Long-Distance Moving near you

On a shared load, your belongings travel in a truck with other households' shipments headed the same way. The mover fills the truck before it leaves and makes several stops, which usually lowers the cost, but you get a delivery window, a span of days within which the truck will arrive, rather than a set date.

A dedicated truck carries only your household, leaves once it's loaded and drives straight to the new address, so the delivery date can be fixed and your goods are handled fewer times. It usually costs more, and it makes the most sense for a full house, a tight possession date or fragile, valuable contents.

Long-distance moves are generally priced on the size of the shipment and the distance, with size measured either by weight, by weighing the truck empty and then loaded, or by the space your goods take up in the truck. Extras such as packing, a long carry, stairs, a smaller shuttle truck where a large one can't reach the door, or storage are added on. Whichever method is used, the inventory is the basis of the price, so it should list every piece of furniture and estimate the boxes, room by room.

A binding estimate holds the mover to the quoted total for the listed inventory and services, while a non-binding one can rise or fall with the actual weight or volume. Compare written estimates from more than one mover: the federal Office of Consumer Affairs recommends that they list the items with their size and value, the cost, the payment terms and the timing. Before the truck leaves, check the inventory the crew prepares, have any scratch or dent already on an item noted, and keep a signed copy.

Basic mover liability is calculated by weight rather than by what an item is worth, so on its own it rarely covers electronics, art or heirlooms properly. The Office of Consumer Affairs notes that your home insurance and the mover's coverage together may protect you, that a mover is generally not liable for goods you packed yourself, and that replacement value protection can be purchased for fuller coverage. In Quebec, the Office de la protection du consommateur suggests confirming that the mover is insured for the goods it carries and holds civil liability insurance.

Days on the road and in a warehouse raise the stakes, so ask your insurer whether your policy covers belongings in transit and in storage outside your province, and for how long.

Closing dates, lease starts and the truck's arrival rarely line up perfectly over a long distance. Storage in transit means the mover keeps your shipment in its warehouse, or a partner's near your destination, until you're ready to receive it, then delivers it. It saves renting a separate storage unit and loading everything twice yourself, but every handling step and every day in storage has a cost.

Household movers don't always carry a car in the same truck as the furniture, so a vehicle is usually either driven to the new province or shipped separately by a car carrier. Driving it means paying for fuel, meals and lodging and adding distance to the car, but you arrive with it. An open carrier is the common choice for shipping, while an enclosed carrier gives more protection to a classic or high-value vehicle.

If you ship it, ask for a written condition report at pickup, photograph the car from every side, confirm the carrier's insurance, and don't leave personal belongings inside unless the carrier allows it in writing.

Health coverage, driving privileges and vehicle registration are provincial, so each one has to move with you. In Ontario, the government says there is no longer a waiting period for OHIP coverage, that eligible residents are covered immediately, and that you can apply as soon as you arrive. If you're settling in Quebec, register with the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec and ask when your coverage will begin; ask your former province's plan how long it will keep covering you, and consider private insurance if there's a gap. When you leave a province, tell its health plan about your departure.

For driving, Ontario lets new residents use a valid licence from another province for 60 days, after which they must switch to an Ontario licence at a DriveTest centre, and its official driver's handbook gives new residents 30 days to register their vehicles, with a safety standards certificate and proof of insurance. The SAAQ lets a driver who settles in Quebec use a licence from another province for the first six months, after which a Quebec licence is required, and a vehicle brought from outside Quebec is registered with the SAAQ, which lists the documents needed. Other provinces set their own deadlines, so check them before you go.

The Canadian Association of Movers warns about scammers who pose as real moving companies and pressure people into paying fake deposits, and advises signing a written estimate and contract before paying anything and checking a mover through its official website and phone number. Quebec's Office de la protection du consommateur also suggests paying little or nothing up front. Be especially wary of a mover that holds your belongings and demands more than the agreed price before unloading.

If the truck is late, or something is damaged or missing, write it on the delivery paperwork before signing, take photos and contact the company in writing. The Office de la protection du consommateur describes the next steps in Quebec: a written repair estimate from a professional, a formal notice setting out the problem and the amount claimed, then the courts. Elsewhere, the Office of Consumer Affairs refers unresolved disputes to your provincial or territorial consumer affairs office.