Apartment removalists, lift to lounge

In an apartment move, the furniture is rarely the hard part. The building is. There is a loading dock or a visitor bay, a lift with its own booking rules, corridors with tight turns and a front door that may be narrower than the sofa. As apartment removalists in Brisbane, we plan that route at both addresses before we talk about the truck.

Apartments are a big part of Brisbane living. In the 2021 Census, flats and apartments made up 25.6 per cent of occupied private dwellings in the City of Brisbane, roughly double the Queensland figure of 12.5 per cent. In some inner suburbs they are the norm: in New Farm, 74.5 per cent of occupied homes were flats or apartments. On the Gold Coast, the figure was 21.7 per cent.

We move studios, one-bedroom units, family-sized apartments and penthouses across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Redlands and Moreton Bay. Whatever the size, the approach is the same: understand the building, size the crew to the lift window, and protect your furniture on its way through shared spaces.

If your building is run by a body corporate, its by-laws regulate how owners and occupiers use the common property, such as driveways and car parks. Renters are included: the Queensland Government notes that tenants must comply with the by-laws and should be given a copy when their lease starts.

As the resident, you arrange lift bookings, loading-zone or dock access and any parking permits with building management. Ask these questions early, ideally as soon as your move date is known:

• Which days and hours are removals allowed, and how long can the lift be booked for?
• Does the lift need protective padding, and does the building supply it?
• Where can a removal truck park, and what is the height clearance of the loading dock or basement?
• Is a bond, deposit or building representative required on the day?
• What are the rules at the other address? Never assume they match.

Get each booking confirmed in writing and send the details to us with your quote request. Your lift window shapes everything else: the crew size, the start time and the order in which rooms are loaded.

A sofa that fits the living room can still fail at the lift. Before moving day, measure every point your largest pieces must pass through:

• The lift door's width and height, and the cabin's width, depth and height
• Corridor widths and any tight turns between the lift and your front door
• The front door, internal doorways and the balcony door if anything is going outside
• The length, depth and height of sofas, wardrobes, fridges and bed bases

A long item can sometimes travel standing on end, so compare a sofa's length with the cabin's height and diagonal, not just its depth.

Where a piece will not fit, there are three options. We can dismantle it if it is designed to come apart. We can assess it for hoisting, charged at $48 including GST per item. Hoisting depends on the item's weight and height, the access, the building's permission and safe equipment capability, so it is never assumed. Or you can decide it is time for the piece to go, and book junk removal instead.

Not every unit has a lift. Walk-up blocks, townhouses and split-level units put every carton on the stairs, and that changes the crew and the time. Apartment stairs are charged at $48 including GST per flight, so tell us how many flights there are at each address and whether any of the turns are tight.

Basement car parks need a separate check. A height limit can rule out a removal truck, which means it may need to stand in a visitor bay, a loading zone or on the street. If the truck cannot use the building's driveway, an inaccessible-driveway charge applies, and the walk from the truck becomes part of the plan. You arrange parking permits and loading zones, and any parking or permit costs form part of the move cost.

Townhouse complexes bring their own details: internal roads, gate codes, visitor parking rules and sometimes a narrow path between the parking area and the front door. Send us photos of the approach and we will plan around them.

Apartment moves happen in shared space, so care extends beyond your own furniture. Our crews wrap each piece before it leaves the apartment, using equipment included in the hourly rate at no extra charge:

• Quilted moving blankets and furniture pads
• Large stretch wrap to keep doors, drawers and upholstery closed and clean
• Flat dollies and hand trolleys, so heavy pieces roll rather than drag
• Ratchet straps to secure the load in the truck
• Bubble wrap and dish packing paper on request
• Tools for basic dismantling and reassembly

Wrapped furniture is far less likely to mark lift walls and door frames, and trolleys keep heavy items off the floors of lobbies and corridors. If your building requires a particular form of lift protection, tell us what it is and check whether the building supplies it.

Moving out of a rental apartment? Photograph each room once it is empty and clean. In Queensland, the exit condition report is compared with the entry condition report to decide whether the property is in the same condition, apart from fair wear and tear.

Apartment moves come in every size, and the plan should fit the job.

• Small unit moves. Moving a studio or one-bedroom unit, or just a few pieces? Our furniture and small moves service suits single items and smaller loads.
• Downsizing from a house. Furniture that suited a family home can overwhelm an apartment. Measure the new floor plan before moving day, then decide what goes to the apartment, what goes to storage and what goes to disposal. It is far easier than discovering the problem in the lift lobby.
• Packing and unpacking. With a tight lift booking, everything should be packed and ready to roll. Our packing and unpacking services keep the crew moving, and unpacking includes taking away the used cartons and packing materials, which matters when bin space is shared.
• Two addresses at once. Collecting from a storage unit or a second address on the way? Each additional pick-up or drop-off is $48 including GST per location.

More help: our guide to moving to an apartment and our downsizing guide.

Moving from an apartment into a house instead? Our house removals page covers stairs, driveways and Queenslanders.

Apartment moves are charged by the hour. Our hourly rates are $125 to $169 per hour + GST, depending on the type of move and truck size, for a moving truck, two professional movers and all standard equipment. Additional movers are available, which can help when the lift window is short and the inventory is large. All charges are confirmed before booking.

Travel is charged depot-to-depot or as a call-out fee, depending on the job and location. The extras most relevant to apartments are $48 including GST each:

• Apartment stairs, per flight
• Appliances, per item
• Heavy items over 90kg, per item
• Hoisting, per item
• Each additional pick-up or drop-off location
• Each extra trip between loading and unloading
• A driveway the truck cannot access

Waiting time is chargeable where delivery cannot be completed in a timely manner, for example if a lift booking at the new building falls through. A deposit secures your date and the balance is due on completion. Cancellations and changes need at least 48 hours' notice. Every line is on our pricing page.

We move apartments and units across Brisbane, including inner suburbs such as West End, Teneriffe and Hamilton, and on the Gold Coast. Moves between the two cities run in both directions, with the travel basis confirmed before booking. We also cover Logan, Ipswich, Redlands and Moreton Bay.

When you request a quote, our sales team aims to call you back within five minutes during business hours (8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday). For an accurate quote, have ready:

• Both addresses, with floor levels and whether each has a lift
• Your confirmed or preferred lift booking times
• Measurements of your largest pieces and the tightest point on the route
• The number of stair flights at each end, if any
• Your preferred date, and whether you need packing or unpacking