Student moves are small, fast and almost always on a deadline. The lease ends on the last day of the month. Residence closes on a set date. The new place in September isn’t ready until the morning you need to be in it. And everything has to go somewhere in between: back home for the summer, into storage, or straight to a new apartment across the city or across the province.
Moving Co. does student moves in Toronto and across Ontario. Residence to home, apartment to apartment, home to campus, and everything in between, with insured, in-house crews. We also store things over the summer, take away the furniture you don’t want, and assemble the bed and desk at the new place.
Call 905-752-7787 or request a free quote. Tell us where you’re moving from, where you’re going, and roughly how much stuff there is.
The moves we do for students
- End of year move-outs. Residence or apartment back to a family home, anywhere in Ontario.
- September move-ins. From home to a new apartment, house share or residence near campus.
- Apartment to apartment. Changing places between years, often in the same city.
- Summer storage. Pick up in spring, store over the summer, deliver in September.
- Graduation moves. From a student apartment to a first job in another city.
- Single items. A desk, a mattress or a dresser bought second hand and needing a ride.
What a student move costs
Local moves are billed by the hour, which suits student moves well because most are small. Our rate is $149 an hour for two movers and a truck, with a one hour minimum and then billing in 15 minute increments, so you pay for the time the move actually takes. That rate applies to select non-peak dates, and peak-period pricing may vary. The full details are on our pricing page.
A few things keep a student move short and the bill low:
- Have everything packed and boxed before the crew arrives.
- Take apart anything you can, like bed frames and desks, or tell us so we can plan the time.
- Book the elevator if the building needs it, and know where the truck can park.
- Be ready at both ends, so nobody waits for keys.
Longer moves across Ontario are priced either by the hour or as one set price, depending on the move. Tell us both addresses and we’ll quote it. For anything small, see our small moves page.
Student moves across Ontario
We move students to and from campuses all over the province. Some of the most common routes start or end at:
- Toronto: University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, York University, OCAD University, and colleges such as Humber, George Brown, Centennial and Seneca.
- Hamilton: McMaster University and Mohawk College.
- Kitchener and Waterloo: University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College.
- London: Western University and Fanshawe College.
- Kingston: Queen’s University and St. Lawrence College.
- Ottawa: University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Algonquin College.
- Guelph: University of Guelph.
- St. Catharines: Brock University and Niagara College.
- Oshawa: Ontario Tech University and Durham College.
- Elsewhere in Ontario: Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Peterborough and North Bay.
If your school isn’t on the list, ask. We move students to and from every part of Ontario, and we also move students heading out of the province for school or a first job, as part of our moves across Canada.
Residence move-in and move-out days
Residences run move-in and move-out on schedules, and they’re busy. Hundreds of students and families arrive at once, elevators are shared, loading zones are crowded, and there are often rules about how long a vehicle can stay. Check your school’s instructions as soon as they come out, because they decide when your move can happen.
Tell us the residence, your time slot and any rules about loading and elevators when you book. If the building needs the elevator booked, you do that with the residence or property manager, and we help with what to ask for. If a certificate of insurance is required, our crews are insured and we send it ahead.
One tip from residence moves: unload into the room quickly and unpack later. Time slots are short and the elevators are shared, so the priority on move-in day is getting everything off the truck and into the room. Making the bed and setting up the desk can wait until the hallway is quiet.
Moving out of residence or a student rental
Getting out is usually more stressful than getting in, because there’s a checkout process and a deposit or a damage charge on the line. A few things are worth doing before the truck arrives:
- Read the checkout instructions. Residences and landlords usually explain how the room should be left, how keys are returned and when the inspection happens.
- Clean as you pack. Wipe shelves and drawers as you empty them, and leave time at the end for the floor and the bathroom.
- Take photos. Photograph the empty room or unit before you hand over the keys, so you have a record of the condition.
- Update your address. Tell your school, your bank and anyone who sends you mail where you’ll be next.
- Don’t leave furniture behind. Landlords and residences often charge to remove what tenants leave. It’s usually cheaper to have it taken away on moving day.
Your first apartment
For a lot of students, the September move is the first time they’ve rented a whole apartment. A few things catch first-time renters out:
- Building rules. Many apartment buildings and condos require a booked elevator and set moving hours, and some want a certificate of insurance from the movers. Ask the landlord or property manager what applies before you book a date.
- Parking for the truck. Downtown buildings often have a loading area that has to be booked, and street parking can be hard to find. Ask where a moving truck can stop.
- Utilities and internet. Find out which ones you’re responsible for and set them up before you move in, especially internet, which can take time to install.
- Tenant insurance. Many landlords require it, and it’s worth having either way. Arrange it before the move so your belongings are covered from day one.
- Measure the rooms. Basement and shared units often have small doors and low ceilings. Measure before you buy furniture for the new place.
Moving between cities for school
A lot of student moves aren’t across town. They’re from a family home in Toronto to a campus in Kingston, Ottawa or London, or from a campus town back to the GTA for the summer. Those moves need a little more planning, because the crew has a long drive and the timing at the far end matters, especially with residence time slots.
On moves between cities, the same crew always loads the truck, drives it and unloads at the other end, so nothing is handed off to another company along the way. Tell us the move-in window at the destination when you book, and we’ll plan the departure time around it. For longer moves, see our long distance moving page.
Storing versus moving home for the summer
Every spring, students have to decide whether to haul everything home for four months or store it near campus. It depends on how much there is, how far home is, and whether there’s room for it there. Moving everything home and back means two long moves in four months. Storing means one pickup, one delivery and paying for the space in between. For a student whose home is a long drive from campus, storage is often the simpler choice. We’ll quote both options so you can compare.
International students
International students often arrive with a couple of suitcases and need to furnish an apartment quickly, usually with second hand furniture from different sellers around the city. Picking up a bed from one address, a desk from another and a couch from a third is exactly what our single item moves are for. At the end of the year, many international students go home for the summer, and storage keeps their furniture safe until they’re back.
After graduation
The last student move is usually the move to a first job, often in another city. It’s a good moment to get rid of the furniture that only made sense in a student house and start fresh. We can move what’s worth keeping, take away what isn’t, and store anything you’re not ready to decide on.
Summer storage between terms
For many students, the cheapest move is no move at all: store everything over the summer instead of hauling it home and back. We have our own storage, so the crew that picks your things up in spring is the one that brings them back in September.
Storage is climate controlled, monitored and inventoried, and it’s priced on the space you use and the months you need it. If you need something out over the summer, you can come and get it or we can bring it to you. Book the September delivery early, because the end of August is a busy time for student moves.
Roommates moving out together
When a student house empties, everybody’s stuff is usually going somewhere different: one roommate home to Ottawa, one to a new apartment downtown, one to storage. That can be planned as a single job with several drops, or as separate moves on the same day. Tell us how many people are moving, where each one is going, and what belongs to whom.
Sharing a move can also make it cheaper for each person. One booking with several drops, billed by the hour, is often less per person than separate moves on separate days. Agree ahead of time how the bill will be split, and pick one person to be the main contact on the day.
Label everything with the owner’s name before the crew arrives. In a house where four people share a kitchen, it saves a lot of confusion about whose toaster is whose.
What to do with the furniture you don’t want
Student moves leave a lot behind: the futon that’s seen better days, the desk chair with one broken wheel, the mattress nobody wants to take home. Landlords don’t want them, and the next tenants won’t either.
We can take them away on the same visit as your move with our junk removal service, so you’re not stuck carrying a mattress to the curb on your last day. Where something is still in decent shape, we try to route it to donation or reuse instead of the landfill. If you’re in Hamilton or Kitchener-Waterloo, see our Hamilton and Kitchener junk removal pages, where we cover end of term clear-outs in more detail.
Bed frames, desks and flat-pack furniture
Most student furniture comes flat-packed, and most of it doesn’t survive being moved fully assembled. Our crews take apart beds, desks and shelving so they travel safely, and put them back together at the new place. If you’ve bought new flat-pack furniture for the new apartment, we can assemble that too. See our furniture assembly page.
Keep the hardware for each piece in a labelled bag taped to the piece itself. It’s the difference between a bed that goes back together in ten minutes and one that’s missing three bolts at midnight.
Parents booking for a student
Plenty of student moves are booked by parents who live in another city, or who are dropping a first year student off in residence for the first time. That’s fine. Tell us who’ll be on site at each end, how to reach them, and anything the building needs, and we’ll coordinate with them on the day. If nobody can be at the new place when we arrive, sort out keys and building access ahead of time so the crew isn’t waiting.
Packing tips for students
- Start early. Pack a little each day in the last week of term, instead of all of it the night before the move.
- Use proper boxes for heavy things. Books and kitchen items go in small boxes. Big boxes full of books are too heavy to carry safely.
- Bag the soft stuff. Clothes, bedding and pillows can go in large bags, which are quicker than boxes.
- Protect the electronics. Laptops travel with you. Monitors and TVs go in their original boxes if you kept them, or wrapped well.
- Empty the fridge. If you’re leaving a shared house, clear your food out before moving day.
- Pack an overnight bag. Chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes and anything you need the first night.
Moving day in a student neighbourhood
The last days of April and August are hard in neighbourhoods near campus. Leases end on the same day, so half the street is moving at once. Parking is scarce, buildings run back to back elevator bookings, and the same roads fill with rental vans and family cars. A little planning makes a big difference:
- Start early in the day. Morning moves usually go faster, before the street fills up.
- Save a spot for the truck. If your building has a loading area, book it. If it’s a house, ask the neighbours or move a car the night before so the truck can stop close to the door.
- Keep the doors clear. Shoes, bikes and recycling bins in the hallway slow everything down.
- Have your keys sorted. Know when you get the new keys and when the old ones are due back.
Protecting your deposit
A scraped door frame or a gouge in the floor on the way out can turn into a charge against your deposit. Our crews protect floors, door frames and stairs along the path, and carry furniture rather than dragging it. Taking beds and desks apart before they move also helps, because a narrow student hallway is the easiest place to hit a wall with an assembled bed frame.
What not to send with the movers
Keep a few things with you instead of on the truck: your laptop, passport, school documents, medication, keys and anything valuable. Food from the fridge should be eaten, given away or taken in a cooler. We also can’t move hazardous items like propane tanks, fuel, paint thinner or cleaning chemicals, so leave those out of the boxes.
Book early for the busy weeks
Student moves cluster around the end of the school year and the end of August, when leases turn over and residences open. Those weeks fill up first. If you know your dates, book as early as you can, especially if you need a specific day for a residence time slot or a lease end date.
Why use movers at all?
Plenty of students move with a borrowed car and a few friends, and for a carload of boxes that’s fine. It gets harder with a mattress, a desk, a dresser and stairs, or when the move is between cities. Renting a van, finding friends who are free, and spending a full day of the last week of exams on it adds up. A two person crew with a truck usually finishes a small student move quickly, and nobody has to bribe their friends with pizza.
How it works
- Get a quote. Call 905-752-7787 or use the quote form with both addresses, the date and roughly what’s moving.
- Book the date. We confirm the crew and the time, and what your building needs.
- Pack and prepare. Boxes packed, furniture taken apart where you can, keys and elevator sorted.
- Moving day. The crew loads, drives and unloads, and puts the bed and desk back together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a student move cost?
Local moves are billed by the hour: $149 an hour for two movers and a truck, with a one hour minimum and 15 minute increments after that. That rate applies to select non-peak dates, and peak-period pricing may vary. Moves between cities are priced by the hour or as one set price, depending on the move.
Do you move students outside Toronto?
Yes. We do student moves all across Ontario, including Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Kingston, Ottawa, Guelph, St. Catharines, Oshawa and northern Ontario.
Can you store my things over the summer?
Yes. We pick up in spring, store over the summer in our own climate controlled, monitored storage, and deliver in September. You pay for the space and the months you use.
Can you move me into residence?
Yes. Tell us the residence, your move-in time slot and the building’s rules. If the elevator or loading area needs a booking, you arrange it with the residence and we help with what to ask for.
Can you take away furniture I’m leaving behind?
Yes. We can remove old furniture and mattresses on the same visit as your move, and route usable pieces to donation where we can.
Can my parents book the move for me?
Yes. Many student moves are booked by parents. Just tell us who will be on site at each end so we can coordinate on the day.
Do you assemble beds and desks?
Yes. Our crews take apart beds, desks and shelving for the move and put them back together at the new place. We can also assemble new flat-pack furniture.
Do you move on weekends?
Yes. We work seven days a week, which matters for students whose leases end on a weekend. Weekend dates near the end of the month book up quickly, so reserve early.
Will you move just a few boxes and a bed?
Yes. Small student moves are common. Local moves have a one hour minimum and are then billed in 15 minute increments, so a small move costs less than a big one.
Can you pick up furniture I bought second hand?
Yes. Picking up a bed, desk or couch from a seller and bringing it to your place is a single item move. If there are several pickups in one day, tell us all the addresses and we’ll plan the route.
When should I book?
As early as you can. The end of the school year and the end of August are the busiest weeks for student moves, and specific days fill up first.
Tell us where you’re moving from and to, and we’ll make it quick and simple. Request your free quote or call 905-752-7787.