Updated October 10, 2026
In Manhattan, the building often decides your moving day more than the mover does. Before you book anything, call management and ask these five questions. Write the answers down and send them to your mover.
1. What days and hours?
Many buildings allow moves only on weekdays, in set hours. Get your move window in writing, for the building you are leaving and the one you are moving into.
2. Is the elevator booked?
Reserve the service elevator for your time. Ask if it needs pads and which door the crew should use. Co-ops on the Upper East Side often have strict freight elevator rules; see our Upper East Side moving guide.
3. What must the COI say?
Ask for the building’s sample certificate of insurance and send it to your mover a week before. We send the COI your building asks for.
4. Any deposit or move fee?
Some buildings and co-ops charge one. Ask early so it does not hold up your move.
5. Who do we call that day?
Get the super’s or the manager’s phone number and share it with your mover. In Lower Manhattan, security desks and loading rules matter too; see our Financial District moving guide.
Got the answers? Call us next
Call (646) 588-1374 or send the quote form on our home page for a free written estimate, 7 days a week. We are a family business since 1999, licensed and insured (U.S. DOT No. 967970 · MC-432549 · NYSDOT 34875 · NJPM 000930); see our company facts.
Write the answers down
- The move window: days and hours, for both buildings.
- The service elevator: booked time, pads, which door.
- The COI: the building’s sample, sent to your mover a week before.
- Any deposit or move fee, and when it is due.
- The name and number of the super or manager for the day.
Send this list to your mover with your booking. When we have it, the crew arrives in the right window, at the right door, with the COI already at the front desk.
If the building you are moving into has different rules from the one you are leaving, ask both sets of questions. Two buildings often mean two move windows, two elevator bookings and two certificates, and all of it has to line up on the same day.
Common questions
When can I move in an NYC building?
Many buildings allow moves only on weekdays, in set hours. Ask management for your move window and get it in writing.
What should the COI say?
Each building has its own wording. Ask for the building’s sample certificate of insurance and send it to your mover about a week before the move.
Do buildings charge a move fee or deposit?
Some buildings and co-ops do. Ask early so it does not hold up your move.
Who should I call at the building?
Start with the management office or the managing agent, then get the number of the super or the manager for moving day.
Do you send the COI to the building?
Yes. We send the COI your building asks for.