07565 772430 Where it all began
Steve Fanger founds Painless Removals in Bristol, turning a musician's van into a removal business built on hard work and word of mouth.
About Painless Removals
Moving People,
Not Just Boxes
Bristol-based. Nationwide coverage. Long-distance and chain move specialists since 1978. We've helped thousands of families start their next chapter.
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Exceptional ★★★★★ ratings on
4.9 ★★★★★
Google reviews
Our Journey
From a musician's van to a fully accredited national removal service.
The Green Goddess
Our first fully branded vehicle hits the road — affectionately known as the Green Goddess. A proper identity on Bristol's streets for the first time.
A new chapter
Jay Newton takes the reins from Steve, bringing fresh energy while preserving the values that made Painless what it is.
Fleet expansion
We add our next van to the fleet, increasing capacity and allowing us to serve more families across the UK.
Farewell to our founder
Steve Fanger passes away, leaving behind a legacy of nearly 45 years of service to Bristol. We honour his memory by continuing what he built.
Digital transformation
A major investment in our online presence begins — building one of the most user-friendly removal websites in the UK.
How It All Began
A remarkable man and his van
Nearly half a century ago, young Bristolian musician and future local legend, Steve Fanger, needed a van for his band, The Vultures, to transport their equipment. He purchased it, and due to his reputation for hard work and reliability, he frequently ended up assisting others with their removals as well.
What began as a necessity soon turned into his calling, leading to the establishment of Painless Removals in the summer of 1978.
Our Vision
Proud of our history – excited for our future
Our founder, Steve, sadly passed away in 2023. With new management, we honour his legacy while modernising our processes.
We're upgrading our fleet for smoother, more eco-friendly service, introducing a new concierge service, and expanding our team. The values Steve built this company on – honesty, reliability, and genuine care – remain at the heart of everything we do.
Steve Fanger
Founder, 1978–2023
★★★★★
“I recently used Painless Removals in Bristol for a house move and was extremely impressed with the service provided. They were prompt and professional from the initial quote through to the end of the removal process. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Painless Removals again for any future moves. The whole experience was effortless.”
Dr. John Jones
Verified Google Review
Our Mission
Making the world a little better, one move at a time
Moving house is consistently ranked as the third most stressful life event — behind only bereavement and divorce. The combination of upheaval, uncertainty, and exhaustion catches most people off guard. We want to change that experience.
That's why we don't just move your belongings from A to B. We take on the entire organisational weight of your move — the planning, the packing, the logistics, the cleaning — so that the hardest thing you have to do on moving day is decide where the kettle goes.
What makes us different?
Most removal companies move your things. We look after you. There's a difference, and you'll feel it from the first phone call. We handle the logistics, the heavy lifting, and all the tedious bits in between — so that by the end of the day, you're settled in your new home wondering why everyone told you moving was so hard.
Our People, Our Tribe
More than a workplace — a team you belong to
One of the things that truly sets Painless Removals apart is how we treat our own people. If our team doesn't feel valued, supported, and fairly rewarded, how can we expect them to deliver their best for you?
We invest in building a real team. Not a revolving door of temporary labour, but a tight-knit group of people who know each other, trust each other, and take pride in working together. We want working at Painless to feel like belonging to a tribe — not just clocking in and clocking out.
This matters because it directly affects you. When our team members care about the company and about each other, they naturally care about your move. The difference between a crew of hired hands and a crew that takes genuine pride in their work is something you'll feel on moving day.
Accredited
Living Wage
Employer
We pay the real Living Wage
Living Wage Employer
We pay our people what they deserve
We pay our team what they deserve — not the industry minimum, but a genuine Living Wage that reflects the physically demanding, highly skilled work they do every day. But fair pay is only the beginning.
Fair pay creates better movers. When people feel valued, they naturally bring more care and attention to every item they handle, every home they enter, and every customer they meet.
Meet the Leaders of the Team
The people behind every painless move.
Director / Since 2019
Jay Newton
2,000+ moves overseen · 3rd Dan Combat Jiu-Jitsu
Jay's journey with Painless started in the early 2000s, when Steve Fanger — the original founder — moved him as a student and offered him casual work. What began as weekend shifts grew into two decades of hands-on experience. In 2019, he took over from Steve and set about modernising the business — commissioning our bespoke Instant Quote Calculator, overhauling the fleet, and building the team you see today. He's personally supervised over 2,000 moves, many hundreds of those lifting, carrying, and leading from the front.
Read Jay's full story
Customer Relationships / Joined 2025
Tom
Most likely the first voice you'll hear when you call us. A linguist by training who speaks fluent French and Spanish to near-native level, Tom brings a deeply human approach to customer service. His background in the humanities gives him a natural warmth that customers notice immediately — calm, patient, and genuinely interested in getting your move right from the very first conversation.
Packing & Cleaning Team Lead / Joined 2021
Tamara
Tamara has personally handled hundreds of packing jobs and leads our packing and cleaning team with a combination of speed, precision, and genuine care. She's packed everything from crystal glassware to entire libraries and has developed an intuitive sense for how to protect even the most awkward items. When Tamara's team arrives, you know your possessions are in safe hands.
Removal Team Leader
Pete
Pete brings decades of hands-on removal experience. As a team leader, he's the one on site supervising your move — making decisions in real time, managing the crew, and ensuring everything runs to plan. He's navigated every awkward staircase and handled every last-minute curveball that moving day can throw at you. His presence on the ground is one of the reasons our moves run so smoothly.
Removal Team Leader
Mike
Mike brings decades of hands-on removal experience. As a team leader, he's the one on site supervising your move — making decisions in real time, managing the crew, and ensuring everything runs to plan. He's navigated every awkward staircase and handled every last-minute curveball that moving day can throw at you. His presence on the ground is one of the reasons our moves run so smoothly.
Marketing / Joined 2023
László
László took charge of our marketing with a level of strategic thinking that immediately elevated the brand. In his home country, he managed marketing for opera houses — high-pressure, culturally complex environments where precision and storytelling matter. He brought that same rigour to Painless Removals, and has been instrumental in building the digital presence and communication strategy that define how people find and experience our company.
R
Business Development & Partnerships / Joined 2026
Richard
Richard leads our trade partnerships and B2B relationships. He came to Painless from senior business development roles at established national companies, where he built and managed high-value client portfolios across property, relocation, and professional services. He joined us because he saw in Painless something rare — a company small enough to care about every client, but ambitious enough to compete with the biggest names in the industry. His experience in forging lasting commercial relationships, combined with a genuine alignment with our values, has already opened doors that simply weren't available to us before.
★★★★★
“Painless Removals have been brilliant, couldn’t recommend them more. They helped us move in Bristol and then helped us organise a cross-country move. Both were done on a tight timeline and at a good price. The guys who moved us were very kind and efficient – Thanks again!”
Laura Carnegie-Brown
Verified Google Review
Are We the Right Match for You?
We're honest: we're not the best fit for everyone.
If you're looking for the absolute cheapest option, or you need a last-minute same-day move, we're probably not your company. We're designed for people who want things done properly–homeowners with larger properties, families in chains who need reliability, people moving 100+ miles who want the peace of mind that comes with experience.
If that sounds like you, we'd love to help.
Our Approach
We're not trying to be the cheapest or the fastest. We're trying to be the removal company you actually want to recommend to your friends.
01
Quality over speed
We don't rush through your move to squeeze in another job. Your move gets our full attention for the entire day.
02
Honest pricing
The price we quote is the price you pay. No surprises. No "unforeseen circumstances" that mysteriously inflate the bill.
03
People you'd welcome home
Our team members are educated, respectful, and well-mannered. We pay above industry average because we want people who take pride in their work.
04
One person who knows your move
You'll have a dedicated Move Manager from first contact to final box. No explaining your situation to a different person every time you call.
Rooted in Bristol
Trusted by organisations across the region
Over nearly five decades of operating in Bristol, we've built strong working relationships with a wide range of organisations across the city and the wider region. From cultural institutions like the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to major housing providers like LiveWest, from the Church of England to social enterprises like Second Step — these are organisations that trust us to deliver reliably, professionally, and with care.
Being embedded in the local business and cultural community isn't just good for our reputation — it's part of who we are. When a local institution calls us, they're not getting a faceless national franchise. They're getting a Bristol company that understands Bristol and will still be around to help them next time.
Long-Standing Customer Relations
Our customers return even after years
One of the things we are most proud of is the fact that our customers come back to us even after many years. This speaks volumes about the trust and satisfaction they have in our services. Whether it's a local move within Bristol or a long-distance relocation, our clients know that they can rely on us for a smooth and painless experience every time.
★★★★★
“Painless Removals were brilliant. They did what it says on the tin – made the whole process very painless. They were friendly and efficient and the whole process was completed super quickly. Would strongly recommend and will use them again. Thank you!”
Emma Henry
Verified Google Review
Commitment to the Community
Charitable Works and Volunteering
We believe in the power of collective action, so we partner with community organizations and local leaders to create meaningful change.
Every year, our team volunteers to help local charities. One of our favourite initiatives is supporting St. Peter's Hospice with their Christmas tree collection campaign–turning holiday cleanup into vital fundraising for end-of-life care in our community.
It's a small way of giving back to the Bristol community that's supported us for nearly 50 years.
Open to Collaboration
We work with property professionals
We actively welcome partnerships with professionals across the property sector. Whether you're an estate agent looking for a reliable removal partner for your clients, a solicitor who needs completions to run smoothly, a care home arranging resident transitions, a relocation agent managing corporate moves, or a home staging company needing flexible logistics — we'd love to hear from you.
Our partner programme offers dedicated Move Managers, priority booking, full-day chain move allocation, and the kind of consistent, professional service that reflects well on everyone involved.
Get in touch — we're genuinely enthusiastic about working together.
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