Apartment moves in Brisbane have one extra layer that house moves don't: the building itself. There's a lift to share, a loading dock with a time limit, a building manager with a form, and a set of by-laws that say when you can and can't move. Sort those out a couple of weeks early and the day is easy. Leave them late and you can end up with a full truck and no way to get it upstairs.
Here's what we see in the buildings we move people into every week, from South Brisbane and West End to the towers in Newstead and Kangaroo Point.
Talk to the building manager early
Nearly every building with more than a handful of units has a building manager or caretaker, and they're the person you need on your side. Contact them as soon as you have a move date, ideally two weeks out, and ask:
- Which days and hours are moves allowed? Many buildings only allow weekdays and Saturday mornings, and most ban Sundays and public holidays.
- Is there a loading dock or moving bay, and does it need to be booked?
- Does the lift need to be booked, and will they fit protective padding?
- Do they need anything from the removalist?
That last one matters. Plenty of buildings in the Brisbane CBD and Fortitude Valley want the removalist's certificate of currency for public liability insurance before they'll confirm. We send ours the same day you ask, so just pass on the manager's email.
Booking the lift
The lift booking is the most important item on this list. Two households trying to move on the same Saturday morning with one lift means one of them waits, and waiting is still time on the clock.
Ask for a realistic window. A one-bedroom apartment usually needs two to three hours of lift access; a two or three bedroom place with a full kitchen and wardrobes needs more. If the manager offers a two-hour slot, ask whether it can be extended if the move runs long.
Some buildings will put the lift on service mode for you, so it ignores other calls. Others expect you to share, in which case the crew stages items in the lobby and runs them up in batches.
The loading dock
Newer Brisbane buildings almost always have a dock or moving bay off the car park, and they come with two catches: height and time.
Height. Many basement docks have a clearance of around 2.1 to 2.6 metres, which rules out a lot of trucks. Get the exact clearance from the manager and tell your removalist. We'll bring a vehicle that fits or plan to work from the street.
Time. Dock bookings are usually limited to a few hours, and some buildings charge a fee or take a bond. Find out upfront.
If there's no dock, the move happens from the street. A chat with the manager about a visitor bay, or a note to the neighbours the night before, saves a lot of hassle.
What the body corporate will expect
Strata buildings in Queensland are run by a body corporate, and its by-laws set the rules for moving hours, noise, protecting common property and parking. You don't need to read the whole thing. The manager will usually hand you a one-page moving form that covers what matters:
- Moves only during set hours
- Protective covering in the lift and sometimes the lobby floor
- No propping fire doors open without permission
- Boxes and packing materials taken away, not left in the bin room
- Any damage to common property reported straight away
A good removalist handles most of this without being asked. We bring our own floor runners and door protectors, and we take the rubbish with us.
Measure before you move
What catches people out most often isn't the lift booking, it's the furniture that won't fit. Measure the lift door and internal depth, any tight corners between the lift and your door, and your entry hall. Then measure the sofa, the fridge, the mattress and any large wardrobe.
If something won't fit in the lift, the options are the stairs for lighter items, disassembly, or a balcony lift in some buildings. All of them are far easier to plan in advance than to discover at 9am on moving day.
Move day, step by step
- Confirm the lift and dock booking with the manager the day before.
- Have keys, fobs and car park access sorted before the truck arrives. Fobs that don't open the dock gate are a classic time waster.
- Walk the crew through and point out anything fragile or anything to be disassembled.
- Keep your essentials box with you, not in the truck.
- Check the lift and lobby for marks or debris before you hand the lift back.
Small move or full apartment?
For a studio or one room in a share, a bed, a fridge and a few boxes, our single item removals service is often the better fit. For anything bigger, our apartment removals service is built around exactly these buildings. We know which docks are tight and which managers want the paperwork early.
Moving into an apartment soon? Call or text us on 0491 097 706 or send the quote form. Tell us the building and we'll tell you what to book and when.