Best Apartment Moving Companies (2023)

There are many professional moving companies out there, but not all of them are going to be the best choice for small apartment moves.

The This Old House Reviews Team has researched and analyzed the moving industry to find the best moving companies in the United States. This guide will help you determine the best moving companies for apartments based on each provider’s services, prices, perks, and downsides.

Here are our picks for the best apartment movers:

• International Van Lines: Best Overall Full-Service Mover
• American Van Lines: Most Experienced Moving Labor
• JK Moving: Most Customizable Full-Service Mover
• Allied Van Lines: Best for Vehicle Relocation
• North American Van Lines: Best for Claims
• 1-800-PACK-RAT: Best Overall Self-Service Mover
• PODS: Most Convenient

International Van Lines: Best Overall Full-Service Mover

International Van Lines (IVL) started in 2000 as an international moving logistics company, but the company has been assisting with domestic apartment moves since 2003. IVL helps with long-distance, international, local and interstate moves for apartment renters and owners.
The company acts as both a carrier and a broker, so it can supply full-service options like packing and loading all across the country. International Van Lines helps with moves in all 50 states and 180 countries.

Pros & Cons

✔ Provides multiple contents protection plans
✔ Offers specialty services for moving pianos, antiques, recreational equipment, and artwork
✔ Provides helpful information and transparent pricing for local moves online
✘ Customer reviews vary based on location
✘ No online sample prices

Cost

International Van Lines gave us a quote to move a three-bedroom apartment from Philadelphia to Atlanta for a total of $4,200–$6,150. This ballpark quote, which is a rough estimate, includes loading services and transportation. To learn how much moving your apartment with IVL might cost, complete this easy-to-use form.

Learn More: International Van Lines Review

American Van Lines: Most Experienced Moving Labor

American Van Lines (AVL) offers a comprehensive selection of full-service options for apartment moves. We recommend the company for apartment owners with demanding tasks, such as moving difficult exercise equipment or fine artwork, as part of their move. AVL is solely a moving carrier, so you receive all services from its full-time, background-checked employees. Each AVL mover holds an average of 10 years of moving experience and the company trains its movers annually in specialty services for moving items like pianos, antiques, recreational equipment, and artwork. AVL operates in 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

Pros & Cons

✔ Each AVL mover holds an average of 10 years of moving experience
✔ Offers a price-matching policy
✔ Listed on Newsweek’s Best Customer Service Awards for 2021
✘ The up-front deposit can range from 10%–50% of your total cost
✘ No online quotes are available

Cost

American Van Lines provides binding estimates, which are flat rates that do not drastically change over time, after conducting either an in-home or virtual survey. The company’s moving cost page estimates that moving a two-bedroom apartment (or 6,000 pounds) from Greensboro, NC, to Atlanta, GA would cost around $3,190. To begin the quote process with American Van Lines, complete this easy-to-use form.

Learn More: American Van Lines Review

JK Moving Services: Most Customizable Full-Service Mover

JK Moving Services is a full-service moving company based out of Sterling, Virginia. The company has focused on reputable customer service since 1982, and that focus shines through in its custom moving packages. JK Moving assigns each customer a personal moving coordinator who takes information about your moving needs and budget to tailor a moving package just for you.

JK Moving is available for local apartment moves only in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The company helps move apartments long-distance in all 50 states.

Pros & Cons

✔ Includes GPS tracking on all shipments
✔ Provides financing options through Enhancify
✔ Features 24/7 customer support
✘ Local moves are available only in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
✘ No online pricing

Cost

We received a ballpark quote from JK Moving for a two-bedroom home (or 10,400 pounds) moving from Atlanta to Chicago for $7,521. Services in this estimate include furniture disassembly, wrapping and padding, loading, unloading, and a full value protection plan.

For customers, JK Moving primarily offers only binding estimates. To begin the quote process and get your binding custom estimate with JK Moving, complete this brief questionnaire.

Learn More: JK Moving Services Review

Allied Van Lines: Best for Vehicle Relocation

We recently surveyed 1,000 consumers who had moved within the last five years and found that 47% of them required a vehicle to be shipped in addition to their move. If you also need to ship your car from your apartment to your new home, we suggest Allied Van Lines.

Allied Van Lines is a moving carrier and broker that offers many of its services in-house. Notably, it offers vehicle relocation services using its own trucks and employees. Many movers outsource this service, but Allied provides direct contact with the mover in charge of your shipment and includes GPS tracking.

The company helps with local and long-distance moves in all 50 states and operates in 130 countries.

Pros & Cons

✔ Offers apartment-friendly services, such as its Allied Express moving container service
✔ Offers vehicle shipping services with its own trucks and employees
✔ Partners with the Salvation Army to help donate unwanted items
✘ Customer reviews mention a difficult claims process
✘ Storage options vary according to location

Cost

We obtained a ballpark quote from Allied to move a three-bedroom apartment from Philadelphia to Atlanta with an average number of belongings for ​​$6,642–$7,314. The company also provides binding estimates. These estimates provide a more accurate price that does not drastically change unless your inventory does.

To obtain a binding estimate, you must conduct an in-home or virtual survey with Allied. To begin the quote process with Allied Van Lines, complete this short survey.

Learn more: Allied Van Lines Review

North American Van Lines: Best for Claims

North American Van Lines (NAVL) is a great option if you have expensive items you want to insure during transit. NAVL offers custom full-value release plans, which provide coverage for the actual value of certain items rather than a predetermined amount based on weight.

In the rare case that something goes wrong during your move, NAVL provides separate customer support lines for filing claims and detailed, accessible claims forms on its website. NAVL is both a moving carrier and broker that provides its services in all 50 states. It is also available in 130 countries.

Pros & Cons

✔ Provides binding estimates through virtual surveys
✔ Offers GPS tracking on all shipments
✔ Offers a detailed and transparent claims process for contents protection
✘ Storage options may be limited based on location
✘ Available agents may be limited based on your location

Cost

We obtained a ballpark quote from NAVL to move a three-bedroom apartment from Philadelphia to Atlanta for a total of $4,666–$5,529. The company also offers binding estimates through in-home and virtual surveys. With a binding estimate, it’s important to be as detailed and forthright about your belongings as possible. This will allow you to receive a more accurate price that does not drastically change despite unforeseen circumstances that may cause your move to take longer than anticipated.

To schedule an in-home or virtual survey with NAVL, fill out this online survey.

Learn More: North American Van Lines Review

1-800-PACK-RAT: Best Overall Self-Service Mover

1-800-PACK-RAT is a great option for an apartment move if you don’t mind a DIY approach and want to save money. The company is our top pick for a self-service, portable storage container service. You can use PACK-RAT as an on-site storage service to keep the clutter out of your apartment during the transition, and its containers can fit within a parking space.

Though PACK-RAT functions mainly as a DIY moving service, it has a partnership with HireAHelper to provide assistance with loading and packing services. 1-800-PACK-RAT features physical branches in 30 states and Washington, D.C. Its website states that it easily helps with moves within 50 to 100 miles of these locations and that it may be able to help with moves outside of these service areas.

Pros & Cons

✔ Offers frequent discounts on its website
✔ Provides moving labor via HireAHelper
✔ Offers three sizes of its weatherproof and easily accessible containers
✘ Scheduling must be completed via phone
✘ Features physical locations in only 30 states and Washington, D.C.

Cost

We simulated the quote process with 1-800-PACK-RAT to move two 16-foot containers from Philadelphia to Atlanta and were told the move would cost a total of $5,185. This quote includes all transportation, 30 days of rental, up to $10,000 in contents protection, and a no-cut security lock. To see what rates you might get with PACK-RAT, complete this brief form.

Learn more: 1-800-PACK-RAT Review

PODS Moving & Storage: Most Convenient

PODS is a portable storage container company that supplies sturdy, weatherproof containers that can fit into a single parking space, but you will most likely need two parking spaces available for the container to be maneuvered into place.

PODS has more than 230 storage centers in 46 states with useful features like climate-controlled units, making it more convenient for many apartment movers. PODS does not have a physical location in Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, or Wyoming.

Pros & Cons

✔ Offers third-party moving labor for assistance with antiques
✔ Provides a regularly updated moving blog that covers information for apartment moves
✔ Portable containers are easily accessible, weatherproof, sturdy, and fit easily in a parking space
✘ Customer reviews vary by location
✘ Availability may be limited on short notice

Cost

We simulated the quote process with PODS to receive a quote on two 16-foot containers being shipped from Philadelphia to Atlanta for a total of $5,329.

With PODS’ pay-as-you-go model, our quote was broken down into:

• $876 for the initial delivery, 30 days of rental, and $10,000 in contents protection;
• $4,175 for transportation to a storage center near Atlanta; and
• $278 for the redelivery and final pick-up

Learn More: PODS Review

Apartment moving is slightly different than moves involving single-family homes. We have listed some of the major factors and steps to keep in mind for your apartment move below.

Contact Your Landlords

If you are moving from apartment to apartment, be sure to keep in contact with both landlords. You will most likely need to give a 30-day notice to your current landlord to avoid any additional fees, and the landlord will most likely want to conduct a final walkthrough with you.

Your new landlord will most likely have paperwork for you to complete before moving in, and they can also help you get utilities set up for your new apartment.

Get Renters Insurance

Renters insurance is a requirement for many apartment complexes. Check with your new landlord to see if they have a partnership with any renters insurance companies. If not, conduct some research online to see what the top providers are in your area. You can get started by looking into our top picks for renters insurance.

Consider Access Points

Think about how movers will get into and out of your apartment. Are there stairs involved? Is there a large elevator available for use? How far away will the mover have to park? All of these factors will influence your overall cost with a professional mover. For example, many movers include a long-carry fee with their cost if they have to park the moving truck more than 75 feet from the entrance of your home.

Think About Storage Options

Depending on the size of your apartment, it might get cramped with boxes and unorganized furniture. You might want to consider storage options in the area, especially if you are downsizing apartments.

Both 1-800-PACK-RAT and PODS act as on-site storage options if your apartment complex is able to accommodate them. However, you might also want to research other storage companies in the area.

Best Moving Insurance for Apartments

Lemonade provides renters insurance that can protect all of your valuable items during a move. Get your quote today by using the button below

Lemonade will only cover your stuff while you’re moving if you’re moving independently (i.e. packing your stuff and transporting it yourself, not hiring a moving company). If you hire a moving company, though, you’ll need third-party insurance. More info here.

Our Rating Methodology

The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our moving company ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each company. We conduct research by reading through the company websites, analyzing customer reviews, conducting consumer surveys, requesting quotes, and speaking with customer representatives. We then score each moving company against our review standards for services, contents coverage, scheduling, trailer and container options, additional benefits, and reputation to arrive at a final score out of 100.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.