Moving in New York City: the COI, the elevator, and the curb

The COI is the permit

Most co-ops, condos, and managed rentals will not let a crew past the lobby without a certificate of insurance from the mover. The building sets the limits and the wording. Common demands are general liability in the low millions, workers' compensation, and the building plus the managing agent named as additional insured. Some want an umbrella figure a small mover cannot meet.

Get the building's COI requirements in writing before you book. Send them to the mover the same day. A mover who cannot produce a COI to a building's wording is telling you something about their insurance.

The elevator is the schedule

Service elevators are booked in windows, usually weekdays, often not before 9 or after 4, and rarely on weekends. Two buildings means two windows that have to line up. Ask both buildings before you accept a move date.

Some buildings charge a move-in or move-out fee or hold a deposit against damage to the elevator pads and hallways. That is the building, not the mover, and it does not appear on the estimate.

What the city does and does not do

New York City does not issue a residential moving permit and does not reserve curb space for a move. Cones on the street the night before are not a reservation. Trucks over the local weight limits must use designated truck routes except for the last leg to the address.

At the curb: a No Parking sign lets a vehicle stop to load or unload. A No Standing sign does not, except to pick up or drop off passengers. No Stopping means neither. Alternate-side rules still apply on the day. Ask the mover who pays the ticket if the truck sits on the wrong sign; it is usually you.

Walk-ups and long carries

A fifth-floor walk-up in a prewar building is priced by the flight. A truck that cannot get near the door adds a long carry or a shuttle from a smaller van. Both are accessorials and both belong on the estimate, not on the driveway.