Moving Into a Toronto High-Rise Without Delays: A Complete Moving Guide

Moving into a Toronto high-rise without delays depends less on your furniture than on three things the building controls: a confirmed service elevator booking, a place for the truck to load, and paperwork the management office has accepted, starting with your mover’s certificate of insurance. Get all three confirmed in writing before move day, and give your movers the exact window. A brand-new tower adds a fourth item, the builder’s occupancy date, and that one can move.

Why a tower move runs on the building’s clock

No large urban centre in Canada has a higher share of high-rise homes. According to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census figures, apartments in buildings of five or more storeys made up 30.7 per cent of dwellings in the Toronto region at the 2021 census, the highest percentage in the country. Most of those households move in and out by elevator, and at month-end a lot of them want the same booking.

That shapes what a delay looks like. Usually it’s a booking made under the wrong unit number, a desk that won’t release the elevator because the insurance certificate names the wrong corporation, a fob that opens the lobby but not the service corridor, or a sofa that only fits the elevator standing on its end. Each of those leaves a crew waiting at the dock, and on an hourly move you pay for that waiting in 15-minute increments.

Everything below is about the move-in end. For the move-out side of a condo move and a full cost breakdown, see our Toronto condo move guide.

Book the service elevator and the loading area first

Contact the management office as soon as you have a date and ask for the move-in booking form. The booking is yours to make, and we help with it: we tell you what to ask for and will talk to management directly if a detail needs sorting out. Some buildings only take bookings from the registered owner or the landlord, so if you’re renting, ask your landlord to confirm the slot is in your name. Then ask about:

• the date and the exact window, and whether you can book two slots back to back for a bigger move
• which elevator you get, and whether security operates it or it’s keyed to your booking
• the move-in deposit or fee, how it’s paid, and when the deposit comes back
• whether pads go up in the elevator before you arrive, or the movers bring their own
• where trucks load, and the clearance height if the dock is underground
• how far the dock is from the service elevator, and whether the route crosses the lobby
• quiet hours, and whether moves are allowed on Sundays and holidays
• what happens if you run past the end of your window

Get the confirmation in writing with the date, the window, your unit number and the elevator, and forward it to your movers. In busy towers, month-end and weekend slots go first, so if your dates have any give, a midweek booking is easier to land. Our explainer on how condo elevator bookings and building rules work in Toronto goes deeper on the booking process itself.

Moving between two condos doubles all of it: two bookings, two sets of rules, two insurance certificates. Start from the more restrictive window and build the day around it. Loading out at 9 a.m. does nothing for you if the new building won’t release its elevator until 1 p.m., and a loaded truck waiting for a slot is still on the clock.

Paperwork the building needs before the truck arrives

The certificate of insurance, or COI, is a document from your mover’s insurer confirming its liability coverage, usually naming the condominium corporation and the property management company. Buildings generally want it on file before move day, and some specify exact wording. Send your movers the building’s requirements as soon as you have them.

For condo and apartment moves, we provide the certificate your building asks for, naming the building, before move day. If your old and new buildings both need one, we produce both. On the day, the crew works inside your booked window and protects the hallways and the elevator cab.

Treat the building’s rules as binding, because they are. The Condominium Authority of Ontario explains that condo rules regulate day-to-day life in a building, must be reasonable and consistent with the Condominium Act, and apply to everyone in the community, residents as well as owners. Move-in procedures often sit in those rules or in a separate move policy from management, so ask for a copy. Owners can request the rules from the corporation with the Request for Records form.

A few days out, confirm that your fobs work on the doors you’ll actually use, including the loading dock and the service corridor, and find out where your parking spot, locker and mailbox are. If the dock door won’t read your fob, the crew waits outside with the meter running.

Moving into a brand-new tower

In a new Ontario condo you may move in months before you own the unit. Tarion’s guide to interim occupancy explains that occupancy can start once the city deems the unit fit for occupancy, which doesn’t mean the building is finished, and that title only passes when the condominium is registered. That stretch can run from a few weeks to a year or more. Meanwhile you pay the builder a monthly occupancy fee made up of interest on the unpaid balance, estimated municipal taxes and projected common expenses, whether you move in or not, and none of it is credited to the purchase price.

That has practical consequences for move-in day. Until registration, no condominium corporation or elected board exists yet, so move-in bookings are typically run by the builder or the property manager it has hired. Trades and deliveries share the elevators with new residents, parts of the building may still be closed off, and if many units in your tower are taking occupancy around the same time, elevator slots will be scarce. Book early and expect strict rules on hallway and elevator protection.

Schedule the move around the pre-delivery inspection. Under Tarion’s pre-delivery inspection rules, every builder has to go through the unit with you before handing over the keys and record anything damaged, incomplete, missing or not working on the PDI form, which becomes the official record of the unit’s condition before you moved in. You or a designate must attend, and a designate should bring your written authority to sign the PDI form. Do it before a single piece of furniture arrives, and photograph the floors, door frames, baseboards, counters and walls. A scratch recorded at the PDI is on record as the builder’s; one that turns up after move day is much harder to attribute. Tarion may refer to the form if a dispute ever arises over whether damage happened before or after you took possession.

Your warranty starts at occupancy, and warranty claims have deadlines, so register on Tarion’s MyHome portal as soon as you have the keys.

When the occupancy date moves

A new condo’s occupancy date may be tentative or firm, and the difference matters for your move. Tarion’s rules on occupancy dates and delays let a builder push a tentative date without paying compensation, as long as it gives you at least 90 days’ written notice each time and stays within the outside occupancy date. If the builder doesn’t give the full 90 days, the current tentative date becomes the firm occupancy date. The dates are set out in the Statement of Critical Dates at the front of the Tarion Addendum attached to your purchase agreement.

Miss a firm date and the builder owes delayed occupancy compensation, capped at $7,500 in total. That covers a flat $150 a day for living expenses, no receipts needed, plus costs the delay caused you, such as extra moving and storage, which do need receipts. You claim from the builder within 180 days of occupancy, and from Tarion during your first year if the builder doesn’t pay. Keep every receipt from a delayed move.

For planning, the 90-day line is the useful one. Say your first tentative occupancy date is June 30. The builder’s deadline to tell you it’s moving falls 90 days earlier, around the start of April. If no notice has arrived by then, June 30 has become your firm date. Until you’re inside that line with no extension notice, treat the date as a target rather than a booking. Once you’re inside it, a later delay comes with compensation unless it’s an unavoidable delay, such as a strike, a fire or a pandemic. That makes it a reasonable point to book movers and, if you rent now, to serve your 60-day notice. Our tenant move-out checklist covers the rental side, from Form N9 to the key handover.

If you’ve sold or your lease ends before the keys arrive, the gap needs a home. Our short-term and long-term storage is climate controlled and monitored, everything is inventoried, you pay for the space and time you use, and nothing goes to a third-party warehouse. Your belongings are loaded out on your moving date and delivered once the builder hands over the unit. If you need something before the keys arrive, call ahead and you can pick it up or we can bring it to you.

Measure the elevator, the corridor and the door

Many newer units have a narrow entry and a tight turn off the corridor, and the pinch points are rarely inside the rooms. They are the service elevator cab, the turn into your unit, and the bedroom doors. Ask management for the service elevator’s interior dimensions or measure it yourself, covering width, depth, height and the door opening. Then measure the sofa, the mattress and box spring, the wardrobe and the dining table, and compare. Box springs are the usual surprise: a mattress flexes, a box spring doesn’t, and a king box spring that came up a house staircase may not fit a condo elevator.

Long pieces often travel standing on end, so the cab’s height matters as much as its floor. Anything that won’t make it needs a decision before the truck leaves your old address: take it apart, sell it, or leave it. Simple disassembly and reassembly is included in our hourly rate, complex disassembly is a $25 add-on, and our furniture disassembly and reassembly service puts it back together in the new unit. Hoisting a sofa over a 30th-floor balcony isn’t a plan.

Getting the truck to the door

The loading dock is plan A. If it’s underground, ask for the clearance height and pass the number to your movers ahead of time so the right truck shows up. If the building has no usable dock, ask where moving trucks are allowed to stand, whether a front drive, a lay-by or a laneway. Towers on streetcar streets like King, Queen or Spadina are where the building’s own loading spot matters most.

On the street, the posted signs rule. Walk the block a few days ahead and read the stopping restrictions where the truck would stand. The City of Toronto’s temporary parking permits are resident and visitor permits for designated permit-parking streets, not a reserved loading space for a moving truck, so don’t buy one expecting it to hold the curb for you.

Build the drive into the timing as well. A truck coming in on the 401, the Gardiner or the Don Valley Parkway at rush hour can eat into a morning window before a box comes off, so for an early slot, ask your movers when they plan to finish loading at the old address and work back from your window. Moves into Toronto from elsewhere in Ontario or across Canada need the same thinking, with the booked window as the fixed point everything else bends around.

Winter adds slush, salt and wet floors to all of it. Expect the building to want runners down in the lobby and corridor, and leave a little extra time for an icy dock ramp.

What the move costs, and where the time goes

Moving Co. charges $149 an hour for two movers and a truck. That rate applies on select non-peak dates; peak-period pricing may vary. You pay a one-hour minimum, then billing runs in 15-minute increments, with the truck, blankets, dollies, straps and standard insurance included. Elevators and stairs cost nothing extra.

These are planning ranges from our rate card, not a quote. In a tower, most of the clock goes on elevator round trips and corridor walking. A 40-storey building means long cycles from the dock to your floor and back, so anything that cuts trips counts: boxes packed, taped and labelled by room before the crew arrives, dressers emptied, beds already apart, and a second elevator slot if the building allows one. For the other things that stretch or shorten a job, see how long a move takes by home size.

A quick video walkthrough of your current place gets you a real estimate. Send one through our quote request page, or call (905) 752-7787, which is answered 24 hours a day.

Move-in day, from the dock to your door

Get to the building before the crew. Check in with the concierge or security, confirm the elevator is keyed for your booking and the pads are up, and photograph the elevator cab, the corridor and your unit door before anything moves. If a deposit depends on the common areas, those photos are your record.

Inside the unit, tape a label on each door so the crew can match boxes to rooms without asking, and stand where you can direct traffic. Big pieces that need reassembly usually come in first, then boxes room by room. When the truck is empty, walk the route again, take the same photos, and tell the desk you’re finished so the elevator is released and the deposit inspection can happen while you’re still in the building.

Ask before the day where empty boxes and packing paper go. Many towers don’t want cardboard in the garbage chute and have a recycling room or set times for it, and a corridor stacked with flattened boxes is exactly what gets noticed at a deposit inspection. Pack one open-first box for the first night, with bedding, a kettle, toilet paper, chargers and the next day’s clothes, and keep it in your car rather than on the truck.

Hiring a mover: what to get in writing

Moving companies are not licensed by the province, so the paperwork does the protecting. Ontario’s consumer guide to hiring a mover says a moving contract worth more than $50 must be in writing and list the mover’s name, address and contact information, an itemized list of services and prices, the total, the start and end dates, and the payment terms. If the estimate is in the contract, the mover can’t charge more than 10 per cent above it unless you need extra supplies or services and agree to the increase. A mover also can’t hold your belongings to pressure you into paying more. If you pay under that pressure, write “paid under protest” on the invoice.

Ask who will actually carry your furniture. Moving Co.’s moves are done by our own crews, with no brokers and no subcontracted crews. Standard coverage is $0.60 per pound per article, the industry standard, and a full replacement-value upgrade is available.

Once your elevator is booked and your date is firm, call (905) 752-7787 at any hour and we’ll build the move around your window.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should I keep everything while I wait for my condo to close in Toronto?

In storage with your mover, so your things are loaded once and delivered once. Moving Co. holds it for as short or long a stretch as you need in climate-controlled, monitored storage with everything inventoried, charges only for the space and time you use, and never sends it to a third-party warehouse. In a new condo, the date that matters for the move is occupancy, which can come weeks or months before final closing. If the builder misses a firm occupancy date, Tarion’s delayed occupancy compensation includes receipted moving and storage costs, within a $7,500 cap.

How far ahead should I book the service elevator for a condo move-in?

As soon as your date is confirmed. Each building sets its own booking rules, and the last days of the month and Saturdays are the hardest slots to get in a busy tower, so a late request can push your move to another day. Book the elevator before the movers, get the confirmation in writing with your unit number and window, and send it to your moving company so the crew is scheduled around it.

What is a certificate of insurance for a condo move, and who provides it?

It’s proof, issued by the moving company’s insurer, that the mover carries liability coverage, and it usually names the condo corporation and its property manager. Buildings ask for it before a crew can use the service elevator and loading dock, and the mover provides it. Moving Co. supplies the certificate your building requests, naming the building, before move day, and produces one for each building if both ask.

Can I move into a new condo before it is registered?

Yes. That stage is called interim occupancy, and Tarion explains it can begin once the city deems your unit fit for occupancy, even while the rest of the building is still under construction. You won’t own the unit until the condominium is registered. Until then, the builder charges a monthly occupancy fee that covers interest on the unpaid balance, estimated taxes and common expenses, and none of it counts toward the purchase price.

Do Toronto condo buildings charge a move-in deposit?

Many do. A refundable deposit against damage to the elevator, corridors and lobby is common, and some buildings add a non-refundable move-in fee. Amounts, payment methods and refund conditions are set building by building, so ask management in writing, get a receipt, and photograph the common areas before and after the move so you can show the condition you left them in.

How long does it take to move into a high-rise condo?

For planning, Moving Co.’s published ranges put a studio at 1.5 to 2.5 hours with two movers, a one-bedroom condo at 2 to 4 hours with two movers, and a two-bedroom at 3 to 5 hours with three. In a tower, the elevator decides where you land in that range: the distance from the dock, the floor you’re on, and whether you share the elevator during your window. A video walkthrough gets you a real estimate.

What happens if my move runs past the elevator booking?

The building decides. If another resident has the next slot, you may have to stop and finish later, or management may refuse to extend. That’s why your movers need the exact window in advance, and why packing and disassembly should be done before the crew arrives. With hourly billing in 15-minute increments, a stalled move costs you too, so build a buffer into the booking wherever the building allows it.

Should I do the pre-delivery inspection before move-in day?

Yes. The builder must do this inspection with you before you get the keys, and the PDI form records anything damaged, incomplete or missing. Do it before any furniture arrives and take your own photos of floors, walls, door frames and counters. If damage turns up later, Tarion may refer to that form to decide whether it existed before you took possession, and move-day marks are far easier to sort out with a clean record.