What Actually Decides an NYC Apartment Move
Two things decide whether an apartment move in this city goes well, and neither of them is the truck.
The first is your building’s paperwork. Most co-ops, condos and managed rentals will not let a crew past the lobby without a certificate of insurance naming the building as additionally insured. If it has not arrived by the day, the crew is turned away and you have paid for a move that did not happen.
The second is stairs. New York is a walk-up city, and how a company charges for stairs tells you most of what you need to know about how it charges for everything else.
This page covers both, what an apartment move actually costs, and how to work out which of our two pricing options suits your move.
Your Certificate of Insurance, Usually the Same Business Day
Most New York buildings require a certificate of insurance from your mover before moving day, naming the building as additionally insured, and many managing agents specify at least a million dollars of general liability cover. Co-ops and condos are strictest, but plenty of managed rental buildings ask for one too.
Yours is included in your price — there is no separate charge for it, on an hourly move or a flat fee.
The usual advice is to request one five to seven business days ahead, because that is how long most movers take. We can usually issue it the same business day.
That matters more than it sounds. A building that has not received the certificate in time will turn the crew away at the door, and that is the most expensive thing that can go wrong in an apartment move, because nothing has been carried and the day is gone.
Send us your building’s requirements when you book, or your managing agent’s contact details, and we will deal with it directly. If your building has an unusual form, tell us early and we will work to it.
How Stairs and Access Get Priced
The charge people complain about most in this city is the one for stairs, and the reason is almost never the amount. It is that they found out about it on moving day, after the crew already had their things.
We handle it two ways, and you choose which.
Pay by the hour. From $150 an hour for two movers with the truck included, no minimum. There is no per-flight stair fee, no long-carry fee and no separate charge for fuel or tolls. A fifth-floor walk-up takes longer than a doorman building with a freight elevator, and you pay for that time — which you can see, and which was in the estimate.
Or take a flat fee. We look at the job, price it including the stairs, the carry and the elevator situation, and give you a guaranteed number. It is itemised, so you can see what the access is costing you rather than wondering. Then that is the price.
Either way, the access is priced before the day. The difference is only whether you are buying time or buying certainty.
Walk-ups
Narrow stairwells and tight landing turns are normal in pre-war buildings. We disassemble what needs disassembling to get it round the turn, and reassemble it at the other end. Tell us the floor when you book so the estimate is right.
Elevator buildings
Faster and more predictable than a walk-up, but usually more paperwork. Most buildings want the freight elevator booked in advance and the certificate of insurance on file first.
Long carries
If the truck cannot park at the door, the walk to it takes time like anything else does. On hourly it is in the rate rather than added at the end as a surcharge; on a flat fee it is priced in and shown to you before you book.
What an Apartment Move Costs in NYC
Two movers from $150 an hour, three movers from $195, truck included either way. No minimum number of hours. Fuel and tolls are in the rate. Or take a flat fee and we will lock the price before the day.
How long a move takes is the thing most people underestimate, so here is what the job usually looks like.
| Apartment | Crew | Typical time | Cost, starting from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 movers | 2–3 hours | from around $300 |
| 1 bedroom | 2 movers | 3–5 hours | from around $450 |
| 2 bedroom | 2 movers | 4–6 hours | from around $600 |
| 2 bedroom | 3 movers | 4–6 hours | from around $780 |
| 3 bedroom and up | 4 movers | Quoted per job | Ask for a quote |
Times are typical industry durations for a local move where you are packed before the crew arrives. Costs are starting points, not quotes — stairs add roughly an hour a flight, and a long carry from the truck adds time too. Bigger homes usually need a four-mover crew, which we quote per job. Your own move is quoted before you book.
What adds time
- Stairs — roughly an extra hour per flight. A fifth-floor walk-up is a different job from a fifth floor with a lift, and it is the single biggest thing people forget to mention when they ask for a price.
- Distance to the truck — if we cannot park within about 20 feet of the door, add around an hour; more than 50 feet, up to two.
- Packing — these times assume you are packed before we arrive. If you are not, add the packing time or book packing with us.
- Disassembly — beds, wardrobes and anything that will not turn a pre-war landing. Included in the rate, but it takes time.
None of these is a surcharge on an hourly move. They are the reasons an hourly move takes longer, and the reasons a flat fee quote for a walk-up is higher than one for an elevator building.
Hourly or a Flat Fee — Which Suits Your Move
We offer both, so we have no reason to talk you out of either. Here is how they actually differ.
| Hourly | Flat fee | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | From $150 an hour for two movers, truck included | One price for the whole job, agreed before the day |
| Minimum | None | None |
| Stairs, long carry, elevator | No surcharge — they take longer, and you pay for the time | Priced into the quote up front and itemised |
| If the move runs long | You pay for the extra time | The price does not change |
| If the move runs short | You pay less | The price does not change |
| What you need to give us | Floor, lift or stairs, rough inventory | Nothing extra. We also offer an on-site visit or a digital walkthrough at your convenience. |
| Best for | Small, straightforward moves where you would rather not pay for someone else’s estimate of the risk | Walk-ups, big loads, tight elevator windows, or any month where you cannot absorb a surprise |
When hourly is the better deal
A studio on an elevator floor, well packed, moving a few blocks. There is not much that can go wrong, so there is not much risk to price in — and if the crew finishes in two hours you pay for two hours rather than for someone’s estimate of three.
When a flat fee is worth it
A fifth-floor walk-up, a lot of furniture, a narrow elevator window, or a month where the number simply has to be the number. You are buying certainty, and the access is priced in and shown to you rather than discovered on the day. If the job takes longer than we thought, that is our problem. And you do not need a walkthrough to get the number. We also offer an on-site visit or a digital walkthrough at your convenience.
The honest version: hourly is usually cheaper on a simple move, and a flat fee is usually better value on a complicated one. Tell us the building and what you are moving and we will tell you which one we would pick in your position — including when that is the cheaper of the two for us.
How an Apartment Move Runs
Floor, lift or stairs, and whether there is a doorman. That is what makes an estimate accurate. Ask your building for its moving requirements at the same time.
Included in your price, usually the same business day, made out to your building as additionally insured. Send us the managing agent’s details and we deal with them.
Doorman buildings and larger towers usually want the freight elevator reserved in advance, sometimes weeks ahead, in a fixed time slot. Tell us the window and we will work to it.
We wrap, disassemble what needs it, carry, load, transport, unload and reassemble. Nothing added at the end that was not in the estimate.
Book Around Your Building, Not Just Your Calendar
Most people pick a moving date and then discover their building has opinions about it. Many buildings only allow moves on weekdays, inside set hours, and only into a booked elevator window. Some do not permit moves at the end of the month at all, which is exactly when most leases turn over.
Ask your building three things as soon as you have a date: which days and hours moves are allowed, how far ahead the freight elevator must be booked, and what the certificate of insurance needs to say. Then tell us, and we will build the move around it.
We operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so an early start inside a narrow elevator window is a real option rather than a problem. Our support team is on 212-365-0707 from 7AM to 9PM.
Why New Yorkers Book Us for Apartment Moves
Moving apartments here since 1979
More than 220,000 completed moves in this city. We have been into most kinds of building New York has.
Certificate of insurance included
The paperwork that gets you past the lobby, included in your price rather than billed as an extra, and usually issued the same business day.
Two ways to pay, no surprises either way
Hourly from $150 with no minimum and no per-flight stair fee, or a flat fee that guarantees the price before the day. Stairs, long carries and elevator access are priced in the quote, not added on moving day.
Licensed and checkable
USDOT #382368. Basic insurance included with every move, with additional coverage available.
Other Services You Might Need
Local moving in NYC
How local moves are priced and run across the five boroughs. Local movers in NYC.
Small moves
Studios, single rooms and short local moves, billed hourly with no minimum. Small moves in NYC.
Packing and unpacking
Professional packing with materials supplied, booked on its own or with a move. Packing services.
Get a Free Quote for Your Apartment Move
Tell us the building — floor, lift or stairs, doorman or not — and we will give you a real number. From $150 an hour for two movers with no minimum, or a flat fee locked before the day. Your certificate of insurance is included.
