According to an article from FiveThirtyEight, a person in the United States is expected to move 11.4 times in their lifetime, so there is a lot to learn. Moving apartments will happen in your life, whether because of a lease ending, the need to move cities, needing a bigger living space, or getting a job in a different town.

When changing apartments, renters must prepare themselves for hidden costs, research their current and new apartment complexes, and plan for furnishings and insurance costs. This blog post will discuss some unexpected aspects of changing apartments so you can expect the unexpected!

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Watch Out For Hidden Costs

There are three main hidden costs to look out for when moving apartments: elevator fees, stair carry fees, and long carry fees. There are various price ranges and situations in which these fees could affect the cost of your move.  Elevator fees are more common in high-rise apartments and luxury condo buildings. It’s important to note that buildings have separate freight elevators that movers must use and often must be reserved in advance. And sometimes, these are first come, first serve, so it's essential to be proactive to ensure your movers have access to this, so they don’t have to wait. Having your movers wait for access to an elevator could lead to an increase in your moving costs. 

Stair carry fees vary depending on the type of move and the number of stairs involved. Oddly, if you are changing apartments, there will likely be charges displayed in the final cost by multiplying the mover’s hourly rate by the number of extra hours needed to complete the move. 

Long carry fees pertain to truck accessibility and if the movers have enough room to access their truck. Certain circumstances may prevent a moving truck from accessing your apartment for example moving into a high-rise apartment building or a gated community. According to Moving Buddha, the general rule of thumb in the relocation industry is that movers give customers 75 feet between the truck and the home’s front door. On a local move, you’ll be paying for it by the hour, so if the distance is longer, you’ll pay for the extra time associated with covering that other ground. 

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Research Your Current Apartment And Your New Apartment Complex

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Understanding some of the basic ins and outs of your current and new apartment complex is essential to a smooth move into your new place. Understanding these complexities can help keep the costs of your move lower. One way to do this is to check out and understand the elevator situation, as this is a natural bottleneck. Always reserve the elevator to help keep your movers in sole possession of the elevator. Also, try to talk to the leasing manager to find the loading zone for your apartment building in relation to the elevator and your door. Remember, the longer the walk, the longer the move, so it's essential to understand these complexes. Checking if the loading zone is inside the building or a parking garage to find out the max height is an important fact to let your movers know as well. Because this will impact the truck size that the movers can utilize, smaller trucks may require multiple trips if you move out of a two-bedroom apartment. In general, understand your apartment’s official move-in and move-out hours to ensure you are following the leasing office's official moving rules. 

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Plan For Furnishings

Before moving, measure and know the length and style of your furniture, as large sofas and california king mattresses may not fit into the apartment complex. If you have these two items, conduct extra planning and prep to help eliminate additional fees from your apartment mover. Moving from a house to an apartment means you’ll have more items than room in your apartment. Plan ahead, take extra steps and do not take additional things. This could create headaches and is not worth the extra added layer of stress. 

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Insurance 

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Knowing if your move-in is insured is essential; without insurance, you could be held liable if the movers cause property damage while moving you. Ask for a certificate of insurance (COI) which will show your apartment mover has the proper liability and property insurance as a professional mover should have. It's also important to know that all professional movers must legally offer .60/lb of valuation at no charge for local moves.

Moving apartments is complex, and being an inexperienced mover, there are a lot of surprises and fees that come with moving, from hidden fees to the research process of your current and future apartment complexes to planning for moving furniture and understanding the insurance policies of your building. 

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Save your buddies and book a move with your Moving Buddy Today! 

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