Moving into or out of a Highland Beach condo on A1A

Highland Beach is a narrow strip of land with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other, and A1A runs the length of it. Most buildings are reached straight off that road, so the truck stands in the building's own drive or loading area, and we agree on that spot with the manager before the day.

Coming from our office, we cross to the island on the Linton Boulevard bridge in Delray Beach; from the south, the way in is the Spanish River Boulevard bridge in Boca Raton. Both are drawbridges, and an opening can hold traffic for several minutes, so we time the arrival with a margin instead of to the minute.

In a condominium, a move is booked with the building as much as with us. Expect to be asked for an elevator reservation, a certificate of insurance from the mover and a move inside the building's permitted hours. As condo movers we reserve the elevator window with the manager, pad the cab and send the certificate in the wording the association wants.

Some associations charge a move-in fee or hold a deposit. Florida's condominium law, section 718.111(4), limits use fees unless the declaration allows them, the members approve them or the use is exclusive, so it is fair to ask the manager what a charge is based on. Our guide to condo move paperwork lists what to collect, and these are the questions to start with.

• Which elevator is used for moves, and how is it reserved?
• What should the certificate of insurance say, and whom should it name?
• Where can the truck stand, and for how long?
• Which days and hours are moves allowed?
• Is there a move-in fee or deposit, and when is it due?
• Does the association need to approve the sale or lease first?

If you are coming from a house on the mainland, a condo here may not have room for everything the house held. Send us the floor plan or the room sizes, and we will help you decide what fits before anything is loaded, so nothing makes the trip only to come back.

Leaving Highland Beach runs the same way in reverse: the elevator booking and loading time at your building come first, and the new address is planned around them. If you split the year between here and another home, our seasonal moving service covers moves timed to the season.