Apartment and Townhome Moving in New Lenox, IL
Apartment, condo and townhome moves in Joliet, Tinley Park, Plainfield and Lockport, planned around elevators, loading docks and association rules.
An apartment move is decided before anybody picks up a box. Whether the building makes you reserve the elevator, whether the dock sits on the back side of the property, whether the association wants paperwork on file first, and whether the stairwell has a turn a queen box spring cannot make. We run these constantly in the Joliet complexes off Jefferson, the Tinley Park buildings near the Metra line, and the townhome rows in Plainfield and Lockport. Two movers and the truck is the right size for most one and two bedroom units. A third mover usually pays for himself on a third floor walk up, because the trips get cut down enough to save more than the extra $45 an hour costs.
Serving New Lenox, Frankfort, Mokena, Joliet, Manhattan, Lockport, Homer Glen, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Plainfield, Shorewood, Crest Hill and nearby.
Hourly rates posted, two hour minimum
Blankets, wrap, dollies and runners included
Same crew that quotes the job carries it
Card, cash, Zelle or Venmo when the job is done
What Is Included
Building rules run the day more than the furniture does
Every complex is a little different and none of them tell you everything up front. Some buildings hand out a two hour elevator reservation and hold you to it. Some only allow moves Monday through Friday between nine and five, which quietly rules out the Saturday you had planned. Condo and townhome associations frequently want a certificate of insurance from your mover on file before they let a truck onto the property, and that paperwork can take a couple of days to move through their office.
Ask your leasing office three questions as soon as you have a date: what hours moves are allowed, whether the elevator has to be reserved, and what they need from the moving company beforehand. Then tell us the answers. We would much rather adjust a start time a week out than sit in a parking lot while somebody hunts for a key to the service elevator.
Parking is the other one. A lot of these properties have fire lanes right where the truck needs to be. If there is a spot management is willing to cone off for a few hours, that is worth asking for, because a hundred foot walk from the truck to the door on a two bedroom adds real time.
Stairs, elevators, and the long carry
We do not charge for stairs, and that is not a marketing line, it is just how the hourly rate works. Stairs cost time, and you are already paying for time. What we can do is make the trips count. On a third floor unit we stage in the hallway, run the dolly in loops, and keep one person at the truck packing the load tight so nobody is standing around waiting for a spot to put something.
Elevators are usually faster than stairs but only if we can hold the car. If the building has a service elevator with a key, get the key. If it is a shared passenger elevator and you have neighbors coming and going, expect the job to take longer than it would on a walk up, and that is worth knowing before you get the bill.
The furniture that gives stairwells trouble is predictable: queen and king box springs, sleeper sofas, and anything with a rigid frame over seven feet. Split box springs solve the first one. For the rest we measure the turn before we lift, and if a sectional has to come apart on the landing, it comes apart on the landing.
Move out day, and leaving the unit clean
Renters have a harder deadline than homeowners. Keys are due at a specific hour and the walkthrough is right behind it. We start apartment moves earlier for exactly that reason, and if your out date and your in date are the same day we will do the load and the unload back to back rather than making you sit on a truck full of furniture overnight.
Wall damage is the thing that costs people money on the way out, and most of it happens at corners and door casings. Runners go down in the hallway, and we pad the doorframe on any tight turn. If a wall mounted TV bracket or a set of shelf anchors is coming off, take them off yourself the night before so you have time to patch.
If your new place is not ready and the old one is, we can load into a storage unit and come back for the second half later. That is two hourly jobs rather than one, and we will tell you what it looks like before you commit to it.
What It Costs
Apartment and townhome moves run on the same hourly rate as everything else. The building, not the box count, is usually what decides which end of the range you land on.
| Job | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Two movers and the truck | $150 per hour, two hour minimum |
| Three movers and the truck | $195 per hour |
| Studio or one bedroom apartment | $400 to $650 |
| Two bedroom apartment or townhome | $650 to $950 |
| Loading your rental truck at the complex instead | $120 per hour, two movers |
A flat $50 travel fee applies inside the core service area. There is no stair fee and no elevator fee. Third floor walk ups and buildings with a shared passenger elevator just take longer, so budget an extra hour and consider the third mover. Call or text (815) 763-8200 with your unit, the floor, and what your management office requires and we will size the crew before you book.
Get a Same-Day Estimate
Call or text with both addresses, the date, and photos of the big pieces. We reply the same day with movers, hours, and a total at the rates on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you charge extra for a third floor walk up?
No. There is no stair fee. Stairs cost time and you are already paying by the hour, so the honest answer is that a third floor unit takes longer than a ground floor one. On those we usually recommend three movers, since the extra $45 an hour typically saves more than an hour.
My building wants a certificate of insurance. Can you provide one?
Yes. Send us the management company name, the address, and whatever wording they require, and give us a few business days before your date. Some associations will not let a truck onto the property without it on file.
What if the elevator is only reserved for two hours?
Tell us at booking and we plan the load around it. We stage everything in the hallway first, then run the elevator in a solid block instead of one piece at a time. It works, but it means the crew size should match the window.
Can you move me out and into the new place on the same day?
That is how most apartment moves go. We load, drive, and unload as one continuous job. Same day works as long as you have keys to the new unit by early afternoon.
Will you take apart my bed and the IKEA shelving?
Beds, cribs, desks and table legs, yes, and we put them back together at the new place. Pressed board flat pack furniture is the one thing we warn people about, since it often does not survive a second assembly. We will move it standing if it fits.