When we receive your first call or email, our sales team will begin building a plan for your move. Please be as accurate with your inventory as possible as it will make things easier for the movers when they arrive on move day.

The sales team will email you the Official Estimate, including a breakdown of all the charges, terms of service, and what you can expect on move day. Double check that the inventory is correct as it will determine the size of truck we send you.

All of our jobs are done on an hourly basis. There is always a 3-hour labor minimum, plus at least one additional hour of travel time for the crew to get from our warehouse to your pick-up address, and from your drop off address back to our warehouse. Travel time is not the time it takes to get from your pick-up to your drop-off, that is considered labor time. If your destination is outside of Manhattan, travel time may be increased since the crew will have to travel back to the city once done. If you want to book with Lift, a $100 non-refundable deposit will be taken over the phone or through email. On move day, you can opt to pay for your move with cash, bankers check or money order. Any credit card transaction, besides the deposit, includes a 4% fee. Paying with cash is the preferred method of payment.

If you need a Certificate of Insurance, you should send it to us through email as soon as possible. There is a $25 fee for each certificate that we need to process. If you do not send it several days before your move, the building could delay or postpone the move, leading to extra costs or fees. Once the movers show up at your pick-up address, the clock begins, so please ensure that everything is ready to go with the building such as service entrance availability and time as well as elevators being reserved.

If you require packing services, we can supply you with boxes but be aware that you will be charged for each box that we use on the job. Safely packing items is also very time intensive. We try to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible, but to make sure everything is safe we take time to ensure all of your items arrive safely.

A few days before your move, a Lift Sales representative will call to verify that everything is still good to go on your end. If there are any changes to your inventory or the services you will be required, make sure to mention this as it may affect the time we estimated the job to take.

The Moving team will call 30 minutes before they arrive on move day, arriving within your moving window to start the job. If you can get parking for the truck, that will make everything go much quicker. Our ticket policy is to let the customer decide where we should park, however it is an illegal spot you will have to pay the cost of the ticket. Sometimes the only legal spot is so far, that it makes more sense to pay the ticket than for the extra time the move will take. You can try to stay with the truck and chase away any ticket police, however, this doesn’t always work.

All of your items will be carefully boxed, wrapped, and packed into the truck in the most efficient manner possible. Things that slow down the moving process are elevator accessibility and conflicts, truck parking proximity to the building, and how prepared you are when the movers arrive. We can pack everything from scratch, disassemble beds, and more, but all of these things take time and you are being charged by the hour for the movers. The more prepared you are on moving day, the cheaper and smother everything will go.

Once all the items are out of your place and in the truck, the crew will head to the new location. The foreman will keep you aware of the route they are taking, as well as any traffic along the way. Be aware that commercial vehicles are not allowed on parkways and certain other roads. The FDR and the West Side Highway above 57th street are both off limits and the truck will have to travel local.

Upon arrival, all items will be delivered to the new location. As items come into the new home, let the movers know where you would like things placed, as well as an area that will not have any furniture, so that they can stack the boxes as neatly and out of the way as possible.

After the truck is empty and everything is in place, the foreman will go over the final charges. Labor time from start to finish will be added up, travel time, tolls, and any materials used will be charged. If you would like to tip the crew,  you can give it to the foreman who can split it between the guys on the job.

A 4% processing fee will be added if a credit card is used for final payment. Cash, bankers check, or money order to not have a 4% fee.