Booking An Elevator For Your Move Is Essential

When preparing for the relocation, we typically think a lot about packing our items, hiring professional movers, ways to save moving costs, and how to organize the process. However, another crucial point to consider is reserving an elevator for a move, as you should somehow carry out all your belongings and load them on the truck. But an elevator is a common property for all residents in apartment buildings, that’s why elevator reservation may help you a lot to avoid any unexpected trouble and disputes!

Here’s a step-by-step guide for elevator booking to make your move easier and give you extra time to complete all the preparations.

Why Is It Worth Booking An Elevator?

By booking an elevator for moving, you can greatly speed up and facilitate the task on the day of the move. Among the main reasons you should take care of the elevator in advance is that you’re not the only one who lives in apartment buildings. So, if you don’t want to make regular pauses by waiting when the elevator will be available, speak to your building manager about your relocation earlier. With elevator booking, you can also reduce costs, as movers are always paid hourly, so the quicker you finish, the more you save!

The common issue you may face if you forget about such a detail regarding the moving process is that elevator doors can unexpectedly close when you load/unload your items, as someone may call an elevator. In this case, the process can turn into real trouble, and some of your belongings may even be damaged.

If you fill out an application with building management and provide specific time periods you may need an elevator for your move, you can eliminate issues with unexpected elevator doors closing, arguing with other residents, save money due to the moving crew’s fewer working hours, and avoid time restrictions (an elevator is exclusively used by you).

Keep in mind to check regulations around parking and special requirements & policies regarding the booking of elevators in your particular building management. You may need to pay a deposit in advance and be ready for post or pre-inspection, as the manager must ensure that elevator walls and other property haven’t been damaged during your move. Also, you can be billed hourly for your reservation, as the elevator’s regular working hours are often 9 am-5 pm. Because of that, other residents may feel inconvenienced, so charges here are something like a trade-off.

Book Early

Having extra time is a huge advantage. Always start earlier. The best thing here is getting all the booking details and time restrictions for an elevator for the current building and the new location in advance. Once you have a time frame for when you can exclusively use the elevator, send details to your moving company in Calgary or another city. With such information, the company can plan the process better and involve additional movers if you have strict time limits for your reservation and bulky or heavier items which need to be loaded.

So the main advice here is to include elevator booking in your moving checklist and complete this task in the early stages (before hiring movers or already after you contact the company) to have ample time for your belongings to be carried out and loaded for transportation.

How To Book An Elevator For Moving?

Step 1.Choose The Type Of Elevator

Usually, there are two most common types of elevators in many buildings:

• Residential elevator, which is used by residents.
• Service elevator, which is used for transporting large items and maintenance use.

Ask the manager in advance what types of elevators are in your building. It is best to reserve a service elevator, especially if you have bulky or heavy items. If only a residential elevator is available, discuss with the movers beforehand how you are going to carry your items out from the apartment. Also, you can use special padding inside the elevator to avoid damage.
Once you have booked an elevator, the concierge will put it into individual service mode at a scheduled time.

Step 2. Review The Requirements And Policies

Every residential or commercial building has policies regarding booking an elevator, so check the requirements in advance. The points to pay attention to include:

Documents. Movers may need to provide a Certificate of Liability and a Certificate of Workman’s Compensation Insurance to be allowed to use an elevator, so keep it in mind.

Time. This is the crucial one. You can exclusively use an elevator only during certain times of the day. Time frames may vary from building to building, so get all the details in advance to properly plan your move.

Height. The next point is to check the loading dock height maximum. This is essential to guarantee the truck can fit next to the elevator.

Deposit & Charges. When booking an elevator, you may be billed hourly during the reservation time and pay a damage deposit before loading your items. If everything is okay and nothing is damaged after the inspection, and you may clean an elevator yourself, your deposit will be returned.

Step 3. Request The Reservation

After you speak with the building manager about the reservation, fill out an application form. The process may take some time, so complete this step beforehand to avoid unexpected events. Once you have received an agreement, check the details and send it to your moving company.
Then pay a deposit and fees for an elevator reservation.

Extra Tips

Here are additional helpful tips to make the process easier.

• Get Moving Equipment. Usually, professional movers have all the necessary equipment, yet, if you are going to transport some items on your own, you can get helpful gear such as special paddings, blankets, moving dollies, etc.
• Pay Attention To The Damage. When reserving an elevator, you pay a deposit. That’s why, to avoid unnecessary expenses and fines, ask building management to install padding or other protective material for the elevator and other parts (walls, door frames, etc.) which can be damaged during the loading/unloading.
• Reserve The Parking Place. In many buildings, there are some requirements and regulations about parking. So check all the details and reserve a parking place for a moving truck when filling out an application for booking an elevator.
• Check The Size And Weight Of Your Items. If you have bulky items (e.g. furniture), check their dimension to determine if they may fit in the elevator. Sometimes you may need to disassemble your items before packing and loading them. Also, check the weight limits to see how much you can load at once.

If you are looking for local movers in Calgary Alberta, professionals of Best Moves to your service. We can help you with relocation to Airdrie, Canmore and other cities.