Apartment and Condo Moves: Permits, Elevators, and Building Rules
We have had jobs where the crew was ready at 8am and could not start until 11 because nobody reserved the freight elevator. Three hours of clock, gone, for a form that takes five minutes. Buildings are the variable you control ahead of time, so control it.
Parking is the first thing to solve
A 26-foot truck needs about 60 feet of curb, and most LA streets do not offer that by accident. Options, in order of how well they work:
- 1The building's loading dock or designated move-in zone. Ask management, it usually needs to be reserved.
- 2A temporary no-parking permit from the city. LADOT posts signs, and they need to go up at least 24 hours ahead. Other cities have their own process and their own lead time.
- 3Coning off the space yourself the night before, which is not enforceable but works more often than you would expect.
- 4Nothing, and the crew carries everything an extra 150 feet. This is the expensive option because it is billed by the hour.
Certificate of insurance
Most managed buildings in LA and Orange County require a COI from your moving company before they will let the crew in. Every building wants slightly different limits and wants itself named as additional insured. Get the exact requirements in writing from management, send them to us, and we will issue it. Do this two weeks out, not the day before.
Free quote, no pressure, no hidden fees.
Elevator reservations
- Book the freight elevator for a window, and ask how long a window you can get. Two hours is common and often not enough.
- Ask whether the building requires padding installed by staff, and who does that.
- Confirm allowed move hours. Many HOAs only allow moves 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and some ban weekend moves entirely.
- Measure the elevator if you own anything large. A sectional that does not fit changes the whole plan.
Call your building and ask: what does a move-in require here? Most managers will list everything at once. Write it down and send us the list.
Stairs, walk-ups, and lofts
If you are in a third-floor walk-up, add a crew member. It is cheaper than paying two people to do a five-person job slowly, and it dramatically lowers the chance of damage on a tight turn. Downtown lofts often have the opposite problem: huge open interiors and one small service elevator that everyone in the building shares.
Protect your deposit
Photograph the hallway, the elevator interior, and the doorframes before the move starts. If something was already scratched, you want proof it was not you. Our crews mask doorframes and lay floor runners as standard, but a photo record costs nothing.
Licensed, insured, and on time. Tell us about your move and we'll build the right crew for it.
