Reserving an Elevator
Some condo and apartment buildings have a dedicated service elevator, but most have a service mode that will be turned on for the duration of your move. This means that you and your movers have exclusive use of the elevator. The doors will stay open as long as you need, and the elevator will remain on the floor where you need it, without being called elsewhere.
To make a booking, often you must request a reservation or fill out an application with building management or the concierge, outlining the day and time period you will require the elevator. The best time to book the elevator is within the regular working hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
As is a best practice of hiring movers, we recommend trying to book this far in advance before your actual moving date. Typically we recommend two to four weeks.
Make Sure You Have Enough Time
Don’t underestimate the time required for your service elevator booking, always reserve the elevator for the time estimated by your moving company.
If your moving company is only moving your larger or heavier items, make sure to schedule more time for any of the items that you will be moving, as it may require quite a bite more time as you’ll be making trips between your old and new homes.
Make sure you understand how much time you have with the elevator at each of your locations. This is particularly important when moving into a new building; poorly planned bookings that do not leave enough time to complete the pick up will mean that you may miss the elevator booking at the your new building.
If another resident has an elevator booking following yours at the new location, you’ll then have to wait for them to finish before being able to resume your move. This situation would be both inconvenient and contribute to added expense since you’ll need to pay your movers for the duration of the wait.
Parking
Condo and apartment buildings have important regulations around parking so that residents are not disrupted or inconvenienced. Since your moving company will typically be bringing a large truck, ensure that you book the appropriate area of your building for the moving vehicle to park, along with the elevator booking.
Even if you’re just using the packing services, a parking area for the truck must be reserved. When booking the service elevator, ask your concierge or management if there are any restrictions or special requirements that the movers should prepare for, such as loading dock height maximums. Some buildings, especially condos, have a “moving room” alongside their dedicated service elevators that must be used for moves, rather than the main entrance, so be sure to ask your concierge.
Finally, if you’re in need of packing, moving or even storage needs during your move, please feel free to contact TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.
