What are the primary logistics I need to take care of when moving?
Moving can be overwhelming and require a long checklist of items to take care of. It’s important to make sure you cover the primary “to do’s” so that you can focus on the little things. Here are some of the major items to address:
Schedule Move-In
After signing a lease or closing on a sale, you should immediately speak with the building’s super or property manager (if you haven’t done so already) to determine available dates and times to move-in (including reservation of the freight elevator, if applicable) and discover applicable information about building policies. This will help with scheduling the move-out date from your current home and movers or a truck rental for your move.
If you have a scheduled closing and want to plan for a move-in same day or soon after, it may be best to try to coordinate movers and move-in with the building at least one week before closing, contingent on closing of course. It will depend on the building and flexibility / helpfulness of the super for how much you can officially do in terms of locking in an elevator reservation pre-closing, but you should have the conversation regardless to know what is possible and act accordingly.
Schedule Move-Out
Once you’ve determined that you’re moving out of your current home, speak with your building’s super or property manager to schedule a move-out date. Discuss time ranges (during the day), reserving the freight elevator (if applicable), fees, if any, and other various policies, including service entrance use, parking and movers.
Movers / Do-It-Yourself
Determine if you are going to hire a moving company or go the do-it-yourself route. If you have the money, movers are always a much easier and convenient option and include a wide spectrum of services from basic pick-up and drop-off to full-service packing and un-packing. However, renting a truck or a van and enlisting the help of some friends could save a bundle, but will take longer and of course be much more strenuous. Once you’ve made a decision, research the gamut of moving or truck rental companies and make an appointment for your desired move-out / move-in date.
Internet / TV / Phone
Setting up cable, internet and phone (if applicable) as close to the move-in date as possible can be very important to people moving into a new home. Once you select your Internet / cable provider and the services you need, schedule an installation appointment immediately, since first available time slots can sometimes be days or even weeks away from the current date (do not wait to schedule this!).
Electric
Con Edison handles all electric and gas accounts in NYC – for information about becoming a new customer, click here. To set up electric and gas in your new home, you can click here or contact Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633), prior to move-in (make sure you do this before you move in to your new home to ensure there is no delay in service). A customer service representative will request your information and walk you through the process.
Change of Address – USPS
Once your new address is known, you can go to the United States Postal Service (USPS) website and fill out the online form to officially change your address. This allows you to forward mail from your old address to your new one and alert senders to change their address information they have on file for you. The begin date for this can be set on a desired day, depending on when your move will take place. To start the Change of Address process on the USPS website, click here.
Change of Address – DMV
If you have a NY Drivers License and it has your current address on it, you’ll need to switch it to your new address. You can do so easily online here at MyDMV. If you have an out of state Drivers License and want to exchange it for a NY State Drivers License (required for new NY residents within 30 days of moving here), click here for more information on how to do so.
