Moving in a Melbourne high rise: lift bookings, certificates and owners corporation rules

A house move needs a truck and a crew. An apartment move in Southbank, Docklands, Box Hill or Footscray needs a truck, a crew, a lift booking, a certificate of currency and an owners corporation that agrees to all of it. Two of those three pieces of paper take days to arrange, and they are the reason apartment moves fall over.

The lift booking

Managed buildings release one lift for a move, usually in a four hour block between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on a weekday. The lift is switched to service mode, padded blankets go up inside the car, and the doors are held by a building attendant or by your crew.

Book it five to ten business days ahead. The last weekend of the month is the worst time to try to get one at short notice, because everyone's lease ends then. Many CBD and Southbank towers do not allow moves on weekends at all, which is worth checking before you book a Saturday truck.

Expect a refundable bond of $300 to $500 in many buildings, released after the lift and lobby are inspected.

The certificate of currency

This is written proof from an insurer that a removalist's public liability policy is active, naming the sum insured and the expiry date. Ours shows $20 million in cover, a sample figure for this demo site, and we email it straight to the building manager with your booking reference.

A building will not release a lift or a loading dock without one. Allow two business days. If your removalist hesitates when you ask for a certificate of currency, that is the answer to a different question.

Owners corporation rules

Every building has its own, and they are rarely on the website. Ask the building manager for the move in rules in writing and check for:

• Permitted move days and hours, and whether weekends are excluded
• Which lift, which entry door, and whether the loading bay is shared with the bins
• Whether the dock has a height restriction, commonly 3.4 to 3.8 metres
• Whether a building attendant must be present, and at what cost
• Who to call when the fob or the lift key does not work at 7:30 am

The basement problem

Most residential car parks are signed at 2.1 metres. An 8 tonne pantech stands about 3.4 metres. If the only loading point is underground, the truck stays on the street and we shuttle with a smaller vehicle, which adds roughly 45 minutes per 20 cubic metres. Knowing that before quote day is the difference between a smooth move and an argument about the invoice.

Street access on the way in

Even with the building sorted, the truck still has to stop somewhere legal. Sydney Road, Chapel Street and Brunswick Street have clearways from 7:00 am to 9:00 am and 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. City of Melbourne and City of Yarra will reserve a temporary parking bay with about five business days notice, at roughly $60 to $120 per bay per day.

The cheapest thing you can do for an apartment move is make three phone calls a fortnight early. The most expensive is making them the day before.

A realistic apartment move timeline

1. Two weeks out: ask both buildings for the move rules and the lift booking forms.
2. Ten business days out: submit the lift bookings for both ends.
3. Eight business days out: request the certificate of currency from your removalist.
4. Five business days out: apply for a street parking bay if the kerb is a clearway or permit zone.
5. Two days out: confirm the dock slot, the fob and the attendant with the building manager.
6. Move day: fit the lift blankets before the first trolley goes in, and keep the dock clear.