Apartment movers for Bay Area walk-ups and elevator buildings

Most apartment moves in the Bay Area are not big. What makes them long is getting to the door: a third-floor walk-up in the Mission, a shared elevator in a San Jose complex, a loading zone that is really a bike lane, a hallway that turns twice before the unit. Spartan Moving prices every local apartment move by the hour, so the best way to keep your bill down is to plan the access before the truck arrives.

A team of 3 movers and a 26 ft truck is $175 per hour, every day of the week, with a 3-hour minimum and 15-minute increments after that. There is no separate charge for stairs, elevators, mileage or fuel. Those things only show up as time.

Walk-ups

Stairs are never a line item on a local move. A walk-up simply takes longer than a ground-floor unit, because every box and every piece of furniture makes the trip by hand. If both ends have stairs, tell us when you ask for a quote so the time estimate is realistic.

Elevator buildings

Reserve the elevator with your building as early as you can, and ask how long you can hold it. If the crew has to wait for a shared elevator, that waiting is part of the completion time and is billed like the rest of the move. Many buildings also want a certificate of insurance before they will book the elevator. We provide it free: send us the building or HOA name, its mailing address and its email, and we request it from our insurance agent.

Parking the truck

We use a 26 ft truck, the largest non-CDL truck used for local moves, and it holds about 1,750 cubic feet in one trip. It needs one spot of roughly 40 feet so there is room for the ramp. Where there is no legal place to stop because of traffic, a bus lane or a bike lane, a parking permit is the safer route; in San Francisco it is processed through the SFMTA website, and our SF parking permit guide walks through it. Per our written policy, a citation for double parking is added to the bill, so a reserved spot is worth the effort. If your building has a low garage or a small loading dock, send us the address and David will check the access before move day and tell you if a shuttle is needed.

The rate is for the whole team and the truck, not per mover. We do not charge for the drive to your first address or back from the last one. When the pickup and drop-off are more than 10 minutes apart, California's double drive time rule applies: the drive between the two addresses is counted twice. A move inside the same neighborhood usually has none.

As a guide from past jobs: a studio usually takes 3 to 4 hours, a 1-bedroom 3 to 5 hours, and a home of about 1,200 sq ft around 5 to 6 hours including double drive time. Your own time depends on how much you have, how well it is packed and the access at both ends.

• Furniture disassembly and reassembly (beds, sectionals, dining tables)
• Moving blankets on all furniture, tape and floor protection
• Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothes during the move, collected at the end
• No extra charge for tax, mileage, stairs, elevator or fuel
• A call from the team 30 minutes before arrival

Boxes, mattress covers, bubble wrap and dish packs are charged as used. If you would rather not pack at all, the Golden Package adds $70 per hour and covers full packing with all supplies; the Silver Package adds $35 per hour for mattress covers and the bulky fragile items such as TVs and mirrors. You can decide at the end of the move after comparing the totals.

1. Book the elevator and loading area with your building for both the move-out and the move-in, and ask about allowed move hours.
2. Ask if a COI is required and send us the HOA or management name, mailing address and email.
3. Pack everything small into sealed boxes. We do not move items in plastic bags, for safety and stacking. TVs, lamps and mirrors must be boxed too.
4. Empty dresser drawers. The foreman makes the final call on site if clothes can stay.
5. Plan the truck spot about 40 ft long, close to the entrance you will use.