For a local move in Toronto, book your mover about two weeks ahead for a standard move, and four to six weeks ahead for a fully managed move with packing, or for any move that needs custom crating. Allow more time for the last days of the month, late summer, long distance moves and larger offices. Condo elevator bookings and crate building are usually what set the real deadline.
The answer changes with the kind of move, so this guide sets out typical lead times, then explains the reasons behind them. If you know why a date is hard to get, you can plan around it.
The short answer
These are typical lead times for each kind of move in Toronto. Individual firms will set their own lead times, but the same pressures apply to all of them.
- Local move with a crew, you pack (Essential). About 2 weeks.
- Local move with disassembly, placement and coordination (Signature). About 2 weeks.
- Fully managed move with packing and a move manager (Reserve). 4 to 6 weeks.
- Long distance within Ontario. 3 to 6 weeks.
- Toronto to Montreal. 3 to 6 weeks.
- Office, 20 workstations or fewer. 2 to 3 weeks minimum.
- Office, larger or multi-floor. 4 to 6 weeks.
Treat these as minimums. If your date falls at the end of a month or in late summer, add time.
Why the end of the month fills first
Many moves in Toronto cluster around the last few days of each month, and there is a simple legal reason. In Ontario, a tenant on a monthly tenancy must give at least 60 days’ notice, and the termination date has to be the last day of a rental month. A tenant on a fixed-term lease must give notice at least 60 days before the end of the lease (Landlord and Tenant Board).
So many leases end on the same days. Movers, service elevators and loading docks across the city are busiest at the same time.
If your date is flexible, a weekday in the middle of the month is the easiest time to book. If it is not, book early and say so when you call.
Why late summer is the busiest season
Summer brings school holidays, longer days, and families who want to be settled before September. Students move in and out at the same time. The weeks from late July to Labour Day are often hard to book, especially the end of August.
If you are planning a summer move, book as soon as you have a firm date. If your dates are set by a closing, ask your lawyer or agent whether there is any room to move them away from the last weekend of the month.
The elevator often books before the mover
In a condo, the service elevator is usually the scarcest thing on moving day. One Toronto building’s rules give a sense of what to expect: moves use the service elevator, booked in advance with management, for no more than four hours, and no moves are allowed on Sundays or statutory holidays (TSCC 1536).
That means two things for timing.
- Book the elevator as soon as you have a date. At month-end, the slots go quickly, and you need a window at both buildings if you are moving condo to condo.
- Book the mover around the elevator, not the other way round. A crew can work on many days. A building may offer only one or two windows that suit you.
The building will also want paperwork before it confirms a booking, usually a signed form, a damage deposit and the mover’s certificate of insurance. Leave a few days for this. We cover the rest in our guide to moving into a Toronto condo.
Crating takes time to build
A custom crate is built to fit one piece: a painting, a marble top, a sculpture, a large mirror. It is measured, built, and sometimes fitted with foam or internal supports shaped to the object. That work happens in the days before the move, not on the day.
This is the main reason a move that includes custom crating needs four to six weeks. Yugo builds custom crates with its in-house crate makers and its millwork partners. Custom crating is available on request, at an additional cost, and each crate has to be scheduled. If you have several works or pieces that need crating, mention them in your first call so they can be measured early.
The same applies to anything else that needs a specialist: a grand piano, a safe, a chandelier that must come down before the room is cleared.
Long weekends and holidays
Statutory holidays narrow the calendar further. Some condo buildings do not allow moves on Sundays or holidays at all, so a long weekend at the end of a month can leave only one or two usable days. Canada Day, on July 1, falls the day after a month-end in the middle of summer. If your lease or closing lands near a holiday, check both buildings’ rules before you set a date, and book earlier than you otherwise would.
Why long distance needs more notice
For a long distance move within Ontario, or between Toronto and Montreal, book three to six weeks ahead. That is the lead time we work to at Yugo, whether the move is to a cottage or to Montreal.
The reason is not the drive. A long distance move ties up a truck and a crew for one or more days, and if the same crew is to load and deliver, as it should be, their calendar has to clear for the whole trip. There may also be overnight stops, building bookings at the far end, and weather to plan for. We look at these in Moving long distance from Toronto.
Why offices need longer than you think
An office move depends on people outside the moving company: building management at both sites, the IT team, furniture installers, security. Each of them needs to be booked, and some buildings only allow moves in the evening or at weekends.
For 20 workstations or fewer, allow two to three weeks at the very least. For larger or multi-floor relocations, allow four to six. The move itself may take a weekend, but the planning takes much longer.
If you have less time
Short notice does not always mean no. Mid-month and mid-week dates often have room even at a few days’ notice, especially for a smaller move.
To give yourself the best chance:
- Be flexible on the day, even by one day.
- Have your elevator booking confirmed, or know which windows the building has free.
- Send a clear list of what is moving, with photographs of the larger pieces.
- Do as much of the packing yourself as you can.
- Ask what can be done in stages, such as moving the large furniture first and the boxes later.
What short notice rarely allows is crating, a full packing service or a multi-day move. Those need time to plan.
What to have ready when you call
A mover can confirm a date faster if you can answer a few questions:
- Both addresses, and whether each is a house, a condo or an office.
- Your preferred date and any alternatives.
- A rough idea of what is moving, room by room.
- Any pieces that need special care: art, antiques, stone, pianos, safes.
- How much packing and unpacking you would like done for you.
- What you know about each building’s rules and elevator windows.
From there, the next step is an assessment, in person or by video, followed by a written quotation at a fixed price.
When your date is not yet firm
Many people wait to call a mover until their closing or lease date is certain. It is better to call sooner. A good firm can start the assessment and plan the crating while the paperwork is finalized. The date itself is secured only once the deposit is paid. When the date is confirmed, the move is already planned.
For the weeks that follow, our eight-week moving plan sets out what to do and when.
If you have a date in mind, begin an enquiry and we will tell you what is available and what the move will need.
Sources
How a Tenant Can End Their Tenancy, Landlord and Tenant Board, Tribunals Ontario
Toronto Standard Condominium Corporation No. 1536 Rules, Rule 14: Elevators and Moving
