In short
- Loading and unloading alone takes four to five hours for a studio on one Ottawa firm's list, and up to 10 hours for a 3-bedroom on a second floor.
- Stairs add a line item: $30 per flight of 7 steps on one firm's list, on top of the hourly rate.
- Walk-ups, booked elevators and the distance to the curb set the hours more than the box count does.
- A tenant gives at least 60 days' written notice to end a tenancy; the end date cannot fall before the end of a fixed term.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom apartment, local move, total | $700–880 | One Ottawa firm’s list; depends on time of week or month, access and contents |
| 2-bedroom apartment, local move, total | $1,050–1,590 | Same firm; also depends on crew and truck size |
| 2 movers + 17-ft truck, 1–2 bedrooms | $150/h | A second firm; minimum 3.5 hours, 1 hour flat travel, plus HST |
| 2 movers + 20-ft truck, up to 2 bedrooms | from $129/h | A third firm’s list |
| Each flight of stairs (7 steps) | $30 | Second firm; added once per flight at loading and unloading |
| Reassembly of a basic item | $45 per piece | Second firm; basic disassembly runs at the hourly rate |
Sources. First Rate Movers, Local Moving in Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026. Move-Ottawa Movers, Our Prices, seen 29.10.2026 (hours estimates, stairs, reassembly, truck rates). OttawaBestMovers.ca, Prices, seen 29.10.2026. Parking: City of Ottawa, Parking, general descriptions, Traffic and Parking By-law 2017-301, seen 29.10.2026. Tenancy notice: Tribunals Ontario, How a Tenant Can End Their Tenancy, seen 29.10.2026. Final prices come from the company that calls you.
What makes an apartment move different
A house move is a long carry across a driveway. An apartment move is a chain: unit door, hallway, elevator or stairwell, lobby door, curb. Any weak link adds time, and time is what the hourly rate pays for. The floor number, the size of the elevator and the distance from the building door to the truck usually weigh more than the number of boxes.
Walk-ups have tight stairwell turns. Towers have booked elevators and loading docks. Tell us which one you have and the company can plan the crew. A unit in a condo corporation follows the building’s own rules; those are on the condo moving page.
How long the work takes
One Ottawa firm publishes time estimates for load and unload, without the flat travel hour: a studio or 1-bedroom takes 4–5 hours; a 2-bedroom takes 5–6 on the ground floor and 6–8 one floor up; a 3-bedroom takes 7–8 on the first floor and 8–10 on the second.
Those figures explain the totals on printed lists. A 1-bedroom apartment local move lists at $700–880 on one firm’s page, and a 2-bedroom at $1,050–1,590, with the spread coming from the time of the week or month, access and contents. See the local moving page for the same math on a house.
Stairs, elevator and heavy pieces
One firm charges $30 for each flight of 7 steps, once per flight at loading and unloading, on top of the hourly rate. Ask the company that calls whether stairs are a line item or part of the hours, and give the floor count in the request.
Heavy items change the plan. One firm moves items over 275 lb, such as a piano, pool table or large safe, only from main level to main level, at a flat $250. If your piece is that heavy and you are on the fourth floor, say so. A piano needs its own page: see piano moving.
Parking and the curb outside
The truck needs a place to stand. On a block with no signs, the City’s by-law gives a vehicle three hours in the daytime, 7 am to 7 pm. It prohibits parking within three metres of a fire hydrant, within nine metres of an intersection, on a roadway six metres wide or less, and during snow removal and street sweeping. Stopping is prohibited in a bus stop area and on a sidewalk.
Winter adds a layer: from November 15 to April 1 the City can declare a winter weather parking ban, covered on winter moving.
Ending the old tenancy
Tribunals Ontario says a tenant gives at least 60 days’ notice, and that the termination date cannot be earlier than the last day of a fixed term. For a monthly tenancy it is the last day of a rental month. A mailed notice needs 5 extra days. Fix the moving date to that date. For the end-of-June rush, read July 1 moving day.
What the written quote should show
The quote for an apartment should state the hourly rate, crew size and truck size, the minimum, the travel charge, stair and reassembly charges, and the unit and floor at both addresses. Ontario requires a mover contract above $50 to be in writing; see moving contracts in Ontario and the quote checklist.
Who takes the job
Ottawa Moving Desk hands your apartment move to one independent mover in the city. That firm phones, asks about the hallway and the elevator, quotes in its own name and sends its crew.
Questions to ask the company
- How many hours do you estimate for my unit and floor, and does that include the flat travel hour?
- How do you charge stairs: per flight, or inside the hourly rate?
- Where will the truck stand, and what do you do if the curb is full?
- Does the crew use a freight elevator, and do you need the building's paperwork?
- Who disassembles and reassembles the bed and shelves, and what does it cost?
Have this ready for the call
- Floor number, elevator or stairs, and the distance from the door to where the truck stops, at both addresses
- A lease or sublease end date, and the key handover date at the new place
- Booking confirmation for the service elevator or loading dock, if the building has one
- A list of oversize pieces: sectional sofa, wardrobe, mattress size, fridge if it is yours
- Photos of the stairwell and the entrance door, to show tight turns
Questions people ask
How long does an apartment move take in Ottawa?
Move-Ottawa Movers’ guide puts a ground-floor 2-bedroom at five to six hours of loading and unloading and a second-floor one at six to eight; three-bedroom apartments run 7–10 hours. The firm adds a flat travel hour on top, and says access and parking change the numbers.
Can a truck block the street outside my apartment building?
City of Ottawa rules prohibit parking within three metres of a hydrant, within nine metres of an intersection and on a roadway six metres wide or less, and prohibit stopping in a bus stop area or on a sidewalk. Tell the company about narrow streets or bus stops near the entrance.
Do movers charge extra for a walk-up?
Some do. One Ottawa firm bills $30 for each flight of 7 steps, once per flight at loading and unloading, on top of the hourly rate. Give the number of floors in your request so the quote already counts them.
Do I need to take my bed apart before the crew arrives?
Ask the company when it calls. One Ottawa firm takes basic items such as bed frames apart at its hourly rate and charges $45 a piece to put them back together. Another lists free disassembly and reassembly. The terms differ, so settle them before the day.