Moving into a high-rise apartment is both an exciting and stressful occasion. You can picture waking up to your new view of the city, mountains, or beach while living on the 25th floor. However, you aren’t sure how to successfully move your belongings from your old apartment. Below, we discuss ten pre-moving and moving day strategies guaranteed to help smooth your transition to a high-rise apartment.
1. Secure Your Commitment
Sometimes, an apartment complex is not the one for you. Prior to tasking yourself and friends or a moving company with the arduous job of hauling your items into a high-rise apartment, make sure you’ve found one you want to live in for at least a year. Before moving in, consider meeting with some of your soon-to-be neighbors and asking how safe and satisfied they are with living in the building. This will also give you the opportunity to introduce yourself!
2. Configure Your Layout Beforehand
To prevent having too much furniture crammed into a small or peculiar floorplan, know what can and cannot fit in your new apartment before lugging the extra furniture to your high-rise. Before you move in, take some measurements at the new apartment. Consider the width of doors and hallways, ceiling height, and the dimensions of your living space. You can also ask the apartment manager to send you a floorplan of your apartment. Sometimes, the floorplans have dimensions already accounted for.
3. FIGURE OUT THE PATH TO YOUR NEW APARTMENT
On a regular day, the process of getting to and from your apartment unit is a simple and straightforward one. However, when it comes to the moving process, there are other hurdles that you’ll have to keep in mind. Before you start unloading boxes and coordinating where they should go, it’s important that you have a solid understanding of the path to your new apartment building from the point of view of your movers.
Ideally, your high-rise building will have a designated loading dock where your movers can park and unload your items. If this isn’t the case in your building, look for a driveway or a designated loading or unloading area. Make sure to determine how far this is from the elevators.
4. Lighten Your Load
High-rise apartments are typically smaller living spaces than other home options. Moving from a larger apartment or home to a high-rise apartment will be much easier if you filter through your belongings and remove what is not important or necessary for your new home. By doing so, you will save time and money in moving costs. In addition, eliminating items that are harder to move will help prevent later stress when attempting to squeeze a large piece of furniture through a narrow hallway. Consider hosting a garage sale the weekend before your move to increase your moving budget while reducing your possessions!
5. CAREFULLY PACK YOUR BELONGINGS
In the case that your move requires the truck to travel a long distance, it becomes essential that you have a safe and efficient way to pack your belongings. Factoring in a high-rise move will require some additional steps as well.
Your boxes and items will need to fit in the moving truck, but they will also need to be unloaded at a loading dock, carried through different doorways, loaded onto an elevator, and finally transported from the elevator to your unit. This is a lot of steps for a seemingly simple move!
If possible, stick to medium-to-large cardboard boxes as they are the easiest to stack uniformly on one another. If you run out of packing paper or bubble wrap, you can always use miscellaneous blankets, towels, sheets, or clothing items for some extra padding on fragile items. Don’t forget to carefully label each box on multiple sides so it’s clear where it goes once in your new space.
Regarding furniture, if possible, you’ll want to disassemble large items and assemble them on the other side of the move. Even though it’s more work, it significantly reduces the risk of damage during the process. Tape any drawers shut and ensure that sharp corners are covered so they don’t damage the walls or other items.
6. Make a Pre-Moving Checklist
Do you have enough boxes and bubble wrap? Have you purchased moving tarps and furniture straps? Creating a final to-do list will give peace of mind that you have everything taken care of. As one final measure of readiness, be sure to fill your car the night before your move with crucial but often forgotten items.
7. Learn the Rules and Regulations of Your New Apartment
Like every apartment association, your new high-rise apartment will have its own set of rules. Typically, high-rise apartments have specific regulations regarding move-in and move-out procedures. Whether you are a first-time renter or consider yourself a seasoned professional in the renting world, it’s important to know and comply with your high-rise apartment’s policy and safety regulations before moving in. If you have any pets, be sure that the apartment allows your animal’s breed and that their weight is under the limit. This will help you avoid any problems or fees during your move.
8. Confirm That the Apartment Knows of Your Moving Date
Regarding both the apartment you are moving out of and the new high-rise unit you plan to move into, this is a necessary step. Confirm the moving dates with building management from both apartments, over the phone and by a written note so there is ample documentation noting the event. Doing so will help you avoid penalizations or fines for not adhering to the rules and regulations. Most apartments require this step to prepare for the extra foot traffic and alert other residents of elevator usage, if necessary. This prevents multiple people from moving on the same day, resulting in limited space around elevators and doors.
9. TAKE SAFETY MEASURES
Safety should always be the top priority. Unlike when you’re moving into a house or a small apartment building, high-rise buildings require that you bring your items through many common areas before you reach your personal unit. Pad doorways or other edges that could be damaged in the process.
10. Reserve the Elevator
In high-rise apartments, limited elevator usage and space is one moving disadvantage. When multiple tenants use the elevator on many, you may spend more time waiting at the base of an elevator than moving your items. To prepare ahead of time and prevent any inconvenience reserve the elevator with maintenance. Check with your new apartment’s list of rules and regulations, as this may be a requirement. You may even find that your high-rise apartment has a freight elevator available for use. This can help move larger furniture pieces such as your sofa and bed.
11. Reserve A Parking Space
Though this may not seem all too important, whether you rent a truck or hire a few movers, you will need to call the apartment ahead of time to reserve a parking spot. This will serve not only as a common curtesy for your fellow tenants but will also aid in convenience. With high-rise apartments, available parking is usually slim and must be handled wisely. Additionally, this may be a requirement at your new apartment as it can be a safety hazard to other vehicles and pedestrians. Also, consider that the closer of a parking spot you can reserve, the less time your move will take!
12. Clean the Apartment Before You Move In
Sometimes, previous tenants don’t take care of the apartment before moving out. As a result, some walls, counters, and floors look less than desirable upon your move-in day. Before relocating all your belongings in your high-rise apartment, make sure all surface areas are heavily cleaned prior to moving day. Though some apartment associations will clean in preparation of your arrival, it’s always comforting to make sure everything is fresh.
13. Call the Professionals
Luckily, select moving professionals can work in compliance with high-rise apartment rules and regulations. Hiring a professional moving service to help transition your belongings into your new home can help reduce stress and the time spent moving. At Alliance Moving and Storage, we are dedicated to help you through any part or the entirety of your moving process. From disassembling and packing your belongings to transporting and unpacking them into your new high-rise apartment, our skilled movers can help. Contact us today to receive a free quote on the services you need.
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