With around 700,000 properties currently in the sales pipeline, homebuyers do not just face a race to complete ahead of next week’s stamp duty holiday deadline, but also to book a removals firm.

Packing and property removal firms are inundated with bookings for the last few working days in June and have had to turn away customers because of heightened demand.

Removal company Pickfords said last week that it had been “overwhelmed” by the number of homebuyers trying to book a slot during the last week of June, insisting that those days were the busiest it had ever seen.

Desperate homeowners are reportedly offering to pay double the usual hire fee, while firms are asking for non-refundable deposits of up to 60% to guarantee a booking.

Ian Studd, director general of the British Association of Removers, said that some ‘cowboy’ removal firms are taking multiple bookings for the same time slot before choosing the highest bidder and cancelling the others at short notice, causing mayhem for many people planning to move home over the next few days.

Studd told the press that the problem had been exacerbated by a shortage of vehicles and storage space.

He said: “There is huge demand at present and a lot of my members, regulated firms, are having to ask for non-returnable upfront deposits of up to 60% to accept a booking.

“I’ve heard about buyers so desperate to find a moving company they are willing to pay double.

“There are also cowboys out there. This is an unregulated industry with an enormous black market of so-called moving companies demanding cash in hand. People have no idea what sort of people they are letting inside their home. Some of these companies are cashing in and dropping customers to get the highest price.

“We are hearing stories every day. But our members can’t just magic up more trucks and men to meet the demand. Consumers need to be aware what is going on and check who they are dealing with.”

An average June usually sees about 180,000 sales, but this month the number is expected to increase by at least 20% as buyers try to meet next week’s deadline.

Rob Hailstone, founder of the Bold Group (BLG), a network of conveyancers, said: “There were warning signs a few weeks ago that removals would be tricky to organise. The BLG members are now reporting that some buyers are completing this month, but putting their furniture in store for a short while. It is going to be a very difficult and trying week or so.

“We are also hearing that some lenders are telling conveyancers no mortgage funds requests after the 21st June, but then say something different to their borrowers. That confusing message is not at all helpful.”