The two busiest weeks of our year are early September and late April/May. Move-in week and move-out week. Hundreds of students cycling between digs, family homes and college towns — usually with a Fiesta that can't fit a mattress and a clock ticking on the security deposit.
We've done so many student moves out of SETU Waterford and SETU Carlow that we know the back-roads to most of the popular addresses. Here's what to know.
Student rates
Honest, flat pricing — no per-hour creep. Rough guide:
- ●Single room contents (bed, desk, boxes, suitcase, kitchen bits) — from €60
- ●Two-bed shared house move — from €100
- ●Full 3- or 4-bed student house — from €150
- ●Add €30–€60 if the run is to a different county
Tell us you're a student when you book. There's usually a few euro off vs the standard rate, especially for September and May/June bookings made a week or two in advance.
Splitting a van with your housemates
If three or four of you are heading home for the summer to roughly the same area, a single van split between you is the cheapest move you'll ever do. €150 for the van split four ways is €37.50 each — less than a taxi to the bus station for most lads.
We'll load each person's stuff in clear sections, drop in order along the route, and you handle splitting the cost between you. Bank transfer or Revolut both work for that.
Top student routes we run
- ●SETU Waterford ↔ Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Tipperary
- ●SETU Carlow (Kilkenny Road campus) ↔ Tullow, Bagenalstown, Kilkenny
- ●Kilkenny home addresses ↔ Maynooth, Limerick, Cork (less common but doable)
- ●Off-campus rentals in Ferrybank, Ardkeen, Tramore, Graignamanagh
Move-out: getting your deposit back
Two free tips that aren't really our business but save students a packet:
- ●Take dated photos of every room before you start packing — wide shots plus close-ups of any existing damage
- ●Hoover and wipe down before we arrive. We can move your stuff but landlords notice the difference between ‘empty’ and ‘left clean’
- ●Take meter readings at handover
- ●Don't bin the lease — keep a copy
Move-in: what'll fit in the van
A long-wheelbase Transit comfortably swallows a full single-room move: bed, mattress, desk, chair, lamp, 6–10 boxes, suitcases and a couple of bags. Two people's worth fits easily. Three or four students sharing usually need a single van for a tight route — or two trips if the route is long.
Frequently asked
How much is a student move from Waterford to Kilkenny?
A single room's worth typically costs €70–€90. A shared 2-bed move runs €120–€160. Split between housemates moving the same direction, it works out cheaper than the train + taxi.
Can you do student moves at the weekend?
Yes — Saturdays and Sundays around start and end of term especially. Book a week ahead if possible; those weeks fill up fast.
Do I need to be there for the move?
Yes ideally — to tell us what's going and to do the walk-through at both ends. A trusted housemate with keys is fine if you absolutely can't be there.
What if I have just a bed and some boxes?
That's a single-item / part-load job. From €60 within the region. Cheaper than hiring a van + driving fuel both ways.