Approval comes before the moving date
Before you set a date, find out whether the association has to approve you. At Jupiter Harbour in Jupiter, a board committee approves every sale and lease, according to its 2025 owners' handbook. At Sterling Villages in West Palm Beach, the rules say residents must be approved.
Approval takes time, and the association sets the pace, not you or your mover. Ask how long it usually takes and what you need to send, and hold off on a firm moving date until you have approval in hand. If you have to book sooner, tell your mover the date depends on it.
In both of those examples, approval covers renters as well as buyers, so a signed lease doesn't settle the move-in date on its own. If you're renting, ask the landlord or agent where the application stands before you book the truck.
The certificate of insurance
Your building may ask for a certificate of insurance, a document from the mover's insurance company that shows its coverage. Grove Square, a condo in Coconut Grove in Miami-Dade County, says in its moving policy that the certificate is due three days ahead and must name the association as "additional insured". Other buildings set their own deadlines, so ask for yours.
The wording matters as much as the date. Ask management exactly which names it wants on the certificate, and whether it should show the unit number or the move date, then pass that to your mover as early as you can. A certificate with the wrong name on it can leave a crew waiting in the lobby while a new one is issued.
Reserve the elevator, and expect pads
If the building has a freight or service elevator, reserve it for your moving day as soon as you have a date. Palm Beach County's consumer affairs office gives not reserving the freight elevator as an example of when the total can go above the written estimate, so this booking protects your budget as well as your schedule.
Expect rules about protecting the elevator and hallways. Jupiter Harbour's handbook requires elevator pads for every move in or out, and it makes the owner liable for damage to common areas. Ask whether the building hangs its own pads or expects the mover to bring them, and how long you have the elevator.
Book enough elevator time. How long you need depends on how much is moving and how far the elevator is from your door, and the walkthrough is where we work that out with you.
The same steps can apply when you move out. A move from one building to another can mean two elevator bookings, two sets of rules and two managers to notify on the same day, so start both conversations at once.
Move hours, notice and gate passes
Your association may limit when a move can happen. Grove Square's policy allows moves Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 4:30, which rules out weekends. If your building has a window like that, the loading or unloading there has to fit inside it, so tell your mover before the day is planned.
Notice is the next thing to ask about. Jupiter Harbour's handbook says the manager must be told 24 hours ahead, and a pass is needed at the guard gate. In a gated community, arrange the pass for the truck before moving day so the crew isn't held at the gate.
A short window shapes the whole day. If the new building only allows moves in set hours, plan the loading so the truck arrives as the window opens, and ask your mover whether the unloading fits inside it.
Where the truck can park
A moving truck is a commercial vehicle, and some communities limit where those can park. Sterling Villages in West Palm Beach bars commercially marked vehicles from its parking areas except for a covered garage.
Ask management where the truck should stop, how far that is from your door, and whether any covered area has a height limit. The answers shape how long the move takes, because a long carry from a distant spot adds up over a whole home.
Some buildings have a loading dock. Ask whether it needs booking along with the elevator, and whether the truck has to leave it by a set time. Tell your mover the answers before the walkthrough, so the plan starts from the right spot.
Move-in fees, deposits and Florida law
Florida's condo law limits what an association can charge for the use of common elements. Under section 718.111 of the Florida Statutes (opens in a new tab), it may not charge "use fees" unless the declaration provides for them, a majority of the members approve them, or the use is exclusive to one owner.
In practice, some associations charge a move-in fee or ask for a deposit, and the details vary from building to building. Ask what is charged, whether a deposit comes back and on what terms, and which document the charge comes from. A fee your association can point to in writing is easier to plan around than one you hear about on the day.
Get the rules early
The simplest way to avoid surprises is to ask management for the moving rules in writing as soon as you know your new address. Rules change, so treat the examples here as a guide to what to ask, not as the current rules for those buildings. When you have the answers, send them to your mover.
We read a building's rules before we plan a condo or apartment move, and you're welcome to bring these questions to a free walkthrough. Here they are in one place:
- Do you need to approve me before I move in, and how long does that take?
- Do you need a certificate of insurance from the mover, by when, and with what exact wording?
- Is there a freight elevator, how do I reserve it, and who provides the pads?
- On which days and at what hours are moves allowed?
- How much notice does management need?
- Does the truck need a pass at the gate?
- Where can the truck park, and is there a height limit?
- Is there a move-in fee or deposit, and which document sets it?