Apartment removals are a different job to moving a house, and the difference isn’t the volume. It’s the building.
A house move starts when the truck parks outside. An apartment move starts weeks earlier, with a lift booking, a loading dock window, and a body corporate wanting a certificate of currency before anyone touches a trolley.
The people doing it are renters between leases, first home buyers in off-the-plan towers, downsizers moving into something smaller, and students shifting between share houses. Volume is usually modest. The obstacles are not.
What goes wrong is nearly always access. A two-hour lift booking that expires mid-move. A dock fifty metres from the goods lift. A stairwell with a turn that a three-seater won’t get around. Parking restrictions that push the truck down the street and turn every load into a long carry.
So when comparing removalists for an apartment, ask about the building, not the boxes. Have they worked towers with booked lifts? Will they handle the body corporate paperwork? What happens if the lift booking runs out? And do they charge stair and long-carry fees separately, because on an apartment move those lines are where the bill grows.
Ten Melbourne operators below, with verified ratings and what their customers actually say about lifts, stairs and tight corners.
Quick Comparison Table
|
Company |
Best For | Base | Customer Rating |
| Gotham Removals | Apartment moves with packing included | Deer Park |
5.0 (96 reviews) |
|
Get ‘n’ Go Removals |
CBD high-rise, lift-booked buildings | Collins Street | 5.0 (158 reviews) |
| North Removals | Walk-ups and multiple flights of stairs | Kensington |
5.0 (1,132 reviews) |
|
Little Red Trucks |
Fixed-price apartment moves, no-lift buildings | Brunswick | 4.9 (1,539 reviews) |
| Vicmovers | Appliances through tight doorways | Collins Street |
4.9 (486 reviews) |
|
Homemove Removalists |
Careful handling in older buildings | CBD + Northcote |
4.9 (421 reviews) |
|
Dial A Mover |
Short notice, lift-constrained moves | Parkville | 4.9 (155 reviews) |
| Easy Peasy Removals | Body corporate rules and restricted parking | Prahran + 2 branches |
4.8 (432 reviews) |
|
All The Right Moves |
Large furniture down stairwells | Ascot Vale | 4.8 (272 reviews) |
| Single Item Movers | One couch, one bed, one fridge | Queen Street |
5.0 (38 reviews) |
1. Gotham Removals
Overview
Gotham works out of Deer Park and covers apartment and house removals across Melbourne, plus interstate relocations. Open seven days, which matters when your lift booking is a Saturday morning slot you couldn’t move.
For apartments the useful part is that packing comes from the same company. Smaller spaces mean fewer things, but they’re often packed in a rush the night before, and that’s where breakages come from.
Services
- Apartment and house removals across Melbourne
- Furniture dismantling and reassembly
- Packing and unpacking services, full or partial
- Materials supplied — boxes, wrap, paper, tape
- Interstate relocations to the eastern capitals
- Storage between lease dates
What the Reviews Show
Access problems handled rather than billed. One customer describes a property with a narrow driveway and difficult entry, with the truck reversed in without drama. For apartment moves, that instinct — assess first, then work — is what keeps a booked lift window from expiring.
Dismantling also comes up consistently. Beds, wardrobes and appliances taken apart properly, which matters more in an apartment than a house because nothing fits through the door assembled.
Best For
Apartment moves where you want packing handled too, and anyone moving between buildings with tight access at both ends.
Coverage
All Melbourne metropolitan suburbs, plus interstate.
Pros
- Open seven days, including weekends
- Partial packing available to control cost
- Crews familiar with Melbourne parking and access
- Storage available for lease gaps
Cons
- Smaller operator, so weekend slots book out
- Review base smaller than the larger firms here
More About Gotham Removals
The 5.0 across 96 reviews is a modest sample compared to some on this list, but the same crew members are named repeatedly across different jobs. In apartment work that matters — the crews who’ve done tower moves before know to check the lift dimensions before carrying anything to it.
2. Get ‘n’ Go Removals
Company Overview
Listed at Collins Place in the CBD and operating 24 hours, seven days. If any company on this list was built for high-rise work, it’s this one.
Services
- Apartment and CBD removals
- Furniture wrapping and protection
- Storage
- Courier and smaller transport jobs
Why They Lead on High-Rise
One review is worth quoting the substance of in full. A customer moved between two modern CBD towers minutes apart — tight lift booking windows, strict building management rules, limited dock access — and describes the crew arriving ten minutes early, fully prepared.
That’s the whole discipline of apartment removals in one sentence. The distance is nothing. The building is everything, and early beats fast.
A home staging company also uses them regularly, which means repeat access work in furnished buildings.
Best Suited For
CBD and Southbank towers, buildings with booked lifts and dock windows, and moves that have to happen outside business hours.
Areas Covered
Melbourne CBD and metropolitan area.
Pros
- Listed 24 hours, seven days
- Documented experience with lift bookings and building management
- Perfect rating across a reasonable sample
Cons
- Stair fees charged separately — confirm upfront
- Smaller review base than the volume operators here
3. North Removals
Background
Kensington-based, holding 5.0 across more than 1,100 reviews. That’s an unusual combination of rating and volume.
What They Handle
- Local apartment and house removals
- Furniture dismantling and reassembly
- Storage
- Packing supplies
Where They Matter for Apartments
Stairs. One review describes four flights navigated with furniture reassembled properly afterwards, and the customer’s tone is notably unimpressed by the difficulty — which is the point. Crews who treat stairs as routine don’t slow down halfway up.
Speed helps too. Multiple reviews describe full moves finished by midday. On a walk-up paid hourly, that’s the difference between a morning and a day.
Suited To
Walk-up apartments, terraces, and any building where the lift is either broken or nonexistent.
Coverage
Melbourne metropolitan area.
Pros
- Exceptional rating across a very large sample
- Repeated evidence of handling multiple flights
- Consistently fast, which lowers hourly bills
Cons
- Closed Sundays
- No confirmed interstate service
4. Little Red Trucks
Who They Are
A Brunswick operator with 1,539 reviews at 4.9, open seven days including Sunday afternoons.
Services
- Apartment and house removals
- Fixed-cost and hourly pricing
- Storage
- Multi-address deliveries
The Apartment Angle
One review describes a level 2 apartment with no lifts, and a crew still cheerful after four and a half hours of stairs in the rain. Another mentions items added to the job on the day without a fuss or a renegotiation.
The fixed-cost option is the genuinely useful part though. Apartment moves are where hourly jobs blow out — a lift that’s slower than expected, a dock queue, a carry that’s longer than anyone measured. A fixed price moves that risk off you.
Best For
Walk-ups, no-lift buildings, and anyone who wants the price locked before they find out how slow the lift is.
Service Area
Melbourne metropolitan area.
Pros
- Fixed-price option available
- Open seven days including Sundays
- Short-notice availability, often same week
- Largest review base on this list
Cons
- Sunday hours short — 10am to 2pm
- Not the cheapest hourly option
5. Vicmovers
Overview
Operating from Collins Street, 7am to 10pm every day, 4.9 across 486 reviews. The long hours suit lift bookings that land early or late.
What They Offer
- Apartment and house removals
- Appliance dismantling and handling
- Multi-drop moves
- Storage
- Freight collection
Where They’re Strong
Getting things through doorways that weren’t designed for them. One customer had a fridge that wouldn’t fit through a door — the crew dismantled the doors, moved it, and reassembled it on site with tools they already had.
Another describes a fridge taken up townhouse stairs after other movers had declined the job. For apartment moves, that willingness is worth more than a low rate.
Ideal For
Apartments with narrow entries, large appliances, and moves with more than one drop-off point.
Coverage
Melbourne metropolitan area.
Pros
- Open 7am to 10pm, seven days
- Proven with appliances and tight access
- Clear pricing communicated before the day
Cons
- Above budget operators on price
- CBD listing — confirm depot for travel charges
6. Homemove Removalists & Storage
Company Snapshot
Elizabeth Street in the CBD, with a second branch in Northcote. Main listing 4.9 across 421 reviews; Northcote 4.7 across 24.
Services
- Apartment and house removals
- Storage
- Packing and furniture protection
- Antique and delicate item handling
Why People Book Them
Care in older buildings. Customers with antique furniture describe entire collections moved without incident, which in a period apartment with tight stairwells and original bannisters is a real test.
The director stays involved from quote to completion, and there’s a courtesy call the day before the move. For a lift-booked building where timing is fixed, that confirmation is worth more than it sounds.
Best Suited For
Period apartments, buildings with awkward stairwells, and anyone moving furniture they’d rather not replace.
Areas Covered
Melbourne CBD, inner north and metro.
Pros
- Strong rating across a solid sample
- Two branches covering different parts of the city
- Pre-move confirmation call as standard
Cons
- Closed Sundays
- Second branch has a much smaller review base
7. Dial A Mover
Background
A Parkville operation listed as open 24 hours, 4.9 across 155 reviews.
Services
- Apartment and house removals
- Storage
- Fragile item handling
- Short-notice bookings
Where They Earn It
Lifts, specifically. One customer describes being stressed about whether a couch would fit into the lift at all, and the crew handling it without the drama that usually follows. Anyone who has watched two movers measure a lift with a tape and shake their heads will know why that review exists.
They also take rescue jobs. One customer was cancelled on by another company late on a Friday and had a replacement crew organised, with the property assessed before the start time.
Best For
Lift-constrained buildings, last-minute bookings, and anyone who’s just been let down.
Service Area
Melbourne metropolitan area.
Pros
- Listed 24 hours, seven days
- Documented lift and access problem-solving
- Capacity for short-notice work
Cons
- Smaller review base than others here
- Interstate coverage unconfirmed
8. Easy Peasy Removals & Storage
Overview
Three Melbourne branches — Prahran (4.8 from 432), Cheltenham (4.9 from 398) and St Kilda West (4.7 from 34). Open 8am to 8pm weekdays, Saturdays to 5pm.
Services
- Apartment and house removals
- Storage
- Furniture wrapping and protection
- Packing
The Body Corporate Point
This is the most apartment-relevant detail in any review I found. A customer describes strict body corporate rules at their old building requiring the truck to park in a designated spot fifty metres from the garage — and the crew simply got on with it.
Fifty metres, repeated for every item, is hours of extra work. A crew that treats it as normal rather than as grounds for a renegotiation is exactly what you want in a managed building.
Speed also features: a three-bedroom home in five hours, a full move in under four where a previous company had billed eight.
Best For
Buildings with restrictive body corporate rules, designated parking, and long carries from dock to door.
Coverage
Melbourne metro across three branches.
Pros
- Three branches covering different parts of the city
- Documented experience with body corporate restrictions
- Long weekday hours, to 8pm
Cons
- Closed Sundays
- Weekend service charges noted in reviews
- One detailed complaint about a job quoted at four hours running past seven
Worth Doing
Given that last point, get the estimated hours and crew size written into the quote. That applies to any hourly operator, but it’s the one specific complaint on their record.
9. All The Right Moves
Who They Are
Ascot Vale based, 4.8 across 272 reviews, weekdays only.
Services
- Apartment and house removals
- Office relocation
- Storage
- Furniture handling
Where They Fit
Large furniture in buildings that weren’t designed for it. One customer describes a large recliner couch taken down two flights of stairs without issue — the exact item most likely to end an apartment move badly.
Quoting accuracy is the other consistent theme. Several reviewers independently mention quotes matching the final bill, which on an apartment move with unpredictable access is genuinely uncommon.
Best For
Apartments with a piece of furniture you’re worried about, and anyone who needs the number fixed in advance.
Service Area
Melbourne metropolitan area.
Pros
- Repeated evidence of large furniture down stairwells
- Consistent praise for accurate quoting
- Repeat customers across multiple moves
Cons
- Closed Saturdays and Sundays
- No weekend availability at all
10. Single Item Movers
Overview
Listed on Queen Street, open 7am to 9pm seven days, with 5.0 across 38 reviews. The niche is in the name.
What They Do
- Single item transport
- Furniture moved within a property
- Marketplace and secondhand pickups
- Dismantling and reassembly
Why This Belongs on an Apartment List
Because most apartment “moves” aren’t moves. They’re one couch bought on Marketplace that needs to get to a third floor. One bed that has to go upstairs. One fridge replacing another.
Booking a full crew and truck for that is overkill. One review describes a gas lift bed moved from downstairs to upstairs — dismantled, carried, reassembled, done in 90 minutes.
Best For
Single heavy items, secondhand furniture pickups, and rearranging within a building without a full booking.
Coverage
Melbourne metropolitan area.
Pros
- Open 7am to 9pm, seven days
- Built for jobs too small for a full move
- Short-notice, often next-day availability
Cons
- Only 38 reviews, though all positive
- Not suited to a full apartment move
Buyer’s Guide
What Makes Apartment Moves Different
The building sets the schedule, not you. Most towers require a lift booking made weeks ahead, in a fixed window, often on a weekday. Miss it and you wait for the next available slot.
Most also require a certificate of currency from your removalist, naming the building manager, before they’ll release the dock or the lift. Request it the moment you book — chasing it on the morning stops the job entirely.
And measure the lift. Not the doorway, the lift interior. A three-seater that fits through your front door may not fit into the car that has to carry it.
Questions to Ask Before Booking
- Have you worked buildings with booked lift windows?
- Will you provide a certificate of currency?
- What happens if the lift booking expires mid-move?
- Are stairs and long carries charged separately?
- Is the quote hourly or fixed?
- How many movers and what size truck?
- Can you work outside business hours if the building requires it?
- Who deals with building management on the day?
What Drives the Cost in an Apartment Move
No dollar figures here — none of these companies publish rates, and access varies too much between buildings to estimate honestly. What moves the number:
- Floor level and whether there’s a working lift
- Distance from the dock or parking spot to the door
- Stair flights and turns in the stairwell
- Lift booking windows and any waiting time
- Large items that need dismantling
- Weekend or after-hours work
- Whether you’re packed before they arrive
How to Make the Day Go Faster
Book the lift for longer than you think you need. An extra hour costs nothing and expiring mid-move costs plenty.
Have everything boxed and stacked by the door before the crew arrives. In an apartment there’s nowhere to stage things, so anything unpacked creates a bottleneck immediately.
Reserve the parking. If your building has no dock, a permit or a couple of witches hats the night before saves a long carry.
Dismantle beds and table legs yourself the evening before. It’s the easiest hour of labour you’ll ever save.
Signs a Removalist Knows Apartment Work
- They ask about the lift before they ask about the furniture
- They offer the certificate of currency without being asked
- They ask what floor and whether there’s dock access
- Crew size is matched to carry distance, not just volume
- Reviews mention lifts, stairs or building management
- They ask about parking restrictions at both ends
- They suggest a longer lift booking than you proposed
Frequently Asked Questions
How far ahead should I book an apartment move?
Three to four weeks for the removalist, but check the lift booking first — some buildings need a month’s notice and only allow moves on certain days. The building’s calendar decides yours.
What is a certificate of currency and do I need one?
It’s proof of your removalist’s public liability insurance, usually naming the building manager. Most managed buildings won’t grant dock or lift access without it. Request it when you book.
How long does an apartment move take?
A one-bedroom with lift access often runs two to three hours. The same apartment on a third-floor walk-up can take twice that. Floor level and carry distance matter more than the number of rooms.
Are stairs charged extra?
With many operators, yes — either a flat stair fee or by adding crew. Ask before booking, because it’s the single most common surprise on an apartment invoice.
What if my lift booking runs out mid-move?
Depends on the building. Some allow an extension if nothing’s booked after you; others don’t. Ask your removalist what they do in that situation and book a longer window than you think you need.
Can removalists move a single large item?
Yes — some operators specialise in exactly that. For one couch or one bed it’s far cheaper than booking a full crew and truck.
Do apartment moves need packing services?
Not necessarily, but partial packing is worth considering. Apartments are usually packed in a hurry in a small space, which is where breakages start.
Can I move interstate from an apartment?
Yes, though it takes more planning. The lift booking and dock access still apply, and interstate trucks are larger — confirm the vehicle can actually access your building before the day.
