. Consider how long the company has been established, insurance, customer reviews, whether it employs experienced crews, the vehicles and equipment available, packing and storage options, and how clearly the quotation explains what is included.
Brighton Removals Since 1984 — and Still Family Run
The removals industry has changed significantly since 1984.
Vehicles, equipment, storage facilities and the technology used to plan moves have all developed.
What has not changed is the basic principle behind a good removal company: turn up when you say you will, treat people’s belongings with care and make an already complicated day easier.
More than 40 years after Mills Removals began in Brighton, Dale and his family remain involved in the business, supported by an experienced team who move homes and businesses throughout Sussex and beyond.
If you are looking for an established removals company in Brighton or a local removals company in Sussex, you can learn more about Mills Removals and our history or explore our full range of removal and storage services.
For a tailored quotation for your next move, contact Mills Removals or call the Brighton team on 01273 417 385.
After more than four decades of helping people move, we still treat every move as if our reputation depends on it — because it does.
Leave a Reply