The more organized you are, the smoother your move will be and the more money you will save. Please take a moment to read the following moving suggestions.

Moving Advice 1: Choosing Your Mover

There are many moving companies out there. One of the better ways of choosing your mover is to ask for referrals. Failing this you may not necessarily want to hire the cheapest mover (nor the most expensive one either). Companies that  charge significantly less than their competitors often take on too many contracts and eventually may have to flush a few clients because they have no more time or energy. We get many calls from people who have experienced this and quite often it is the cheaper companies who cancel with little or no warning. As well, make sure the company has been in business for at least four years so you are not victim of their learning curve. Try to get 3 references from them.

We-Haul Movers has been in business for nearly 20 years. Ericson Martin, the owner, has been moving for over twenty years. Our reviews are written by real people.

Moving Advice 2: Parking

Do you have a narrow street, if we were to “double park” would cars be able to get around us? If not, you must secure parking. It is illegal to impede the flow of traffic (think ambulances and fire trucks). Try to put up a sign the night before indicating the day and time you will be moving- HOT TIP: If you put an obstacle on the street where we will park, drivers are less likely to ignore the request. Alternatively, ask neighbours to help by parking their vehicles near your home. We require, ideally, the space of three cars. The city of Montreal will also reserve parking yet there is a cost. This might be an important consideration especially if you live on an extremely narrow street and are unable to secure parking. For more information call Access Montreal at 311.

Moving Advice 3: Packing

Pack ahead of time or use our packing services.   Use boxes for fragile items not garbage bags. Use smaller boxes for books and other heavy items. Group all your boxes all in one place. We usually stat with larger furniture and place the boxes on top of these.  Be sure to tape the bottom of your boxes. Simply folding the flanges will not hold the contents when we lift the boxes.

Position plates vertically, do not put glasses with other items, using printer paper to protect these items. If you can hear them clinking, they are not well protected. YouTube has many helpful instructional videos.

• Always close your boxes with tape. Some open boxes are inevitable but these should be the minority. We need to be able to stack them. Place ALL of the fragile boxes in one spot. Placing a big red sticker on these boxes is better than writing “FRAGILE” with a ball point pen.
• Clothes can go into bags making sure these are thick, heavy duty bags.
• Try not to water your plants at least three days prior to moving. This will lighten the weight and prevent water from leaking and creating a slipping hazard. For larger plants, it recommended to tie the branches to a a central stake.
• Re-usable shopping bags are great, just make sure to tie up the handles.
• Place picture frames and mirrors in boxes designed for these or regular boxes making certain there is padding between them and no movement. It is okay to leave the top of the box open.
• Consolidate all of your mirrors and other fragile pieces in one place, as well as the flat pieces such as boards, shelves, prints. These are often the first of the smaller items to go in.
• Coil and tape up dangling wires. Ideally lamp shades (and light bulbs) should be removed especially if they are fragile.
• Do not use masking tape. This is just paper with glue- it has no strength. Do not use Duct tape, it is not adhesive enough on cardboard.
• Dressers and drawers must be emptied especially if they are IKEA. If your furniture is studier and we are going from a ground to a ground and the piece does not have to be tipped vertically say into an elevator, then you can leave some clothing in the drawers.
• If you have shelving in a unit, remove them. We always wrap the furniture and would appreciate our clients helping us with these little details.
• If something big was assembled in your home, chances are it will need to be dismantled prior to moving (we can do this- let us know beforehand in the contact form). Put all of the components (screws, bolts, pegs, etc.) in one bag and tape it to the piece it belongs to.
• When packing, resist the temptation to bounce from one room to another. Stay in one place, focus, finish, move on to the next. This will conserve your mental energy.
• ALWAYS leave your packing material in ONE designated work space. Having to constantly run around looking for things such as tape, markers, empty boxes is very frustrating and destroys your motivation. It takes less time to just put your scissors back in the same place every time than to search them out for half an hour.
• On the day of your move, take your car keys, check book, purse, cell phone, medicine, whatever is ESSENTIAL to you and put it on the kitchen counter. Make sure that you tell every single mover not to touch these items.

Moving Advice 4: Slippage and Tripping

Please remove all mail and flyers from the front entrance. Please remove all little carpets, shoes and other obstacles which can cause us to trip. The doors we will be moving your furniture through must be able to open fully.

Shovel the snow and salt the ice. If we break our bones we won’t be able to continue your move- LOL!

Moving Advice 5: Floors & Carpets

Our rubber mats cover a length of about eight feet by 24 inches wide creating a foot path in high traffic areas. If you require more extensive protection for your floor, please take the time before your moving day to lay out a thick, sturdy construction paper which can be purchased at Rona or Renot Depot. They come in rolls making it quick and easy to place over your floor.

Moving Advice 6: Elevators

If there’s one in your building, have the superintendent reserve it. A door which closes on us every so often is annoying and delays the moving process. We cannot be held responsible for a broken elevator if it has not been properly locked.

Make certain that you find out if your elevator is available as having to reserve one for the day of your move is becoming increasingly necessary and almost as hard as finding a moving company!

Moving Advice 7: Super Attendants and Building Administration

It is essential that you advise your building that you are moving. Sometimes clients are surprised to discover that a condo unit  or building does not allow moves on a particular day or during certain times or that they require tenants to reserve an elevator.

Moving Advice 8: Payment

Can be done by check, credit card or cash. If you choose to pay by credit card it would be ideal if you open a PayPal account as this is the service that we use. There is also a 3.5% service fee that we pass on to you. Checks are accepted only if you move into our storage. If yours is an eviction, please advise us as full payment is required beforehand.

If you are intending to pay cash, please make certain to have this amount on hand as we will most likely have to rush to another client’s home and must minimise delays in order to arrive on time. The time we have to wait is time that regretfully we must bill the client.

Tipping:

Moving Advice 9: Final Points of Consideration

If it is a hot day, our movers always appreciate consideration from our clients. Feel free to offer a bottle of water. We are a team made up of you and us. As such, our common goal is to make certain the move is successful and relatively stress free. Friends and family are always welcome to help. They are most needed for smaller items and for dis-assembly/re-assembly (not to mention moral support).

If you have a cat or a dog, please try to bring them to the new place beforehand. Quite often pets will bark or meow incessantly when we are moving their home.

Morning reservations are better than afternoon ones in that we can guarantee to be at your home at the specified morning time. Afternoon moves work with a range of time to account for potential delays with our earlier bookings.

If there is a long carry let us know. This means for example, if the distance between your home and the elevator, the elevator to the truck is more than 50 feet, let us know. Walking these long distances back and forth adds a lot of time and increases the overall cost.

Problem Pieces: If we have to remove a door from a fridge we cannot be responsible if in putting it back it is not aligned. As well, so called Smart Fridges have many electronic components. If it is a difficult door to remove and we deem it best to not remove it, it will be the responsibility of the client to take the door off.

If a hoist is required, we are not responsible for damage to the piece or to the building as this is an unconventional way of moving furniture.