Hiring a Mover vs. Doing it Yourself
Assuming you don’t own something very valuable or fragile that you wouldn’t move yourself (obviously you’d go with a mover in that case), the two decision factors are cost and time. Professional movers cost more, but minimize the pain of the move in that it’ll take less time and effort. Doing it yourself through renting or borrowing a van will likely cost less, but will take more time and you’ll likely need help from some friends. If you don’t have too much stuff, you’ve got some extra time, and some willing buddies – do it yourself – with some pizza and beer as incentives you can make a day out of it. Whatever you choose, make your decision in advance as most people move at the end of the month, so getting good movers or available vans becomes harder the closer to the end of the month that you book.
If you are moving over a long distance, there are a few more elements to take into account when deciding between hiring movers or doing it yourself. Calculate the cost of travel, which includes gas, meals, tolls, lodging, and so on. Also add into the calculation the costs of renting a vehicle large enough to haul all of your belongings, insuring valuable possessions, hiring additional moving help, etc.
Basic insurance is generally included when you hire a mover and it covers most items. However, if a TV or something expensive breaks, there's a small deductible that the customer usually has to pay to get it fixed. Many moving companies will try to sell you additional insurance, for about $25, which covers everything, and there is a zero deductible. But don't be lured into buying extra coverage if you already have household insurance. With household insurance, all your possessions are usually covered when your possessions are being moved from one place to another.
For local moves (i.e. local Toronto movers), on average, the cost for a mover is $60/hour (range: $40 - $70 per hour) for 2 people and $75/hour (range: $50 - $80 per hour) for 3 people. You’ll also likely need to pay a “travel fee” of at least $50, and a minimum total fee, which ranges, but will likely be no less than $200. If you're doing it yourself, a van will cost you between $20 and $30 for the day, plus a fee per kilometer (approx. $0.50 per km), plus insurance and gas. Overall, if you aren’t going too far then it won’t be a large sum of money. Do note that if you’re renting a van, there are minimum age restrictions. If you’re under 21 (or even 25) some companies won't allow you to rent. In this scenario, U-Haul is your best option, as you only need to be 18 to rent from them.
Whether you’re looking for a mover for any distance (i.e. a local Toronto mover or one that does long distance moves) or to rent a van, step #1 is to ask friends for recommendations. Failing that, there are too many movers to suggest one, so instead we’ll suggest a couple of websites which will give you some quotes. The best site we’ve found is eMove.com. They give instant quotes for both movers, storage and van rentals. Note that the only van rental option is U-Haul so you may want to do some further exploration if you’re going down that route. The other two sites are solid, but require you to enter in your details and they then get back to you with quotes – so nothing instantaneous, but they do the job: Moveit.ca and CanadaMovers. A few other van rental suggested companies: rent-a-wreck, Budget and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
If you are moving over a long distance, there are a few more elements to take into account when deciding between hiring movers or doing it yourself. Calculate the cost of travel, which includes gas, meals, tolls, lodging, and so on. Also add into the calculation the costs of renting a vehicle large enough to haul all of your belongings, insuring valuable possessions, hiring additional moving help, etc.
Basic insurance is generally included when you hire a mover and it covers most items. However, if a TV or something expensive breaks, there's a small deductible that the customer usually has to pay to get it fixed. Many moving companies will try to sell you additional insurance, for about $25, which covers everything, and there is a zero deductible. But don't be lured into buying extra coverage if you already have household insurance. With household insurance, all your possessions are usually covered when your possessions are being moved from one place to another.
For local moves (i.e. local Toronto movers), on average, the cost for a mover is $60/hour (range: $40 - $70 per hour) for 2 people and $75/hour (range: $50 - $80 per hour) for 3 people. You’ll also likely need to pay a “travel fee” of at least $50, and a minimum total fee, which ranges, but will likely be no less than $200. If you're doing it yourself, a van will cost you between $20 and $30 for the day, plus a fee per kilometer (approx. $0.50 per km), plus insurance and gas. Overall, if you aren’t going too far then it won’t be a large sum of money. Do note that if you’re renting a van, there are minimum age restrictions. If you’re under 21 (or even 25) some companies won't allow you to rent. In this scenario, U-Haul is your best option, as you only need to be 18 to rent from them.
Whether you’re looking for a mover for any distance (i.e. a local Toronto mover or one that does long distance moves) or to rent a van, step #1 is to ask friends for recommendations. Failing that, there are too many movers to suggest one, so instead we’ll suggest a couple of websites which will give you some quotes. The best site we’ve found is eMove.com. They give instant quotes for both movers, storage and van rentals. Note that the only van rental option is U-Haul so you may want to do some further exploration if you’re going down that route. The other two sites are solid, but require you to enter in your details and they then get back to you with quotes – so nothing instantaneous, but they do the job: Moveit.ca and CanadaMovers. A few other van rental suggested companies: rent-a-wreck, Budget and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.