4 Best Apartment Movers of 2024

When it comes to apartment moves, accolades for efficiency and distances traversed don’t matter. At least, not as much as a familiarity with rental regulations and the ability to pack and shift furniture pieces within the confines of apartment space. Read our pick of 4 of the best apartment movers in the US, each that are well-equipped and experienced in apartment moves.

Top 4 Apartment Moving Companies in the U.S.

Moving Company	Two Men and a Truck	PODS	College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving	Atlas Van Lines
Logo
DoT Number	N/A (Franchise)	N/A (Franchise)	N/A (Franchise)	125550
MC Number	N/A (Franchise)	N/A (Franchise)	N/A (Franchise)	79658
Pros	Good Customer Reviews Community Service Programs	Sturdy and Easy-to-Use Containers Available in 20,000+ Cities in 44 States	Hourly Pricing Charity Involvement Flexible Scheduling	AAA Discounts Atlas® Customer Portal for Shipment Tracking
Cons	Franchise Model means No Online Price Guesstimates No Easy Quote Process	No Online Quote Higher Rates in Peak Season	No Online Quote Limited Interstate Moves	Reviews Vary By Location
Phone	877-720-0411	855-706-4758	833-626-1326	800-638-9797

1. Two Men and a Truck

The name ‘TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’ echoes the company’s inception, when brothers Brig and Jon Sorber started moving people locally with an old pickup truck in the 1980s. 40 years later, the company is one of the fastest-growing franchised moving companies in America, with over 300 locations in the US itself. They also have locations in Canada. Each franchise has its own DOT license and MC number, easily found on the DOT website.

The company offers boxes and supplies, junk removal, storage options and a range of packing services for moves that are local and long distance in America. With a 96 percent customer referral rate across their system, and trained, background checked staff, they take a spot on our list of best apartment movers.

Reasons To Choose Two Men and a Truck:

Reassurance: Everything about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is reassuring, from their matter-of-fact tone that aims to inform rather than convince, to their referral rates. Their staff are not just background checked and drug tested, but are all trained on how to properly pack and load furniture and other items. All your items will be careful pad wrapped and lifted to the truck to ensure nothing sustains any damage. You yourself will be treated well and respectfully; after all, all employees follow THE GRANDMA RULE® – to treat everyone the way you would want your Grandma to be treated.

Plus, they also offer quality packing supplies that go way beyond standard sized boxes, and their full-service crew ensures that everything in your apartment is packed up and loaded, leaving you free to handle everything else or simply watch as it gets done for you. Lastly, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recommended “Ready to Move?” brochure and the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet are both right there on their website. The good vibes go a long way with these guys.

Local Move Experts: TWO MEN AND A TRUCK started as a local moving company and then expanded, and the nitty-gritties of local moves are something the company is familiar with. It is a franchise with over 300 locations across the country, and their local staff are quite familiar with the lay of the land, which helps them help you even more. Moving a rental? TWO MEN’s professional moving teams are well-versed with the rules and regulations of rental properties. Doors and walls will be pad wrapped, and elevators will be protected during the move to ensure you get your full security deposit back. Their expertise and knowledge in apartment moves is one of the top reasons they’re on our list of the best apartment movers in the US.

Apartment moving relocation tips: Ensure you read your lease and notify the landlord, as some have notice periods of 30 or 60 days prior to the move. Get permissions for elevator use and parking a truck or storage unit for a few hours. If you have parking restrictions, contact a moving company that has shuttle services. Stop all services and utilities, and transfer those that have the option. Make sure all your bills are paid, and take photos of your apartment before moving out as evidence against any damages that will be created after you leave.

2. PODS

A big player in the moving container industry, Portable On Demand Storage (a.k.a. PODS) is the perfect middle-ground between a full-service move and a DIY haul.

PODS provides local and long distance moving service in the US, alongside packing and loading assistance, moving supplies and vehicle transport. They always transport your POD storage so you don’t have to worry about that. PODS stands out in that you control the schedule of your move, loading and unloading at your own pace. With portable storage units the right size for an apartment, they make an interesting yet completely justified entry to our list of best apartment movers.

Reasons To Choose PODS:

One Answer To Multiple Scenarios: PODS works in an interesting way. For one, they will deliver the POD storage container to you, and you can either load it yourself or opt for loading assistance. The time you take to load it is all on you, as you can load it all over a day or two or over months; the POD will remain on location till then (provided you have the permission/freedom to keep it on site). If you’re running out of time on your apartment lease but haven’t yet finalized a new home, you can load a POD and store it at one of their indoor facilities while you get your act together. Or, simply have it delivered to your new home, where you can unload it. There’s no moving trucks, but PODS always takes care of transporting the PODS, giving you flexibility and freedom. It works great for all sorts of scenarios.

Size And Price Options: Unlike several other container companies, PODS has three different container sizes, each priced differently. Their biggest, a 16-foot container, is around the size of a standard parking lot and costs the most. All three container sizes are steel-framed and weather resistant, with easy-to-use roll-up doors to be as user friendly as possible.

7-Foot Container	12-Foot Container	16-Foot Container
500 sq.ft. or less/Studio apt/Dorm room	500-800 sq. ft. space	Up to 1,200 sq. ft. of space
Preferred by college students	2 to 3 room apartments/houses	3 to 4 room apartments
Comparable to a 5’x10′ storage unit or 10′ truck	Comparable to a 10’x10′ storage unit or 15′ truck	Comparable to a 10’x15′ storage unit or a 20′ truck

This provides a fair option to those who need to move but don’t want to spend for an unusually oversized container. Plus, PODS handles local as well as long distance moves. The only exception is that the 12-foot container is only available for local moves. But both the 7-foot and the 16-foot can be hauled across the country if you need it.

Good To Know: PODS gives you a full refund when you cancel up to 24 hours before your first container delivery, making last minute changes hassle-free as you save up your money.

3. College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving

Honest. Uniformed. Nice. Knowledgeable. Service. That is actually the full form of H.U.N.K.S., and it certainly seems like the company lives up to it. It started off with two friends and an old cargo truck, who called themselves the college hunks. In 2005, College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving® was born, and it shifted to franchising in 2007.

Today, they are the only full-service residential and commercial service company to offer moving, junk removal, donation pickups and labor services in America and Canada. They have services for local and long distance moves, packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, labor services, storage, moving supplies and of course, junk removal and recycling.

Reasons To Choose College H.U.N.K.S Hauling Junk and Moving:

One-Stop Shop: Sure, the catchy name of the company mentions ‘hauling junk’ and that’s where they started from. Nonetheless, College HUNKS has everything the big moving companies have, and more. For one, moving supplies, furniture disassembly/reassembly and loading/unloading are all inclusive of your basic cost. They have packing add-ons in the form of full service packing, partial packing or one-item packing for fragile items. If you’re looking for some help to haul your furniture into a truck for your DIY apartment move, make use of their labor services. Finally, once the move is done, they can clear up all the junk you no longer need and donate or recycle it. These hunks (yes, that’s what their employees are called) aren’t just all-brawn-no-brain, as they go above and beyond most moving companies with their range of services.

Hourly Rate: Being charged by the hour works great for small moves like apartment moves, as you can see the work unfold before you and get charged by how long the Hunks take. This is as opposed to a binding estimate, which is costlier, since it takes into account the maximum possible time (plus delays) that it would take to do the job, alongside other factors like distance, mileage etc. The company won’t charge you specific fees for any add-on services, instead you just pay by the hour. This would seem sketchy if there were agents involved; thankfully since they’re a franchise, you will interact and coordinate with the hunks at all points of time. Lastly, all hunks work on a pay-by-performance basis, encouraging quick and efficient work. You get what you pay for, alongside some extra care courtesy of the hunks.

Fun Fact: College HUNKS Hauling Junk featured on the very first episode of hit show Shark Tank. Co-founders Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman refused a deal from the Sharks, instead choosing to handle things their own way. With so much success to back them, we can clearly see how that decision panned out!

Must Read: College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving Review

4. Atlas Van Lines

In 1948, 33 entrepreneurs got together to form the beginning of Atlas Van Lines, agreeing to help each other’s business growth through exemplary customer service. They envisioned a cooperative, stretching across the United States, owned by them. Their vision came to fruition, and how! Today, Atlas Van Lines has over 430 independent Atlas Agencies across the U.S. and Canada, and serves 140 countries through trusted partners.

Atlas Van Lines provides a range of services for moves including local, long distance, military, government and corporate, with a special area of focus on small moves. They also provide storage services, packing services, packing for specialized items, auto transport and moving supplies.

Reasons To Choose Atlas Van Lines:

Assurance: Atlas Van Lines is a reliable company, and they go all the way to ensure their clients know it. Due to their massive reach, Atlas works with agents. But these aren’t just any agents; all Atlas Agents are required to go through and pass a stringent certification process comprising 12 critical customer areas. Additionally, extensive background checks ensures that the people entering your homes are reliable. An intensive course from the Atlas Academy ensures the agents are rigorously trained and qualified to do their jobs.

Every single local Atlas Agent location is ProMover certified, the highest designation from the American Moving & Storage Association. Finally, in order to ensure that their clients know exactly where their money goes, Atlas published their ATVL 1000, a table of fixed charges that is their system of pricing. It’s no surprise that they have an A+ ranking from the Better Business Bureau.

Specializing In Small Moves: Apartment moves require different attention to detail than long distance or bigger moves do. Atlas specializes in small moves with their program called SimpliCity, which is in their words, “designed for your convenience”. For one, you move in days and not weeks, choosing the days when moving crews arrive at your current house and your new house, with Atlas working around your schedule.

You receive a flat price that is inclusive of transportation, equipment, materials and free debris removal at the time of delivery. There’s no surprise add-on charges, and you get all of this with the assurance of Atlas Agents performing your move. A big, nation-wide company making special programs for even the smallest moves is a green flag to us, making Atlas Van Lines one of the best apartment movers in the US.

Also Read: Atlas Van Lines Review

Are small-move moving services worth the hype? Yes, the hype around moving services catering to smaller moves is deserved. A familiarity with apartment moves is important as apartment moves involve smaller, restricted spaces and not all movers will have the experience to maneuver your furniture around the space they have.

How Do I Find The Best Movers?

Finding the best movers for your move begins with thorough research, and preferably referrals from family and friends. Look up each of them on the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) website to make sure they have official licenses. Once you’ve narrowed down on 3 to 4 movers you like, contact each of them for an in-house quote. Any movers that refuse to do in-house quotes or seem sketchy about the nature of your quote shouldn’t be considered.

See also: Best Local Moving Companies

Is It Worth It To Hire A Moving Company?

Many people are under the assumption that choosing a Do-It-Yourself move is a sure way to save money when moving homes. But there are several hidden costs that will crop up, adding stress to your already-stressed life, as you try to efficiently pack up everything you have. Securing moving supplies can be troublesome if you don’t have one or two reliable sources. Unless you’re Superman, you’ll definitely be spending on moving labor to help you shift your furniture. And the danger of causing damage to your home, your furniture and even yourself is even higher due to your inexperience. In some cases, provided there are enough resources to pitch in, DIY may be a better option. But in most cases, you’re better off hiring a moving company to help you out.

How much do movers cost for an apartment?

Moving expenses depend on many factors. The time of the year you’re looking to move plays a significant role in costs – prices are higher during peak travel periods like summer months or during certain holidays. The distance of your move also affects the price – long-distance moves will be more expensive than local moves since they require more personnel and equipment for packing and transport. Lastly, how much stuff you have affects the cost too – the more furniture and appliances you need to be moved or any other heavy loads that require close supervision.

How much does it cost to move a one-bedroom apartment?

Professional movers will charge by the hour and cost anywhere from $400-$1600. For longer moves, those same professionals will charge anywhere from $2,00 to $6,000!

How long does it take movers to move a one-bedroom apartment?

Depending on the size, the average time it takes movers to move an apartment is about 3-5 hours.

How many moving boxes do I need for a one-bedroom apartment?

When moving into a new house or apartment, it’s crucial to know how many boxes you will need. Following is our recommendation for the number of boxes based on size of the house:

One Bedroom House: 15 medium boxes and 10 Large Boxes.
Two Bedroom House: 25 Medium Boxes and 10 Large Boxes.
Three Bedrooms and More: 40 Medium Boxes and 20 Large Boxes.

How many pounds is a two-bedroom apartment?

The typical weight of a two-bedroom home (or apartment) is around 5,000 pounds or more. Since Pianos and antiques might add a significant amount of weight to the total weight of the house, any specialties such as these should be handled with care and with the aid of a specially trained staff, which would usually mean additional cost.

Conclusion

Even though we’ve listed out these 4 movers, each of these companies have a significant stronghold in the moving industry and understandably so. If you want to widen your pool of options, you can always do your own research and look for local movers too. Just make sure you get the best possible movers who are licensed and legitimate. At the same time, be sure to compare them with each of these 4 movers to understand which moving company can handle your needs best.

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