Frequently asked questions
Everything we get asked most often, grouped by what you are trying to do. If the answer you need is not here, ring the yard or send the question through the quote form.
Start here
Four groups, in the order people usually need them
Selling a unit, buying one, getting it moved, and the practical questions that decide whether the day goes smoothly.
- Selling to us — condition, photographs, payment, fleets and what we cannot take.
- Buying from us — stock, refurbishment, part exchange and viewing.
- Collection and transport — access, siting, coverage and notice.
- Practical and legal — ground, planning, services, VAT and paperwork.
Section one
Selling to us
What we look at, what we need from you, and what happens when the answer is no.
What condition does a cabin need to be in for you to buy it?
Condition decides every offer we make. The things that matter most are the roof, the floor, the corner posts and the lifting points. A sound shell that needs a repaint and new flooring is worth buying. A unit that has stood open for two winters with water through the deck and rot in the corners usually is not, because getting it here and putting it right costs more than it will ever return.
What photographs do you need before you can price it?
Four or five clear pictures do most of the work. All four outside corners so we can see the full shell, the roof if you can safely get a view of it, the interior including the floor near the door, and anything obviously damaged. Daylight, no close-ups of paintwork. Add the rough external dimensions and the postcode and we can usually price it without a visit.
When do I get paid?
Payment is agreed before anything moves and is normally made on collection, once the unit has been inspected and lifted. We will not agree a figure on photographs and then knock it down at the gate without discussing it with you first. For company sellers we can work to a purchase order and invoice arrangement instead if that suits your accounts process better.
Will you buy a single cabin, or do I need several?
A single unit is fine and it is a large part of what we buy. The one thing worth understanding is that transport on one cabin is the same lorry and the same driver as transport on three, so distance affects a single unit more than it affects a batch. That does not stop us buying it, but it does show up in the figure.
Can you take a whole fleet off a finished contract?
Yes, and fleet disposals are normal work rather than an exception. Send a schedule of what is on the compound with sizes and rough condition, and a hand-back date. We will price the lot rather than unit by unit, and plan the collections to fit your programme. Where a compound has a mix of good and dead units we will be clear about which is which.
Are there units you will not buy at all?
Yes. We turn down units that are structurally gone, that cannot be lifted safely, that are somewhere our lorries cannot reach, or that have a contamination history nobody can account for. If yours is one of them we can usually still quote to clear the site, which is a different job with a different number attached.
What happens if my cabin is not worth buying?
We tell you, and we tell you why, rather than going quiet. In some cases the unit still has to leave the site, and we can quote to remove and dispose of it properly. That is a cost to you rather than a payment, and the difference is made clear before anything is booked so there is no confusion about which direction the money goes.
Section two
Buying from us
How stock actually works in this trade, and what can be changed before a unit is delivered.
Why is there no stock list on the site?
Because it would be wrong within days. Used cabins move quickly, and a page of last month's units wastes your time and ours. Tell us the size, the layout and roughly what you want to spend, and we will tell you what is in the yard now, what we have committed to buy, and what we can get hold of within a sensible timescale.
Can a cabin be refurbished before it is delivered?
Usually, and it is often the sensible option. New flooring, a repaint, replacement windows, a fresh partition layout or a new door all cost considerably less than the gap between a tired unit and a new one. Tell us the finish you need at the enquiry stage and we will price the work into the quote rather than treating it as an extra afterwards.
Do you take part exchange?
Often, yes. If you are replacing a unit and the old one has value, we can offset it against what you are buying and collect the old one on the same visit where the access allows. It has to be priced as two separate transactions so you can see what each side is worth, but it saves a journey and usually saves money.
Can I come and see a unit before I commit?
Yes, but ring first. A good deal of what we hold is out on collection or delivery on any given day, and it is worth knowing what is actually standing in the yard before you make the trip. We would rather you saw the unit and were satisfied with it than took delivery of something that was not what you pictured.
Do you sell to private buyers as well as companies?
Both. Contractors, plant hire firms and facilities teams make up a lot of it, but we also sell to smallholders, farmers, people running a workshop and anyone who needs a dry, secure, lockable space in a yard or a field. The unit and the journey set the price, not whether you have a company letterhead.
Section three
Collection and transport
Our own lorries, our own drivers. Most of what goes wrong on a cabin job goes wrong at the lift, so this section is worth reading properly.
What access does the lorry need?
A Hiab lifts the unit over the side of the vehicle, so the lorry needs to get within reach of where the cabin stands, on ground firm enough to take a loaded artic with its legs down. Overhead cables, low branches, narrow gateways and soft verges are the usual problems. Tell us about access at the quoting stage and send a photograph of the approach if you are unsure.
How is a cabin delivered and sited?
On our own Hiab lorry, which lifts the unit off the trailer and places it where you want it rather than leaving it at the gate. You need firm level ground at the destination and enough room for the vehicle to work. If the position is awkward, tell us before we quote and we will look at whether it is achievable rather than finding out on the day.
Which areas do you cover?
Mainland Great Britain, so England, Scotland and Wales. From Manchester we run the North West, Yorkshire, the North East, the Midlands and North Wales comfortably, and longer trips to the South West, the South Coast and central Scotland are routine. We do not cover Ireland or Northern Ireland and we do not cover the islands.
Do I need to be on site when the lorry arrives?
Somebody does, in most cases. We need a person who can confirm which unit is going, sign for it, and deal with anything unexpected. On a live site that is usually the site manager. If the yard is unattended, we will need arrangements for gate access agreed in advance and written confirmation of exactly which unit we are taking.
How much notice do you need for a collection?
It depends on where you are and what else is in the diary that week. Because the lorries are ours we can normally give you a straight answer within a day of agreeing the price, rather than waiting on a haulier to come back. If you have a fixed hand-back date, say so early, because that is what we plan around.
Section four
Practical and legal
Ground, planning, services and money. The items that are your responsibility rather than ours are flagged plainly.
What sort of base or ground does a cabin need?
It needs to sit level on something solid. Concrete sleepers, railway sleepers, a hardstanding or a slab are all common, and jackleg units can adjust for modest variation. Engineered foundations are not usually required. Soft ground in winter causes more problems than anything else we see, both for the cabin and for the lorry that has to reach it.
Do I need planning permission?
That depends entirely on where the unit is going, how long it will stay and what it is used for. Temporary site accommodation on a construction site is treated very differently from a permanent office in a yard or a building on domestic land. It is your responsibility to check with your local planning authority before the unit arrives. We cannot advise on it.
Who disconnects the electrics, water and drainage?
You do, before we arrive. Our driver will not disconnect a live supply, empty a waste tank or break into drainage, and a unit that is still connected cannot be lifted. Have the power isolated, any water and waste disconnected and tanks emptied ahead of the collection date. If that has not been done, the lift does not happen and the journey is wasted.
Is VAT included in the prices you quote?
We confirm the VAT position on every quotation so you know exactly what the figure represents before you commit. Ask at the point of enquiry if you need the number presented a particular way for your accounts, and we will set the quote out accordingly rather than leaving you to work it out from an invoice later.
What paperwork comes with a unit?
It varies by unit and we will tell you what a specific cabin has rather than assume. Electrical test paperwork is the item worth asking about, because a working installation and a certified one are not the same thing. Where the certification is missing or out of date we will say so, and you can factor in testing and any remedial work.
Nothing on this page is legal or technical advice. Planning, building control and electrical certification are all areas where you need the appropriate authority or a qualified specialist, not a cabin dealer.
Still stuck
Where to go next
What we buy
The full list of unit types, and an honest account of the condition that makes a cabin worth buying.
Read it →What is mine worth?
What actually moves the number up or down, before you send anything through.
Find out →Ask us directly
If your question is not here, it is probably quicker to ring the yard than to read another page.
Get in touch →Question answered? Get a price.
One form for either direction. Photographs and a postcode if you are selling, sizes and a budget if you are buying.