The short answer
Three things make or break an apartment move: reserve the elevator the day you give notice, send your mover the COI requirements the same week, and confirm where the truck can legally stage. Everything else is ordinary packing on an eight-week clock.
The week you give notice (or sign the new lease)
- Ask both leasing offices for their move-out/move-in rules in writing
- Reserve the elevator at both buildings — earliest window offered, both directions
- Send your mover the COI requirements (ours are free, back within one business day)
- Book the mover: weekday mornings are the cheapest, calmest slots
- Start a photo record of the empty-apartment condition you'll want repeated at walkthrough
Two weeks out
- Confirm truck staging with the leasing office: loading dock, curb, or garage — and the height limit
- Set up utility transfers so service overlaps a day on each side of the move
- File your USPS change of address and update parking permits
- Pack everything you won't touch again; label by room, lids closed
- Arrange gate/fob access for move day if either community is gated
Move week
- Reconfirm the elevator windows and the crew arrival time
- Stage boxes in one zone near the door; keep hallways clear (buildings notice)
- Pull aside the ride-with-you bag: documents, chargers, medications, keys, lease paperwork
- Defrost the fridge 24 hours ahead if it's coming
- Photograph the empty unit after load-out, before you return keys
If your building is professionally managed
Greystar and Irvine Company communities have their own move-in rhythm — and since we're an approved vendor with both, most of their leasing offices already know our paperwork. If you're moving into one of the communities we've written building guides for, the guide covers that building's parking, elevator, and staging details.
Quick answers
How far ahead should I reserve the elevator?
The day you give notice. Elevator calendars fill in end-of-month waves, and a missed window is the single most common cause of a rescheduled apartment move.
What if my building requires a COI and I booked movers yesterday?
Send us the requirements immediately — COIs are free and usually same-day to one business day, even on rush moves.
Do I need the elevator reserved on both ends?
Yes, if both buildings have one. Buildings require pads and a window in each direction; we coordinate the timing so the crew isn't waiting at either end.