A Miami condo is not a house with a doorman. Move-in day is a scheduled operation, and the building runs it. Buyers who learn this the morning of the move end up paying a mover to wait in the loading zone.
What almost every building asks for
- A reserved freight elevator slot, usually weekdays only and often in a two to four hour block.
- A refundable deposit, commonly a few hundred dollars, held against damage to common areas.
- A certificate of insurance from the moving company naming the association.
- Protective padding in the elevator and sometimes floor protection in the corridors.
The two rules that surprise people
First: many buildings do not allow moves on weekends or holidays, which is exactly when most people plan them. Second: some buildings prohibit loose cardboard in the trash room, which turns the day after the move into a second chore — flattening, stacking, and finding out the recycling room is full.
Reusable crates quietly solve the second one. There is nothing to break down and nothing to dispose of. The stack goes by the door and we take it away.
How to get ahead of it as the agent
- Request the building's move-in package during the inspection period, not after closing.
- Give the client the exact association name the insurance certificate must show.
- Book the elevator the moment the closing date is firm — good slots go first.
- Plan packing around a weekday move, since that is what the building will approve.
You cannot control the building's rules, but you can be the person who knew them first.
We deliver crates to high-rises across Brickell, Downtown, Edgewater, Coral Gables and Miami Beach every week, and we are used to loading docks, service elevators and front-desk logs.