Montreal is the only big city in Canada with an unofficial moving holiday. A huge share of leases here end on June 30, which means thousands of households, one hot day, and every truck, elevator and parking spot spoken for. Whether you are part of the July 1 wave or moving in a calmer month, the difference between a brutal day and a smooth one is the same thing: a timeline.
Here is the schedule we see working, over and over, with our cleaning clients across Montreal, Laval and the South Shore.
Eight weeks out: lock in the big pieces
Movers in Montreal sell out the way concert tickets do, and the good ones go first. Book yours six to eight weeks ahead, more if your lease ends June 30. Get the quote in writing, confirm they are insured, and read the recent reviews instead of the star count.
If you want a personal recommendation, Up & Out is a Montreal moving team we refer our own clients to. They are careful with condo moves and they answer their phone, which sounds like a low bar until you spend a week in June calling movers.
Living in a condo? Reserve the elevator with building management at both addresses now. Some buildings only allow moves in fixed time slots, and the July slots vanish early.
Four weeks out: paperwork and purge
Start the address changes: SAAQ, RAMQ, Hydro Quebec, your internet provider, your bank, your employer, the school. Quebec has an online change of address service that pushes your new address to several government departments at once, which saves an afternoon of forms.
Then declutter, honestly. Every box you do not pack is a box you do not pay to move, and donation centres get swamped close to July 1, so book any furniture pickup now.
Order supplies while you are at it: boxes in two or three sizes, strong tape, bubble wrap, one marker per person. Label boxes by room on the side, not the top, so you can still read them once they are stacked.
Two weeks out: confirm everything
Reconfirm the mover in writing: arrival time, truck size, number of movers, and any extras like stairs, a piano or a stop at a storage unit. Surprises on moving day get billed at moving day prices.
Check whether your borough requires a temporary no parking permit to hold space for the truck. The permit costs little; a truck circling the block on your hourly rate does not.
Start packing the rooms you rarely use, photograph the cables behind the TV before unplugging anything, and decide where the kids and pets will spend the big day.
Moving week: the unglamorous details
Pack an essentials box that travels with you, not in the truck: kettle, chargers, toilet paper, soap, a change of clothes, basic tools, snacks. Defrost the freezer 24 to 48 hours before the move. Take photos of the meters and of any existing damage at both places.
Then there is the part everyone underestimates: the old place has to be handed back clean, and the new one is much nicer to unpack in when it starts clean. Our move out cleaning checklist covers it room by room. And if the schedule is simply too tight, our house and condo cleaning team can handle the handover clean in the window between the truck leaving and the keys going back, which is exactly the window nobody has energy for.
Moving day
Start early. July in Montreal is hot by 10 a.m., so have water for everyone, including the movers. Protect the floors at both addresses, keep one doorway clear, and do the final tour yourself: every closet open, the balcony, the storage locker, behind every door. That last tour has saved more forgotten wedding albums than any packing app.
After the move
Change the locks, because you never know who kept a copy. Update your driver’s licence within the legal window. Break down the boxes for recycling or pass them along; someone in your building is moving next month and will love you for it.
Moving in Montreal has its own rhythm, but it rewards the same things every year: book early, write everything down, and keep the last day for living, not scrubbing. If you would rather hand off the cleaning, you know where to find us.
Rather have someone handle it for you? Call (800) 799-0466 or get your free quote. Trained team, rated 4.8/5 by 583 clients.
