Not everyone has the luxury of taking the ideal two to three months to plan their move to a new home. Sometimes living situations change unexpectedly, apartments aren’t ready on time, or closing dates are suddenly rescheduled. In these cases, you’ll need to work quickly to secure a reliable moving company that can serve as your last-minute movers.
There are a few challenges to coordinating a move when you only have a little time to do so. You’ll have to find a legitimate company that can accommodate your quickly approaching move date, and you’ll also need to handle some preparation and logistics. When you find the right local movers, though, even a last-minute move can be a great success.
Challenges of coordinating last-minute movers
People who need to coordinate a last-minute move run into a number of challenges, including:
- Packing. If you need a quick-turn move, you might not have had time to properly pack your home. Rushed or improper packing can lead to problems like damaged goods or articles getting lost or even forgotten at your old home.
- Logistics. Depending on where you’re moving to and from, your building might require you to make elevator or loading dock reservations, which aren’t always available with short notice. And, if parking is in short supply at either or both of your locations, you might need to secure City of Chicago parking permits for the moving truck, which generally takes more than one week to process.
- Scheduling. The best moving companies in Chicago will try their best to accommodate your last-minute move, but keep in mind that especially during certain times of the year, month, and week, their schedules fill up quickly. Brace yourself for the need to be flexible, as movers can’t always fulfill last-minute requests.
Keep in mind that the ideal moving timeline is about three months. It’s easy to want to put off planning your move simply because it’s not exactly a fun or enjoyable task. However, careful planning sets you up for a less stressful and more successful experience. If it’s not possible to coordinate your logistics over the course of a few months, you can often find local last-minute movers who can help you.
How to find a company to accommodate your timeline
Finding last-minute movers—and in particular, same-day movers—can be a frustrating and nerve-wracking process. The important thing is to stay calm and focused on your goal of coordinating a smooth and successful quick-turn move.
First and foremost, make sure you only contact legitimate moving companies that are registered with the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association (IMAWA). If the moving companies you’re looking at aren’t listed on those websites, they might not be licensed and insured, and you might end up with untrained movers working for an illegitimate business.
Second, prepare to be flexible. Some moving companies have room in their schedules to take care of a last-minute move, but it might not be at the exact time you’re hoping for. For example: you might want to move in the morning, but they might only have an open slot in the afternoon.
It’s also a possibility that the movers may have time to wrap and load your belongings one day and bring them to your new home the next day. This will cost you a little more money since you’ll have to pay for overnight storage service and maybe a hotel room for the night, but spending the extra cash will be worth it since you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you’re working with legitimate, professional movers.
Preparing for a last-minute move
Needing to hire last-minute movers doesn’t release you from preparation duties. You’ll still need to get ready for your move. Here are a few things that your moving checklist should include after you’ve booked your moving company:
- Gather your packing materials (bonus points if they’re eco-friendly moving supplies!).
- Carefully pack up your entire home or ask your last-minute moving company if they have the time and personnel to send over to help you pack.
- Take care of logistics like forwarding your mail and updating your address with any subscription or delivery services.
- Cancel utility services like electricity, gas, and water at your old home and set up accounts for your new place.
- Make arrangements for your pets on move day.
- Coordinate any elevator reservations, loading dock reservations, or anything else your old or new buildings might require.
If anything changes—even the slightest detail about your moving inventory or timing—let your last-minute movers know immediately. Since your move needs to happen quickly, you’ll need to make sure any changes or adjustments still fit within your moving company’s schedule.
We are Chicago’s go-to last-minute movers!
We want to give our customers the world. And although we can’t always accommodate a last-minute request, we pride ourselves in being as flexible as possible to give Chicagoans and Chicago-area residents the smooth and stress-free moving experience they deserve.
Contact us today to learn how we can help make your last-minute move a success!