The Guide To Apartment Moving
You might think that moving your apartment will be a piece of cake. We are not here to prove otherwise, but to help you make this fact true by providing you with some of the best insider apartment moving tips. Our apartment movers have thousands of successful apartment moves under their belts, and they know the exact ways to simplify the entire moving process and make it a breeze from start to finish.
There are a few things you need to pay a lot of attention to if you want to make sure your entire apartment move goes without a hitch – but you don’t have to worry too much about it. As long as you start planning everything ahead of time and stay organized during the entire project, you shouldn’t feel too much stress or pressure leading up to the moving day.
If you find yourself in the need of some pro moving tips, keep on reading!
SIT DOWN AND MAKE A PLAN
First things first, you need to get your ducks in order.
What’s it going to be? A self move or hiring apartment movers?
How much do you objectively have to pack? Are you going to need a couple of weeks or three perhaps?
How many supplies are you going to need? What is your budget for supplies?
Does your building management have any special requirements?
These are all very important questions that you need to figure out before you start doing anything related to your move, so it’s better to start thinking early in advance.
HIRING APARTMENT MOVERS
If you are planning to hire apartment movers for your upcoming relocation, you need to know where to look and how to find the best ones for the job. While apartment moving can seem like an easy task that every moving company should know how to assist you with, it’s a lot more than that, actually. There are narrow hallways your apartment movers need to know how to navigate, tight corners, stairs in the worst case scenario, and strict building regulations that need to be followed. If the company you are looking to hire is unfamiliar with working with apartment buildings and complexes, you might be looking at a much more expensive move than you might’ve budgeted for.
Licensed and insured
If your building management requires proof of insurance, you won’t get it from a moving company that is not licensed and insured. Even if they don’t require it, any compensation for the potential damage during the move will never see the light of day, let alone your pockets if you decide to go with unlicensed movers. These companies are often scams packed with different hidden fees no one ever agreed to, and they are movers you should definitely avoid at all costs.
Trained movers
You need to know if the moving company you are calling is specialized in apartment moving, and if they have experience in this type of service. While you might not find a lot of importance in this, you will realize how easy moving can be with apartment movers that know exactly what they are doing. They will be in and out of your building without a single scratch on your items, or the walls and floors of your building. These damages can easily get costly.
Modern equipment
The better the equipment your apartment movers have, the better your items will be taken care of. Your pro movers need to supply moving dollies, shrink wrap, tools, and clean trucks that are regularly serviced. You are paying for a quality moving service, therefore, you should receive one as well. Don’t settle for apartment movers that will require you to supply the tools for the move. That’s the least your movers should be able to provide for your move.
Reviews
Make sure to check the reviews on Google and Yelp when researching moving companies. You will get the best idea of their service, how satisfied their previous customers are and how reliable the company in question actually is. Check out their website, do they have any helpful information on there? Are they responsive when you call them? How well do they answer your questions? Do they offer good customer service? These are all very important questions you need answered before you land on the apartment movers to hire for your upcoming move.
PACKING
Figure out the quantity of packing supplies needed for your move
While you can definitely look up some packing supply guides to find out just how many boxes, rolls of tape and bubble wrap you are going to need – every move is different and everyone has a different amount of stuff to move. You need to be realistic about your packing supplies, and purchase just enough to not overspend on supplies you won’t use, or run out during the process.
In this case, it might be better to pay another visit to Home Depot for more boxes than overbuy. You won’t really use these boxes for anything else other than moving, and supplies can get costly.
If you are worried about spending too much money on supplies instead of saving up for the actual move – there are so many alternatives that are more cost effective but are almost the same when it comes to durability.
Use what you already have around your home
You will have to pack these things anyway, so why not use the most of them?
Plastic bins, laundry baskets and bins, suitcases and purses can be great alternatives for boxes. Plastic bags however, aren’t. Use them only if you absolutely need to, and use them for light, unbreakable items like clothing, children’s toys, linens, blankets, pillows, etc.
Newspaper, towels and tissue paper can be great alternatives to packing peanuts or wrapping paper. They can serve as a material to wrap your items in and cushion them, so they don’t break during the transportation process or while handling these boxes.
Bottles can be a great way to pack up pieces from your lamps, parts from your bed after disassembly, and all the other tiny parts of your items that you don’t want to lose and will need at the destination. Simply label each bottle with the item the pieces belong to and do the same for every furniture piece around your home. Make sure to pack these up in a box so you don’t forget or lose them during the process of moving.
Make sure to start early, so you are less stressful about finishing in time
Give yourself at least 2-3 weeks before your move to start the process of packing your belongings so you know you will finish in time. This way, you will be less stressed about the entire process since you can pack for an hour a day instead of procrastinating and having to do everything over the course of a few days.
If you don’t have any time to handle any packing and have a larger budget for your move, consider hiring professional packers and movers to do the whole package for you. Apart from moving all of your heavy furniture, they will also pack up all of the items into boxes and maximize their safety during the entire moving process.
PREPARING THE MOVE
Reserve The Elevator/Loading Dock/Moving Time
Make sure to check if you need to make any reservations for your move, like for the elevator, loading dock or move-in or move-out times. You might not be able to use the elevator or dock for example without making a reservation, and having your apartment movers move your couch down six flights of stairs is something no one really wants. Not only is it a potential risk for your apartment movers no matter how well they are trained, but the move will take forever making it more costly. You need to make sure all times are coordinated for your move.
Check if your building requires a COI
If your building requires a proof of insurance for your upcoming move, make sure to let your apartment movers know as soon as possible. That way, they can prepare the certificate for you ahead of time, your building management can review it, and you will know that everything is good to go for your move.
Does your building management have any special requirements?
If your building requires special floor, wall or elevator protection like masonite, you need to let your apartment movers know beforehand so they can arrive prepared on the day of your move. Make sure to gather all the needed information and keep your movers up to speed on what’s going on at your building or apartment complex. Everything will be much smoother that way.
BOTTOM LINE
Moving your apartment isn’t going to be as easy as you might’ve thought it would be. The smaller space doesn’t equal less things to do before you actually make the move. In fact, it might be even more complicated than a typical residential move. Make sure to always keep your apartment movers and building management informed about any changes, requirements and special requests and you will have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Are you still looking for apartment movers that check all the boxes? Contact Santa Monica Movers today!
Call us today for a free moving quote! We offer quotes on our website, by email or over the phone, and always make sure you are provided with the needed details for your upcoming relocation. Our relocation specialists are available 7 days a week for your convenience, ready to answer all of your questions and ensure everything is as smooth as possible on the day of your move with us. Choose to move with apartment movers with thousands of successful moving experiences under their belts – choose Santa Monica Movers. Call us today!