The quick answer
If you have a choice, move on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday between about the 10th and the 20th of the month, sometime from October to April, with an 8am start. You’ll get your pick of dates, easier elevator bookings and lighter traffic. If you don’t have a choice, which is most people in New York, book early and plan around the busy days below.
Why the end of the month is so busy
Most New York leases start on the 1st of the month, so a huge share of the city moves in the last few days of one month and the first few of the next. Old leases end on the last day and new ones begin on the 1st. Service elevators get double-booked, moving trucks book up, and every block seems to have a box truck on it.
If your new lease starts on the 1st, ask your new landlord whether you can get the keys a day or two early, or ask your current landlord whether you can stay through the 2nd or 3rd. Even 48 hours of overlap can let you move mid-week instead of on the busiest Saturday of the month.
Summer is peak season
June through September is the busiest stretch of the year. Students arrive and leave, families move between school years and the rental market is at its most active. Late August and the days around September 1 are usually the single busiest period we see.
What a summer move needs
- Book 3 to 4 weeks ahead for end-of-month dates, and 1 to 2 weeks for mid-month
- Book the service elevator at both buildings the moment you have a date
- Start early: by mid-afternoon in July, a 4th-floor walk-up is hot work and everyone slows down
- Keep the air conditioning or fans running in both apartments, and have water ready
Get an exact written quote, usually back within minutes.
Weekdays beat weekends
Saturdays fill first, all year round. Many co-op and condo buildings also don’t allow moves on weekends at all, so you may not have the choice anyway. Weekdays have more open dates, but they bring traffic: a truck crossing Midtown at 5pm will crawl, so we plan start times and routes to stay out of the worst of it.
Winter: easier to book, harder outside
January and February are the quietest months. You’ll have more dates to choose from and an easier time getting the elevator you want. Our rate stays at $165 an hour for 2 movers and a truck all year, but quieter streets and shorter elevator waits often mean fewer hours on the bill.
The catch is weather. Snow piled at the curb makes parking harder, and icy stoops slow everything down. We bring floor runners and salt for the steps, and if a storm makes the day unsafe, we’ll talk to you early about moving the date.
Times we’d avoid
- The last Saturday of the month in summer
- The days around September 1
- Holiday weekends, when some buildings close their service elevators
- Marathon Sunday in early November, when bridges and major avenues across the city close for the race
- A Friday afternoon before a long weekend, when traffic out of the city builds early
When the timing is out of your hands
Closings slip, leases don’t line up, and sometimes you have to be out on the 31st with nowhere to go until the 5th. That’s what short-term storage is for: we load your apartment, keep everything safe and deliver it when your new place is ready. If you’re a student working around a semester, our student moves are set up for small loads and odd dates. Moving within Brooklyn? Our Brooklyn movers page has typical timings by neighborhood.
