The Best Movers for Small Apartments

Moving to a small apartment seems like a straightforward scenario. Just call the best apartment movers, pay a fee, and call it a day!

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. While a small apartment doesn’t have much space and belongings, you can still find yourself coming up short when contacting professional moving services. Some moving crews have minimum weight requirements or struggle to move specialized items.

The best apartment movers should provide you with a good price and varied resources to help you tackle your journey. We’re going to break down small moving companies, shipping tools, and general tips so you can save money!

If you’re in the early stages of the moving process, take a moment to check out these free resources before reading on –

• Best Interstate Movers – There’s no better way to protect your family and finances than by hiring top-rated long-distance movers with verified customer reviews
• Moving Cost Calculator – Talk about a great budgeting tool. Just enter your move dates, origin and destination cities, and the estimated size of your move, and the magic algorithms will do the rest.
• Best Moving Container Companies – Want to save money and let professionals handle the driving? If so, moving containers are great options.

You Don’t Always Need Full-Service Movers to Move a Small Space

You may be tempted to call a full-service mover for your small apartment. It’s easier, right? Just have a group of professional movers round up all your belongings and move them in one fell swoop.

Sadly, the requirements of the average full-service moving company make this a difficult feat. Many moving services today have minimum weight requirements before they commit to a job. While you’ll have to contact each service individually to find out their minimum, expect most moving services to request at least 3,000 pounds.

This rule was designed to ensure they receive proper compensation in line with their services (which include expensive details like transportation). However, if you’re extremely busy or physically compromised, a full-service mover is still a major help.

What is the Cheapest Way to Move an Apartment?

Remember that moving is not a one-size-fits-all equation! While you may find one option to be too expensive or time-consuming, another person may think it’s perfect.

If you’re strictly focused on saving money, a cheap way to move your apartment is:

Rent a Truck

Renting a moving truck is straightforward, effective, and gives you a ton of flexibility. Renting a truck is as simple as packing it full of your belongings and driving to your new home.

Where the difficulty comes into play is choosing the right size for your needs and budgeting for gas. Rental trucks charge by the distance you drive, as well as general factors such as moving industry demand and company specifications. Most small apartments can fit into the following truck sizes:

• 10 ft
• 16 ft
• 22 ft

Ship Your Belongings

If you don’t have much furniture and want some flexibility between point A and point B, consider shipping your belongings. 

This is a solid choice for busy movers who have a lot of responsibilities to juggle and who don’t want to ‘babysit’ their items. Shipping containers come in a wealth of sizes that easily accommodate small apartments. They’re extremely durable and insulated, to boot.

The sizes you’ll be looking for include:

• 10 ft
• 20 ft
• 40 ft

Shipping containers also double as storage units, though make sure to double-check how long you can store your items. Using containers as storage space is a great way to buy yourself some time if you have a gap between moving out and moving in.

Hire a Freight Carrier

This option hovers between the moving truck and the shipping container. A freight carrier service won’t load or pack your belongings, but they will transport them as far as you need.

Freight carriers are useful for people who don’t drive and/or have too many belongings for a moving truck. Just make sure you carefully measure out your items. Freight carriers charge by each cubic foot, so you’ll only have to pay for what you’re using. Not bad, right?

Keep in mind freight carriers don’t provide packing supplies or weekend delivery, so this option is best for movers who don’t need a lot of flexibility.

Calculating your moving costs ahead of time will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

What is the Easiest Way to Move an Apartment?

The easiest way to move an apartment depends on your budget, your timeline, and surrounding details like your family. 

If you have a busy schedule and don’t have time to watch over your belongings, consider shipping your items in a shipping container. If you have extra time on your hands and worry about damaging fragile items in transport, you should rent a moving truck.

We’ll look at some of the best apartment moving services below so you can expand your options:

What are the Best Apartment Moving Services?

MiniMoves

This business name immediately inspires confidence. MiniMoves helps people move their studio or small one-bedroom apartment as quickly as possible.

This service is well-rounded and will help you pick up your belongings, transport them, and deliver them straight to your door. They also provide the physical labor of loading boxes or packing items. Due to their philosophy of helping small movers, you don’t have to worry about minimum shipment sizes.

How do you get started? Contact them to request a free moving quote and start from there. Nice and easy!

ShipSmart

This is another highly flexible moving option if you have a small apartment. ShipSmart is keen on providing movers with the ability to schedule their move around other life obligations.

Do you need curbside drop-off? Just tell ShipSmart, and they’ll deliver your belongings on a scheduled day. Are you too busy packing and unpacking? They provide these services with an additional fee.

Stress-free small moves are the philosophy of ShipSmart. They’re all too happy to ship fragile items like antiques, too, which is a real relief considering some moving companies prefer not to handle such items. It pays to have a pro do the heavy lifting when you have kids to watch and work to do.

For a free quote, call ShipSmart at (866) 333-8018, and don’t forget to mention moveBuddha to get a 10% discount.

uShip

Do you wonder just how affordable your options are? uShip is an online shipping marketplace that connects movers with qualified vendors.

The upside to this service is the potential to save money: you can bid on any number of services for a price that matches your budget. The downside? This marketplace is highly competitive and can potentially cause choice fatigue with the sheer volume of display options.

U-Pack

With a similar-sounding name, it’s easy to get U-Pack and uShip confused. Whereas uShip is an online marketplace, U-Pack provides shipping container rentals. 

This handy service provides a ‘pay as you go’ model to ship your items and track them like a package. You can also store your belongings if you need a little time to set up your new place.

ZippyShell

Think a shipping container might be the move? ZippyShell provides extra options so you can get the greatest possible value.

This is the go-to service for remote workers switching locations, students heading to college, and singles without children. Alongside providing shipping containers to pack your furniture and knick-knacks, you can also request services such as:

• Loading
• Unloading
• More specific insurance options

Here’s a detailed breakdown of Zippy Shell’s services and pricing.

Apartment Mover FAQs

Don’t move just yet! We have some frequently asked questions to help you narrow down your moving options further.

How Much do Movers Charge For an Apartment?

The answer to this question depends on how far you’re moving, how many belongings you have, and what service you choose. Life would certainly be easier if we could use a one-size-fits-all number for everything, right?

If you’re moving an apartment long-distance, expect to pay between $900 and $6,000 for a long-distance moving company. If you’re moving your apartment locally, hiring local movers will cost between $350 to $3,000.

Get a free quote on your move using our moving cost calculator.

How Much Does a Mover Charge Per Hour?

Again, this question depends on the mover you hire and their service.

On average, movers will charge between $50 to $100 per hour. Depending on your needs, you may just want to go for a flat rate over an hourly rate.

How Long Does it Take to Move an Apartment?

Are you moving long-distance or locally? Do you have a lot of belongings, or are you fairly minimalist? These details will inform just how long your apartment move will take.

The moving experience involves planning, packing, and cleaning. The actual moving part doesn’t take more than a few hours to a few days. A minimalist studio or one-bedroom apartment shouldn’t take more than five weeks from beginning to end.

A more lavish studio or one-bedroom apartment might take an extra week or two, especially if you need time to resell or donate belongings. If you can, avoid the hassle of a last-minute move and prepare early.

And in most cases, local moving services will be quicker because of the proximity.

Conclusion

The best apartment movers are convenient, flexible, and able to match your budget seamlessly. You deserve more than just a resource to move between locations: you also need a positive experience to set the tone for your journey.

We highly recommend Mini Moves, U-Ship, and ShipSmart for studios and small apartments. Other affordable and customizable moving options include freight carriers, shipping containers, or rental trucks. You can even combine these options for your upcoming move if you believe it’ll help.

With a little research and an open mind, you’ll find a compatible moving service or resource in no time!