A senior move is rarely just a move. It usually means leaving a home that’s been lived in for decades, deciding what fits into a much smaller space, and doing it on a timeline set by a retirement residence, a home sale or a change in health. The planning often falls to adult children who live in other cities and have jobs and families of their own. And the person moving is parting with a lot of familiar things at once.
Moving Co. helps seniors and their families move in Toronto, the GTA and across Ontario. We pack, move and set up the new home, store what isn’t decided yet, deliver keepsakes to family members, and clear what’s left in the old house afterwards. The family deals with one company and one phone number instead of four.
Call 905-752-7787 or request a free quote. Tell us where the move is from and to, the date you’re working toward, and who in the family we should talk to.
The kinds of senior moves we help with
- From a family home to a condo or apartment. Usually a big downsize, with more furniture than the new place can hold. Our condo and apartment moves page covers the building side of it.
- Into a retirement residence. A suite with a set floor plan, building rules and a fixed move-in date.
- Into long term care. A single room, a short list of what can come along, and very little notice.
- Moving closer to family. Across the GTA, across Ontario or across Canada.
- Moving in with family. A few rooms of furniture going into a son’s or daughter’s home, often into a basement or a spare room.
- A few pieces only. A favourite chair, a dresser and some boxes going to a suite. See our small moves page.
- Clearing the old home afterwards. Everything that didn’t make the move, cleared so the house can be sold or handed back.
Downsizing: deciding what fits
The hardest part of most senior moves happens before moving day: choosing what goes to the new home. It’s easier with a plan and a tape measure.
- Get the floor plan of the new place. Retirement residences and condos usually have one. Note where the windows, doors, closets and outlets are.
- Measure the favourite furniture. The bed, the chair, the dresser and the dining table nobody wants to give up. See what actually fits, with room to walk around it safely.
- Start with what’s used every day. The bed, a comfortable chair, a small table, a lamp, clothes for every season. Those come first. Decoration and keepsakes come next.
- Bring the familiar things. Photos, a favourite blanket, the clock from the mantel. Familiar things make a new place feel like home faster.
- Decide the rest in stages. What goes to family, what’s donated, what’s sold, and what goes to storage until someone decides.
This takes time, and it’s better done over several weeks than the weekend before the move. If the family can’t agree on something, don’t let it hold up the move. Put it in storage and decide later.
One more tip from families who’ve been through it: sort one room at a time, starting with the rooms that matter least, like a spare bedroom or the basement. By the time you reach the kitchen and the living room, everyone has had practice making decisions, and the hard ones go faster.
What we handle
Because we’re a full moving company, we can take on as much or as little of the job as the family wants:
- Packing. Our crews can pack the whole home or just the kitchen and the fragile pieces. See our packing services.
- The move itself. Wrapped furniture, careful carrying, protected floors and walls at both homes.
- Setting up the new home. Beds put back together, furniture placed where it’s wanted, and boxes in the right rooms. Unpacking can be added too.
- Furniture assembly. Beds, tables and new flat-pack furniture for the new place. See furniture assembly.
- Storage. For pieces that don’t fit yet, or that the family hasn’t decided about. See our storage page.
- Delivering pieces to family. The dining set to one grandchild, the china cabinet to another. Tell us the addresses and we’ll build them into the plan.
- Clearing the old home. Everything left after the move, cleared, donated where possible and swept. See our estate cleanouts and junk removal pages.
Moving into a retirement residence
Many retirement residences handle move-ins the way condo buildings do, with a few extra things to think about:
- Move-in times. Residences usually set the day and the time window. Book the move as soon as you have it.
- Elevators and entrances. The residence may want a specific entrance and a booked elevator so the move doesn’t disrupt other residents. The family usually arranges that with the residence, and we help with what to ask for.
- Insurance. Some residences ask movers for a certificate of insurance. Our crews are insured, and we send it ahead of the date.
- Suite rules. Some residences have rules about furniture, appliances, rugs or what can be mounted on walls. Ask for them early.
- Setting up first. On move-in day, we set up the bed and the most-used furniture first, so the room is liveable by the evening even if some boxes are still to unpack.
A small thing that helps: set the new room up as close as possible to how the old bedroom felt. Put the bed on the same side, the chair by the window and the photos where they can be seen. Tell us how it should look and we’ll place things that way.
If the family is still choosing a residence, one check is worth doing. Homes that meet the definition of a retirement home under Ontario’s Retirement Homes Act must be licensed by the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority, which counts more than 700 licensed homes in the province. Its Retirement Home Database shows each home’s history of compliance with the Act.
Moving into long term care
A long term care move is smaller, and it usually comes fast. In Ontario, applications and admissions are arranged through Ontario Health atHome. When a bed opens, the offer comes with a move-in date. According to the province’s long-term care guidance, the person has 24 hours to accept or turn down the offer and up to five days to move in. Payment starts on the move-in date, whether or not they’ve arrived.
Five days isn’t long to sort a room, book a truck and deal with everything else that’s happening. A little preparation while the person is on the waitlist helps a lot:
- Know what’s going. Ontario’s list of what to bring includes machine-washable clothing, medication, mobility aids like a cane, walker or wheelchair, glasses, dentures, hearing aids, toiletries, and familiar things such as pictures, a bedspread or small furniture that fits the room.
- Know what isn’t. The same guidance says not to bring electric items like an iron, a kettle or a heating pad, cleaning supplies, or your own bed or mattress. Each home may have its own list, so ask.
- Label everything. The province recommends labelling personal items with the resident’s name in case they’re misplaced.
- Call us when the offer comes in. Tell us the move-in date and what’s going, and we’ll fit the move into that window wherever we can.
Usually what goes is a dresser or a chair, clothing, photos and a few personal things. The rest of the household can go to storage or to family, and the house can be cleared on the family’s timeline instead of in a rush the same week.
Working with families
Senior moves are often coordinated by adult children, sometimes several of them in different cities. That works best when one person is the main contact. We’ll keep that person in the loop and check with them on anything that isn’t clear.
If family members can’t be at the old home or the new one on moving day, tell us who will let the crew in and who can make decisions on the spot. If a neighbour, friend or support worker is helping, we can coordinate with them too.
Most important, we take direction from the person who is moving whenever they want to give it. It’s their home and their things, and they should have a say in how they’re handled and where they go.
Pace, patience and care
A senior move shouldn’t feel like a race. There’s room in the day for questions, for breaks, and for a person who wants to watch each piece go out the door. Things with obvious sentimental value, like family photos, heirlooms and keepsakes, are wrapped and handled as the irreplaceable things they are.
Our crews are trained, insured and in house, not subcontracted. The people who arrive are our own employees, and the crew that loads the truck is the crew that unloads it.
Setting up a safer new home
Where the furniture goes matters more in a senior move than in most. The Public Health Agency of Canada’s report on seniors’ falls found that falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations among Canadian seniors, and that 20 to 30 percent of seniors fall each year. The home hazards it lists include throw rugs, loose or deep pile carpets, electrical cords in walkways, cluttered floors and poor lighting. In residential care settings, it adds beds that are too high and cluttered rooms and hallways.
Moving day is the easiest time to get the layout right, because everything is being placed anyway. A few things we can do when you ask:
- Leave a clear, wide path from the bed to the bathroom and from the chair to the door.
- Keep lamp and charger cords along the walls instead of across walkways.
- Put a lamp within easy reach of the bed.
- Hold off on laying down throw rugs until the family decides whether they belong in the new place.
- Put the most-used things at a comfortable height, so nobody has to climb or bend low to reach them.
Grab bars, railings and bathroom changes are a job for a contractor, not a mover. But a sensible layout on day one is easy to do while the furniture is being placed anyway.
The first-night bag
Some things shouldn’t go on the truck at all. Pack a bag or a small box that travels with the person moving or with a family member:
- All medications, plus a current list from the pharmacy.
- Glasses, hearing aids and spare batteries, and dentures with their case.
- A phone and charger, and a written list of family phone numbers.
- Important papers: the health card, power of attorney documents, banking details, and the lease or residence agreement.
- A change of clothes, toiletries and anything needed for the first night and the next morning.
- One or two comforting things, like a favourite blanket or a framed photo.
Jewellery, cash and small keepsakes that can’t be replaced belong in that bag too. Our crews handle everything with care, but small things that matter this much should stay with the family.
What we can’t move
Like any moving company, we can’t transport hazardous goods: paint, solvents, fuel, propane tanks, pesticides and similar products. Older homes often have a shelf of these in the garage or basement, so set them aside early. Most municipalities take household hazardous waste for free at their depots; in Toronto, the City also offers the Toxic Taxi pickup through 311.
If there’s medical equipment in the home, like a lift chair, a scooter or a rented hospital bed, mention it when you call. Some of it is ordinary furniture to us, and some of it belongs to a supplier who will want to collect it themselves.
When a parent moves in with you
Moving a parent into your own home is its own kind of senior move. The new space is usually one room, sometimes a basement or a converted den, and it has to fit around a household that’s already there. A few things make it easier:
- Measure the route, not just the room. Basement stairs with a turn at the bottom, a narrow hallway or a low ceiling can stop a dresser or a box spring that fit easily in the old house. Send us the measurements or photos and we’ll tell you what will make it down.
- Bring the bedroom first. The bed, the bedside table, the chair and the lamp the person is used to matter more than the living room set.
- Store the rest instead of squeezing it in. A crowded room is harder to move around in. What doesn’t fit can go to storage while the family decides.
- Plan for a few things of their own in the shared rooms. A favourite chair in the living room or their dishes in the kitchen helps the house feel like theirs too.
Keeping moving day calm
Moving day is noisy and busy, and it can be tiring for someone who has lived quietly in the same home for years. Some families have the person spend the day with a relative or a friend and arrive at the new place once the bed is made and the chair is in its spot. Others want the person there for every box, saying a proper goodbye to each room. Either is fine. Ask them what they’d prefer.
Keep meals and medication times as normal as you can, set aside a quiet room or a chair away from the traffic, and plan the first evening in the new home to be simple. Familiar food, familiar bedding and a phone call or two from family go a long way on the first night.
Address changes after the move
A senior move comes with a stack of paperwork. The main ones in Ontario, from the province’s change of address page:
- Driver’s licence and vehicle permit. By law, within 6 days of the address changing.
- Health card. Within 30 days.
- Accessible parking permit. The address can be changed online, and the existing permit stays in use.
Beyond the province’s list, there’s Canada Post mail forwarding (a paid service), the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada for CPP and Old Age Security payments, the bank, the pharmacy, the family doctor and any insurance. Decide early which family member is handling each one, so nothing gets missed.
Planning the timeline
Senior moves go best when they’re spread over a few stages:
- Six to eight weeks before. Get the floor plan, measure furniture, and start deciding what’s coming. Book the move once the date is known.
- Three to four weeks before. Sort the house room by room. Family members choose keepsakes. Arrange donations and sales.
- One to two weeks before. Packing, either by the family or by our crew. Address changes, mail forwarding and utilities.
- Moving day. The move, with the new home set up so it’s comfortable by evening.
- After the move. Clearing the old home, delivering family pieces, and getting the house ready to sell or hand back.
Shorter timelines happen too, especially with a long term care offer or a sudden change in health, and we work with them. Just tell us the dates you’re working with.
Selling or handing back the old home
Once the move is done, the old home usually needs to be emptied before it’s listed or returned. Talk to your realtor about what should stay for photos and showings. We can clear the rest, deliver anything that’s been promised to family, and leave the house empty and swept. If the home is a rental, tell us the date it has to be returned and we’ll plan around it.
How senior moves are priced
The moving part of a senior move is billed by the hour at our regular rates, which are on the pricing page. Packing, storage and clearing the old home are priced separately, depending on what you need:
- Moving is billed by the hour at our standard crew rates.
- Packing is priced on how much you want packed and the materials it takes.
- Storage is priced on the space you use and the length of time you need it, plus the move in and the move out.
- Clearing what’s left is priced like our junk removal: by volume, access and disposal.
We put the whole plan in one clear estimate before you book, so the family can see what each part costs.
Areas we cover
We help seniors move across Toronto, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke and East York, and across the GTA in Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington, Pickering, Ajax and Whitby. We also move to and from Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa and every other part of Ontario. When a parent is moving closer to family in another province, see our long distance moves.
How it works
- First call. Tell us about the move, the timeline and who’s involved. Call 905-752-7787.
- A plan. We agree on what we’re packing, moving, storing, delivering and clearing, and in what order.
- A clear estimate. One estimate for the whole job, broken down by part.
- Moving day. The move and the set-up of the new home.
- The follow-up. Family deliveries, storage and clearing the old home, on the dates that suit the family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do senior moving services include?
With us, it can include packing, the move itself, setting up the new home, storage, delivering pieces to family members, and clearing the old home afterwards. You choose the parts you need, and we put them in one plan and one estimate.
Can you help with downsizing?
Yes. The family and the person moving decide what fits in the new home. We move what’s going, store what’s undecided, deliver keepsakes to relatives, and clear what’s left. Measuring furniture against the new floor plan early makes the decisions easier.
Do you move people into retirement residences?
Yes. Residences usually set the move-in time, the entrance and the elevator. The family arranges those with the residence and we help with what to ask for. If the residence needs a certificate of insurance, we send it ahead of time.
How much notice is there for a long term care move?
Not much. In Ontario, when a bed is offered there are 24 hours to accept and up to five days to move in, and payment starts on the move-in date. Call us as soon as the offer arrives, and have the short list of what’s going ready while you wait.
What can my parent bring to a long term care home?
Ontario’s guidance lists machine-washable clothing, medication, mobility aids, glasses, dentures, hearing aids, toiletries, and familiar things like pictures, a bedspread or small furniture that fits the room. It says not to bring an iron, a kettle, a heating pad, cleaning supplies or your own bed or mattress. Check the home’s own list too.
Can you set up the new room?
Yes. We reassemble the bed, place the furniture where it’s wanted, and can unpack too. We set up the bed and the most-used furniture first, so the room is comfortable by the evening.
Our family lives in different cities. Can you still do the move?
Yes. Choose one main contact, tell us who will let the crew in, and we’ll keep that person in the loop through the move.
What happens to the furniture that doesn’t fit?
It can go to family members, to storage, to donation, or be removed. We can deliver family pieces, store what’s undecided, and clear the rest of the home after the move.
How much does a senior move cost?
It depends on the size of the move and which services you need. Moving is billed by the hour, packing is priced on how much is packed plus materials, storage by space and time, and clearing by volume. We give you one clear estimate with every part broken out before you book.
How far ahead should we book?
As soon as you have a move-in date. Six to eight weeks gives time to sort and decide without rushing, but we work with shorter timelines when a long term care offer or a residence’s schedule doesn’t allow that.
Tell us about the move and the family’s timeline, and we’ll plan it with patience and care. Request your free quote or call 905-752-7787.