Written by Nick Simard on 14.08.19
[shared_counts]Moving can be hard, especially if it must happen in a hurry. A lot of things happen in a hurry in New York City.
So…
You’re trying the best you can to plan your move-out and move-in dates and times with both property managers.
You’re trying to avoid moving on the first of the month. Everyone is moving on the first of the month.
You’re trying to save yourself from paying an extra month’s rent or having to store stuff in the process.
Orchestrating the timing of all the interacting parts of a move is hard enough. What can you do to ease the actual moving?
Involve your friends. Need to trim your load? Have a sale online. Take pictures of things, then post them on Facebook, priced to entice. Stipulate that successful buyers must come and take things off your hands. Use PayPal to collect the proceeds from friends who want to buy.
Everything must go! If you haven’t worn it or used it in the past year, sell or donate the garment or item.
Donate your books. Take extra books to a donation drop box. If you donate your books to the vets, with as little as 24 hours’ notice, you can request a collection truck to pick books up from your door.
Deal with heavy furniture. You have options. The NYC sanitation department will take most anything you discard at the curb, as long as you follow the rules. Note that dumping electronics is illegal and subject to fines. To unload old e-waste, Best Buy may be your best bet.
If you can’t part with that big sofa, and you can’t get it out of that room, either, you can always call those magical folks who treat furniture like it’s Houdini.
Save the bales! Get free boxes. Now, for the stuff you save, you’ll need boxes. Call bookstores or wine shops. Or drop in at Target or Trader Joe’s. They’ll almost always help you out. It’s easier for these businesses to give cardboard away than it is to spend the energy baling it and filling their truck space with the bales.
At Trader Joe’s, the strongest boxes that have flaps to close (great for books and other things) are the boxes they ship nuts in.
Keep your valuables secured. Pack your clothing in suitcases, so your wardrobe is easy to find and unpack. Don’t box up precious items, passports, and other key documents. Keep them secured. Set up Apple or Android pay in advance so you don’t have to go digging for cards, and have cash ready for tips.
Speaking of valuables, don’t forget to call your insurance agent and have your renter’s insurance switched to your new home.
Read More: Your Rights as NYC Renter
For simple moves at simple prices, you might give OZ Moving & Storage a ring. As the Oz folks say, “From squeezing a sofa up 5 flights of the narrowest stairs anyone’s ever seen to mapping out a truck route for a rental truck, moving in NYC needs experience.” Yep.
For large, high-value moves, you’ll need to get appraisals from companies. Have your notes ready, so you can give dates, number of roomfuls of furnishings needing to be moved, number of large furnishings, number of boxes, and information on stairs and service elevators.
Drive to meet the movers at your new home, or hire a car for a day. Save yourself some headaches by having the movers put the big stuff in the right rooms and set the bed up, if that comes with the service.
Tip the mover (at least $20) —or the head mover, if there is a team (at least $10 per person). Movers, like hair stylists, hotel staff and bartenders, work on a low pay scale. Tips are necessary. Tip more generously for extra-mile service, hoisting, steps, and so forth.
Welcome! We hope you’re coming to one of our luxury rentals in Manhattan, where we know you’ll love New York from your first day at home.
Call us at 212.682.7300 if you’d like to learn more about currently available apartment homes.
Topics: Moving in NYC