Many Brooklyn high-rises will not let a move start until three things are in place: a booked elevator window, the building’s paperwork, and management approval. Contact management at both your current and new buildings as soon as you have a date, ask for the written move policy, and book the elevator before you book the truck.
The details vary from tower to tower, but the requests repeat. This guide explains what a move policy usually covers, how elevator reservations work, what a certificate of insurance request asks for, how move-in fees differ between rentals and condos or co-ops, and the questions to ask before you lock in a date.
What a Building Move Policy Usually Covers
A move policy is the building’s rulebook for anyone carrying furniture through its lobby, halls, and elevators. Management or the managing agent usually sends it on request, sometimes as part of a lease or purchase package. Read it line by line, because a single missed requirement can stop a crew at the door.
| Policy item | What to look for |
| Allowed days and hours | Many buildings permit moves only on weekdays during daytime hours. Weekend and holiday moves are often not allowed. |
| Elevator reservation | Which elevator to use, how far in advance to book, how long a slot lasts, and whether staff must operate it. |
| Certificate of insurance | The exact names, address, and coverage the building wants listed on the mover’s certificate. |
| Fees and deposits | Any move fee or refundable deposit, who pays it, and when it is due. |
| Protection | Elevator pads, floor runners, or corner guards, and who installs them. |
| Entry route | Whether movers use a service entrance, loading dock, or side door instead of the main lobby. |
| Staff presence | Whether a porter, super, or doorkeeper must be present, and whether that affects the hours. |
| Move-out rules | The same rules usually apply when you leave, so check your current building too. |
Get the policy in writing, even if a doorkeeper or leasing agent describes it to you in person. The written version is what staff will enforce on the day.
How to Reserve the Freight or Service Elevator
Book the elevator first, then build the rest of the move around that slot. Popular times, such as the first and last days of the month, fill up early, and a building with one service elevator can host only one move at a time.
- Ask how reservations are made. Some buildings book through a resident portal or app; others through the management office or the front desk. Get a written or emailed confirmation either way.
- Confirm which elevator you get. Larger towers may have a dedicated freight elevator. Others put one passenger car into service mode for the move with pads installed. Ask for the elevator door width and cab depth so the mover can check that a sofa, mattress, or tall bookcase will fit.
- Book a slot long enough for the job. Slots are often a fixed block of hours. Ask your mover how long loading or unloading should take for your inventory, then add a buffer for the walk from the elevator to the truck.
- Book both ends. If you are moving between two elevator buildings, reserve the pickup slot and the delivery slot so they line up with drive time in between.
- Reconfirm two days before. Reservations get lost, staff schedules change, and building repairs can take an elevator out of service. A quick call or email confirming the date, time, and elevator helps avoid a crew waiting in the lobby.
If a sofa, armoire, or bed frame looks close to the cab size, raise it with your mover before the day. Our furniture moving page covers large and awkward pieces.
The Certificate of Insurance Request, Explained
A certificate of insurance, or COI, is a document from a moving company’s insurance agent that shows the building the mover’s coverage before the crew enters. Many New York City buildings will not allow a move without one. Brokerage Brown Harris Stevens advises asking building management or the super for a sample COI and forwarding it to the mover.
The sample is the key document. It lists exactly what the building wants on the certificate, and the wording must match it closely, or the building can reject it. Requests usually cover:
- Certificate holder. The building’s legal name and address, written exactly as management gives it.
- Additional insured. Some buildings require you to name them as an additional insured, often alongside the managing agent and the owner. Additional insured means adding those parties to the mover’s policy for the job, which is more than receiving a copy.
- Coverage minimums. The amounts of general liability and other coverage the building requires.
- Special wording. Some buildings ask for specific phrases, such as a waiver of subrogation. Send the sample as is and let the mover’s agent match it.
Send the sample to your mover as soon as you receive it, and ask the mover to confirm when the certificate has gone to management. Then confirm with management that they received and approved it. A rejected or late COI can get a crew turned away at the door.
If you are still choosing a mover, our guide on how to choose the right moving company in Brooklyn lists other questions worth asking before you book.
The COI protects the building’s property. It is separate from how your own belongings are protected during the move, so ask your mover about that as its own question.
Move-In Fees and Deposits: Rentals vs. Condos and Co-ops
What a building can charge you for moving in depends on whether you are renting or buying, so read any fee request with that in mind.
Renters. New York’s 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act capped rental application charges at $20 for a background or credit check, and the New York Department of State confirmed that the cap also binds brokers acting for a landlord. Real estate attorneys report that the Department of State’s guidance also treats an advance move-in or move-out deposit as a fee a landlord cannot collect. If a rental building asks for one, ask management in writing what legal basis applies, and contact the New York Attorney General’s office if you think a charge is improper.
Leaving a rent-stabilized apartment? Our guide to moving out of a rent-stabilized apartment in Brooklyn covers the move-out side.
Condo and co-op buyers and sublet tenants. Boards set their own application, move-in, and move-out fees, and the $20 cap doesn’t limit the application fees a board can charge, according to Department of State guidance summarized by Caretaker. Expect the board package to list any move fee and any refundable deposit held against damage to common areas.
This section is general information, not legal advice. If a fee seems out of line, a tenant attorney or the Attorney General’s office can tell you how the law applies to your lease.
Lining Up the Elevator Window with the Truck and the Curb
An elevator slot only helps if the truck is parked and ready when it opens. In Brooklyn, that means planning the building, the street, and the crew as one schedule.
- Match the slot to street rules. Check the parking signs outside the building for street cleaning hours and time limits. A morning elevator slot that overlaps the street cleaning window leaves the truck with nowhere legal to stand.
- Ask where the truck should stop. Some towers want trucks at a loading dock or service entrance on a side street. Others expect curbside loading out front. Confirm before moving day so the driver goes straight to the right door.
- Plan for the gap between buildings. For a move between two elevator buildings, leave enough time between the pickup slot and the delivery slot for loading to finish, the drive, and any traffic on the way.
- Prepare before the slot opens. Have boxes packed, sealed, and labeled, and furniture emptied, before the elevator window starts. Every minute spent packing during the slot is a minute the elevator sits unused.
If you are packing yourself, finish at least a day early. Professional packing is another option when a tight elevator window leaves no room for last-minute work.
Questions to Ask Building Management
Send these to both buildings in one email so the answers arrive in writing.
- Can you send the written move policy and a sample certificate of insurance?
- Which days and hours are moves allowed, and how long is each reservation slot?
- How do I book the elevator, and how far in advance should I reserve it?
- Which elevator will we use, and what are its door width and cab depth?
- Where should the truck park or stop: a loading dock, a service entrance, or the curb out front?
- Is there a move fee or refundable deposit, who pays it, and when is it due?
- Who installs elevator pads and floor protection?
- Does a staff member need to be present, and does that change the allowed hours?
- Who is my contact on moving day if something goes wrong?
Planning a High-Rise Move in Brooklyn
The elevator window, paperwork, and curb access all have to line up on the same morning. If you are moving into or out of a Brooklyn tower, including the newer buildings in Williamsburg, see what our residential moving service includes, or visit our Brooklyn movers page. Arriving from out of state? Our long-distance moving page explains how interstate moves are handled.