Apartment Movers Ottawa
Highrise, walk-up, condo, or basement apartment — we move 200+ Ottawa apartments per month. Elevator coordination, building COIs, parking permits, and tight stairwells handled by the team that’s done 19,905+ moves since 2010.
Why apartment moves need a specialist crew
House moves and apartment moves look the same on the invoice — same hourly rate, same crew sizes. But on the day of the move, they’re different jobs. An apartment move is a logistics puzzle with three moving pieces: your stuff, the building, and the elevator clock. Get any one wrong and the move stalls.
Here’s what an experienced Ottawa apartment crew handles that a generalist crew often misses:
- Elevator booking windows. Most Ottawa highrises require 1–2 weeks notice and assign 2–4 hour elevator slots. Show up without a booked elevator and you’re sharing it with residents — every load takes twice as long.
- Certificate of Insurance (COI). ByWard, Centretown, and Westboro buildings frequently require movers to file a COI with the property manager 48–72 hours in advance. We provide one free for any building that asks.
- Loading bay vs. street parking. Older Centretown walk-ups have no loading bay — you’re parking on Bank or Bronson with a permit. Newer Westboro and Glebe condos have a 20-minute loading dock window. Knowing the difference saves an hour per move.
- Stair-only walk-ups. Sandy Hill, Hintonburg, and Old Ottawa South have hundreds of 2–4 storey walk-up apartments. Two movers carrying a queen mattress up four flights is a 3-person job done badly.
Ottawa apartment moving rates
Apartment moves are billed by the hour at our standard 2026 rates. There’s no apartment surcharge, no walk-up fee, and no elevator-wait fee. See full pricing → or read the cost-of-movers guide →
Studio / 1-bedroom
$150/hr — 2 movers + truck. Typical move: 3–5 hours. Total: $420–$700
2-bedroom apartment
$195/hr — 3 movers + truck (most-booked). Typical move: 4–5 hours. Total: $720–$900
3-bedroom condo
$245/hr — 4 movers + truck. Typical move: 5–7 hours. Total: $1,100–$1,540
See your live apartment rate
Pick your date, crew size, and slot. The price you see is the price on the invoice — $100 deposit, refundable up to 72 hours before.
Book in 2 minutes →Highrise & condo moves: the building checklist
Before you book, confirm three things with your building’s property manager. Asking these questions in advance is the difference between a 4-hour move and an 8-hour move.
Your 5-step apartment-move prep checklist
- Book the elevator. Most Ottawa highrises have an online booking form or a phone line for the property manager. Reserve a 4-hour window starting 30 minutes before your scheduled mover arrival. Get the booking confirmation in writing.
- Request a COI from your moving company at least 72 hours in advance. Forward it to the property manager and confirm receipt. We email this within 4 business hours of request.
- Reserve loading-bay or street parking. If your building has a loading bay, book it. If you’re parking on the street, get a moving permit from the City of Ottawa (24-hour notice for residential streets, free).
- Pad the walls. Ask the building if they require corner protectors and door-frame pads. Newer condos require them; older walk-ups don’t. We carry them on every truck.
- Time the key handover. If you’re moving out and another tenant is moving in the same day, coordinate. The most common reason apartment moves run long is waiting for the previous tenant’s truck to clear the loading dock.
Walk-up apartment moves (Sandy Hill, Hintonburg, Old Ottawa South)
Ottawa has thousands of converted-house walk-ups, especially in Sandy Hill, Hintonburg, and Old Ottawa South. Common configuration: 2 storeys, narrow staircase with one or two 90° turns, no elevator, street parking only.
What makes walk-ups different:
- Crew size matters more. A 2-mover crew in a 3-storey walk-up will work harder and slower than a 3-mover crew, often costing more in total. We default-recommend 3 movers for any walk-up above the second floor.
- Furniture clearance. Older Sandy Hill staircases are 30–32 inches wide. A standard sectional sofa won’t make the turn — we’ll either disassemble or hoist through a window. We carry hoist straps on every walk-up move.
- No loading dock. Plan on parking on the street. We pull a moving permit for you if needed (free, 24-hour notice).
Ottawa neighborhoods we move daily
Apartment-dense neighborhoods we cover with same-day or next-day availability:
Centretown & ByWard
Highrise condos with strict elevator booking and COI requirements. We file the COI free, 4-hour turnaround.
Sandy Hill
Walk-ups, student housing, and converted Victorian flats. Tight stairwells, street parking only.
The Glebe
Mix of walk-ups and Bank Street condos. Loading-bay coordination required for most newer buildings.
Westboro & Hintonburg
Newer condo towers along Richmond Road. 20-minute loading dock windows are standard.
Kanata & Barrhaven
Suburban apartment complexes and townhomes. Free street parking, easy access. Travel fee from $60.
Orleans & Vanier
Lower-rise apartment buildings, mid-rise condos. Most have surface parking and no COI requirement.
Don’t see your neighborhood? Browse all Ottawa neighborhoods we serve →
Same-day apartment moves
Lease ended sooner than expected? Roommate situation changed? We hold same-day and next-day capacity for apartment moves. Our online order page shows live truck availability for today and the next 7 days. Same-day & last-minute apartment movers →
Storage between move-out and move-in
Apartment leases rarely line up perfectly with move-in dates. If you’re moving out on the 30th and into the new place on the 5th, we can store your belongings in our climate-controlled facility for the gap. See storage options →
Packing services for apartment moves
If you’re working full-time, packing the kitchen and closet usually takes longer than you expect. Our packing crews handle everything from kitchen cabinets to wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes — typically 4–8 hours for a 2-bedroom apartment. See packing service rates → or use our 8-week packing checklist → to do it yourself.
178+ five-star reviews from Ottawa apartment dwellers
Same hourly rate. No walk-up surcharge. Free COI. Book your apartment move in 2 minutes.
Book my move →Frequently asked questions
Do apartment movers in Ottawa charge a walk-up fee?
We don’t. Some Ottawa moving companies charge $25–$50 per flight above the second floor — ours doesn’t. Our hourly rate is the same whether you’re on the ground floor or the 4th-floor walk-up. If a walk-up adds significant time (it usually adds 30–60 min for a 1-bedroom), the hourly clock reflects that, but there’s no separate stair fee.
How much notice do I need to give for an elevator booking?
Most Ottawa highrises require 1–2 weeks notice and assign 2–4 hour windows. Smaller buildings (under 50 units) often allow 48–72 hour notice. Check with your property manager as soon as you have a move date, even before booking the movers. We can adjust our crew arrival to your elevator window.
What is a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and do I need one?
A COI is a one-page document from the moving company’s insurer confirming liability coverage for your specific move date and address. Most newer condos and downtown highrises in Ottawa require it. We email a COI free within 4 business hours of request. You forward it to your property manager.
Can apartment movers handle a basement apartment?
Yes. Basement apartments are usually faster than walk-ups — fewer stairs, often direct walkout access. Watch out for low ceilings on the staircase (under 6’8″), which can interfere with carrying box springs and tall dressers. We disassemble or hoist if needed.
Do you provide moving boxes for apartments?
Yes — small, medium, large, dish-pack, and wardrobe boxes available for purchase. We can deliver boxes 1–2 weeks before your move so you can pack at your own pace. See box pricing →
How long does it take to move a 1-bedroom apartment in Ottawa?
Most 1-bedroom Ottawa apartment moves take 3–5 hours from start to finish, including drive time between origin and destination. Walk-ups add 30–60 minutes. Highrise moves with proper elevator booking are usually on the lower end of that range.
Can you move me from a Centretown highrise to a Kanata condo on the same day?
Yes — cross-Ottawa apartment-to-apartment moves are our most common job. Total time is typically 5–7 hours including the drive. Travel fee from Centretown to Kanata runs $75–$95 one way.
Do you move student apartments in Sandy Hill?
Constantly. Sandy Hill student-housing moves spike in August and April. We hold extra crew capacity those months and offer flexible 4-hour minimum bookings for studios. Sandy Hill movers →
What’s the cancellation policy for an apartment move?
Your $100 deposit is fully refundable up to 72 hours before your scheduled move. Inside 72 hours, the deposit is held against the move. We’ll always work with you on rescheduling — call us as soon as you know your plans have changed.
Can you move just a few large items (couch, bed, desk)?
Yes. Our 3-hour minimum applies, so even a 1-hour single-item move bills as 3 hours plus travel. For very small loads, that often still works out cheaper than renting a U-Haul, fueling it, and recruiting a friend.
Apartment Moves in Ottawa — The Details That Matter
Moving from or into a condo or apartment building in Ottawa involves variables that don’t exist on a house move: elevator booking windows, parking pad permits, loading dock restrictions, building management sign-offs, and often strict move-in and move-out time blocks. Our apartment and condo moving crews navigate these constraints every day across Ottawa’s downtown core, Centretown, Westboro, Glebe, Sandy Hill, and Vanier. We contact your building management office before the move date to confirm the freight elevator reservation, dock access hours, and any floor protection requirements.
For standard one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in Ottawa, our 2-mover crew ($150 per hour) handles most jobs in 3-5 hours including travel. A three-bedroom apartment with full furniture and boxes typically runs 5-7 hours with a 3-mover crew ($195 per hour). We bring floor runners, corner guards, and elevator pads on every job — building management requirements in Ottawa high-rises mean these are not optional extras.
If you’re moving between condos in different Ottawa buildings on the same day, we coordinate both elevator bookings and plan the route to minimize double-handling. If one possession is delayed or the elevator window at the new building opens later, our crew can hold your belongings in the truck for up to 2 hours at no extra charge beyond the on-site hourly rate.
Related Ottawa Moving Services
- Movers Ottawa — full-service residential and condo moving across Ottawa
- Packing Services Ottawa — professional pack-up for your apartment the day before or morning of your move
- Storage Ottawa — short-term and long-term storage if your new condo isn’t ready on possession day
- Last-Minute Movers Ottawa — urgent apartment moves with 24-48 hours notice when elevator slots open
- Long-Distance Movers Ottawa — Ottawa to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and beyond for condo owners relocating
Apartment Movers Ottawa — Frequently Asked Questions
Do you book the elevator for me?
We contact your building management office or concierge to confirm the freight elevator reservation once you have booked and deposited your move date with us. You should initiate the elevator booking with your building as soon as possible — many Ottawa condos have elevator slots that book out 2-4 weeks in advance in peak moving months (May, June, August, September).
What if the elevator at my new building isn’t available until the afternoon?
We plan for split-window days. The crew loads at the origin building in the morning during its elevator window, then the truck holds the load while we wait for the destination window. For waits under 2 hours, there is no standby charge. For waits over 2 hours, we bill the crew at the hourly rate for standby time. We build this into the quote once you tell us both buildings’ elevator availability.
Do you bring floor and elevator protection?
Yes. Every condo and apartment job includes floor runners (Masonite and carpet protection), elevator pad sets, and corner guards. Ottawa high-rise buildings require these as a condition of move-in access, and building damage deposits are often forfeited over unprotected moves. We do not charge extra for standard protection materials.
Can you move large furniture pieces that don’t fit in the elevator?
Yes — stairwells and balcony hoisting are both options we use in Ottawa apartment buildings. Our crews have moved sectional sofas, California king mattresses, and king-size bed frames up stairwells in older downtown Ottawa walk-ups. For anything requiring a rope-and-pulley hoist over the balcony, we provide a written scope and confirm building management permission before the move date.
What is the cost to move a 1-bedroom apartment in Ottawa?
Most Ottawa 1-bedroom apartment moves run 3-4 hours with a 2-mover crew. At $150 per hour plus a 1-hour travel fee, a 3-hour on-site job totals $150 × 3 + $150 travel = $600 before tax. A 4-hour job totals $750. These are estimates for a fully-packed apartment with standard furniture — add time if you have a large wardrobe, disassembly needed, or a stairwells-only building.
Need storage between closing dates?
Apartment and condo move-in dates rarely line up perfectly. We pick up from your current Ottawa apartment, store everything in our heated, alarm-monitored 10,000 sq ft Ottawa warehouse, and deliver to the new building on the date you confirm. Daily, weekly, and monthly moving and storage in Ottawa available — no double-handling, no surprise re-quote on delivery day. Short-term moving storage is included on the same crew that handles the actual move. See full details on our Ottawa moving storage page.
Lockboxes, COI turnaround, who books the elevator, and 8 highrise buildings we move into weekly
Apartment moves in Ottawa break or succeed on three logistical questions: who handles the lockbox/fob, how fast the building gets the COI, and who actually picks up the phone to book the elevator. Here’s exactly how we handle each, plus the buildings we move into most often.
4 more questions before booking your apartment move
How do you handle lockboxes, fobs, and key handoffs at either end of the move?
For lockbox-only access (typical for Sandy Hill student rentals and some Centretown walk-ups), we ask for the code through the booking SMS thread, not over voice — keeps a written record. The crew lead opens, photographs the unit on entry for damage-baseline, and re-locks at the end. For fob buildings (most highrises), the property manager either issues a temporary moving fob to the resident or escorts the crew up. We coordinate this two days ahead with the property office. For staggered key handoffs (key released only after final inspection), we time the load so the truck stages on the curb while you handle the inspection — no idle truck-time charge for the first 30 minutes.
How fast can you turn around a Certificate of Insurance for my building?
Same business day if you book before 2pm. The COI is issued by our broker (5,000,000 CAD general liability, 2,000,000 CAD per occurrence), names the corporation as additional insured, and lists the move-out and move-in addresses with the dates. Most Ottawa property managers — including Minto, Claridge, CLV, and Brigil — accept the digital PDF directly; if your building requires a wet-signed original, add 24 hours and we courier. We’ve never had a COI rejected by an Ottawa condo board, but if yours has unusual wording requirements (some downtown waterfront buildings ask for specific endorsements), email the requirements PDF to dispatch and we’ll have the broker match the language.
Can you move balcony, terrace, and locker items, and how do you price those?
Yes. Balcony and terrace furniture (BBQs, planters, deck boxes, bistro sets) is loaded with the rest of the unit at no extra charge — we just need to know in advance so we bring the right padding for stone planters and BBQ propane (which must be removed and transported separately by you, per Ontario regulation). Storage-locker items billed by access difficulty: same-floor locker free; basement locker with elevator free; basement locker requiring stairs only adds 30 CAD if it’s a single trip, hourly if it’s a long pull. Bicycles, kayaks, and ski gear from the locker get loaded at the truck end-of-day so they don’t get crushed.
Who actually books the service elevator — me or you?
The honest answer: the resident has to do it because the property manager only takes booking requests from the unit owner or tenant on file. But we make it nearly automatic. After you book the move with us, dispatch sends a one-page PDF that you forward to your property manager — it lists the date, the 3-hour window, our company name, our COI ID number, our truck dimensions, and the crew lead’s contact. Property managers see this format every week, sign off in 24-48 hours, and email back the elevator confirmation. We then call to verify the day before. The 48-72 hour minimum lead time most Ottawa highrises require still applies, so book the elevator the same day you book us.
Walk-up moves: Sandy Hill, Centretown, Hintonburg, the Glebe
Walk-up apartment moves in Ottawa get a different crew composition: 3 movers minimum even for studios, because the bottleneck is stair carries, not box count. We charge by the hour at the same rate as elevator buildings — there’s no walk-up surcharge. What changes is the time estimate: a 1-bedroom walk-up averages 4-5 hours; the same unit in a highrise averages 3 hours. We bring shoulder dollies and extra padding for stair landings. Buildings we move out of weekly: Sandy Hill triple-deckers on Stewart and Laurier, Centretown low-rises on Frank and Lewis, Hintonburg triplexes north of Wellington West, and Glebe row houses near Lansdowne.
8 Ottawa highrises we move in & out of every week
Planning a long-distance move?
We also handle long-distance moves from Ottawa across Canada — popular routes include Ottawa to Toronto, Ottawa to Montreal, and Ottawa to Halifax.
Looking for all our Ottawa moving services? Visit our Ottawa moving company for full neighbourhood coverage, transparent pricing, and online booking.
