Every moving company website in New York says the same three things: licensed, insured, five stars. Some of them are telling the truth. The difference between a smooth moving day and a truck that arrives four hours late with a higher price is almost never visible on a homepage — it comes out when you ask specific questions and listen to how they are answered.
The twelve questions below take about ten minutes on the phone. They are the ones we would ask before letting anyone carry our own furniture down a New York stairwell — and for each one, we tell you what a good answer sounds like.
Three Checks Before You Talk to Any Mover
For a move within New York State, the company must be licensed by NYSDOT — confirm it by phone or email before you request a quote. For a move to another state, search its USDOT number in the FMCSA database, where you can also see its complaint history.
One bad review means a bad day. The same complaint repeated — a price that grew at delivery, a crew that never showed — means a business model. Read the most recent twenty, not the average.
New York State’s own consumer guidance says to collect at least three, ideally after the mover has physically inspected what you are moving. The spread between them tells you more than any single number.
Questions 1–4: Is This a Real Moving Company?
1. Are you licensed for moves within New York State?
Every mover performing moves inside New York is required to hold a license from the state Department of Transportation, and every legitimate one prints its numbers where you can find them. Ask for the NYDOT number outright, then verify it with NYSDOT at (518) 457-6512. Ours sits at the bottom of every page of this site, and our licensed and insured movers page explains exactly what stands behind it. A company that answers with “we’re fully licensed” but goes quiet when you ask for the number is not having a paperwork problem — it is having an honesty problem.
2. Can you send my building a Certificate of Insurance?
Most NYC co-ops, condos and managed rentals will not let a crew touch the elevator until a Certificate of Insurance is on file with the managing agent. Ask two things: how quickly the certificate can be issued, and whether it costs extra. We prepare COIs for New York buildings at no charge, usually the same business day, and deal with the managing agent directly — our COI guide covers how the process works. A mover unfamiliar with COIs has not done much moving in this city.
3. Will the crew that shows up actually be yours?
Ask whether the people on moving day work for the company on your contract, and whose trucks will arrive. Some businesses that look like movers are brokers — they sell your move to another company, and the crew at your door may have no relationship with the reviews you read.
There are honest brokers, but you should know which arrangement you are buying before you sign. When you book Big Apple Moving, the crew and the trucks are our own.
4. What does your insurance actually cover?
Three separate things should be covered: your belongings while they are in the mover’s care, the buildings at both ends of the move, and the people doing the work. On interstate moves, federal rules require movers to offer a default called released-value protection — a per-pound formula of sixty cents per pound, which pays a fraction of what most items are worth — alongside fuller protection. Ask what is included in the quoted price, what costs extra, and how you would buy additional coverage for anything unusually valuable.
Questions 5–8: How the Price Really Works
5. Is this estimate based on actually seeing my apartment?
An estimate priced from a two-line email is a guess, and guesses never shrink on moving day. New York State’s consumer guidance recommends estimates based on a physical inspection of your home; a live video survey is a reasonable modern substitute. If a company is willing to commit to a number without seeing your walk-up, your service elevator, or the sleeper sofa, ask yourself what happens when they do see them.
6. When does the clock start and stop?
Most local NYC moves are billed hourly, and companies differ on when the meter starts — when the crew reaches your door, or when the truck leaves the warehouse. Ask directly, and ask what the quoted rate includes: crew size, the truck, wrapping materials, tools. In the current market, professional two-mover crews in New York start from about $150 per hour; a quote far below that level is usually missing something you will pay for later. Our hourly movers page explains how honest hourly billing works.
7. What will I have in writing before moving day?
Under New York State rules, a mover must give you an Order for Service stating the dollar amount you will pay at delivery before anything is loaded onto the truck. For interstate moves, federal law caps what a mover can require you to pay at delivery at 110 percent of a non-binding estimate. Get every number, promise and date in writing, and keep a copy of everything you sign — a company that resists putting its price on paper is planning to change it.
8. What is included, and what is an add-on?
Do not expect free packing supplies — New York’s own guidance to consumers is blunt about that, and when you hire packing, the materials are part of the packing fee. What you are checking for is surprises: charges for stairs, for a long carry from the truck, for wrapping furniture, for assembly and disassembly. Ask for the complete list of possible extra charges in writing. A good company has a short list and volunteers it; a bad one has a long list and reveals it at delivery.
Questions 9–12: Can They Handle Your Building?
9. Have you moved people in a building like mine?
A crew that works New York buildings every week will ask you for the super’s phone number before you think to offer it. Elevator reservations, service-entrance hours, floor and lobby protection, the certificate the managing agent wants — these are routine to a real NYC mover and mysterious to everyone else. Describe your building and listen: the right answer is a list of questions back.
10. How will you handle parking on my block?
Where the truck stands decides how long your move takes, and in most of the city that is a plan, not luck. Ask how the company handles loading on a busy street, whether the crew scouts the block in advance, and what happens if the closest legal spot is a hundred feet from your door.
You are not testing their traffic knowledge — you are testing whether they have thought about your move at all before quoting it.
11. What happens if something is damaged?
Ask who handles claims and how to file one. The good-company answer names a process: report it to the crew leader or the office, follow up in writing, and hear back on a defined timeline. In New York, a mover must acknowledge a written claim within 30 days and resolve it within 120 days — if a company cannot describe its own claims process on the phone, you have learned how it handles problems.
12. What do you need from me before the day?
A professional mover arrives at moving day with homework done: your inventory, your building’s COI wording and elevator window, your parking situation, what is packed and what they are packing. So ask what they need from you — and worry if the answer is “nothing.” A mover that asks no questions before the day is planning to improvise, and the thing it will improvise with is your furniture. Once you have booked, our guide to preparing for movers covers what makes the crew fast.
Six Answers That Should End the Conversation
Some answers are not negotiating positions — they are exits. Walk away from any company that gives you one of these.
A big cash deposit
Federal consumer guidance lists large upfront deposits among the classic signs of moving fraud. Reputable movers confirm your date with little or nothing down.
No written estimate
If the price lives only in a phone call, it will be a different price at delivery. Everything in writing, always.
No license number
New York movers must state their operating authority in their advertising. A quote with no NYDOT or USDOT number on it is telling you something.
No COI
A mover that cannot produce a Certificate of Insurance for your building either has no insurance or has never worked in one.
A too-good price
A bid dramatically below every other estimate is not a bargain — it is the opening number of a renegotiation that happens while your belongings are on the truck.
A shifting name
Reviews under three different company names usually mean a business outrunning its complaint history. Check the FMCSA database for name changes.
For the full playbook these operators use — hostage loads, weekend switches, the last-minute cash demand — read our guide to avoiding moving scams.
What New York Law Guarantees You
New York regulates moving more tightly than most states, and knowing four rules changes the balance of power before you sign anything.
A licensed NY mover must provide the “Summary of Information” booklet describing your rights as a shipper. Ask for it; the reaction is itself a test.
Before anything is moved, the mover must give you an Order for Service stating the amount you will pay at delivery. No document, no loading.
Written claims for loss or damage must be acknowledged within 30 days and resolved within 120 days. Unresolved claims go to small claims court, and NYSDOT will assist in collecting an unpaid judgment.
Problems with a move inside New York go to NYSDOT; a move that crossed a state line falls under the federal FMCSA. Both take written complaints, and both keep the records the next customer will search.
Choosing a Moving Company — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers before you book a mover in New York.
At least three — that is New York State’s own advice to consumers, and the spread between quotes tells you more than any single number. Insist that each estimate follows a physical or video survey of what you are moving. If one bid comes in far below the other two, treat it as a warning rather than a bargain.
A COI is a one-page document from the mover’s insurer confirming your building is protected under its policy. Most co-ops, condos and managed rentals in NYC require one on file before the crew may use the elevator. Ask your managing agent for the exact wording required, pass it to the mover, and a professional company will handle the rest directly.
No. Federal consumer guidance lists demands for large upfront deposits among the warning signs of moving fraud. Reputable NYC movers confirm your date with little or nothing down and collect the balance at delivery, as stated on your Order for Service. Walk away from anyone who wants a big cash payment before a single box is on the truck.
A moving company does the work with its own crew and trucks. A broker sells your move to whichever company takes the job — so the people at your door may have no connection to the business you researched. Ask directly which one you are dealing with, and check how the company is registered in the FMCSA database.
Always. For moves within New York State, the mover must give you an Order for Service showing the amount payable at delivery before it loads anything. For interstate moves, keep the written estimate: federal rules cap what a mover can require you to pay at delivery at 110 percent of a non-binding estimate.
Ask, because “insured” covers a wide range. The default on interstate moves is released-value protection — a per-pound formula of sixty cents per pound that pays a fraction of most items’ worth — with full-value protection available at a cost. A mover working NYC buildings should also carry coverage for damage to the buildings at both ends of the move.
Two to four weeks is comfortable for most local moves. The last few days of each month and summer weekends fill first, because leases turn over and building elevators get booked solid. If you are down to days rather than weeks, call rather than relying on a web form — short-notice moves are often still possible.
No license number in the company’s advertising, no written estimate, a demand for a large cash deposit, a bid dramatically below every other quote, and a company whose name keeps changing across its reviews. Any one of these is reason enough to stop. Our guide to avoiding moving scams covers how each trick plays out.
Three things: whether it requires a Certificate of Insurance and with what wording, whether the elevator must be reserved and for which hours, and whether moves are limited to certain days. Get those answers a week early and pass them to your mover — the most common moving-day delay in NYC is being kept out of your own lobby.
Note it on the inventory before the crew leaves, photograph it, and file a claim with the mover in writing. For a move within New York State, the company must acknowledge your claim within 30 days and resolve it within 120. If you cannot reach an agreement, small claims court is the venue — and NYSDOT will help you collect a judgment a mover refuses to pay.
