Moving a 2 bedroom apartment usually takes two removalists, a 4 tonne truck and somewhere between 4 and 7 hours. Where your move lands in that range comes down to two things: how much you own, and how easy your building is to get in and out of.
As apartment removalists in Sydney and Melbourne, we see the same few things decide how the day goes. By the end of this guide, you’ll know how many hours to plan for, which truck and crew size fits, what moving a 2 bedroom apartment really costs, and what to sort out with your building manager before the day.
How long does moving a 2 bedroom apartment take?
Most 2 bedroom apartments take a crew of two between 4 and 7 hours, from the first box out of the old place to the last piece set down in the new one. A tidy apartment with a lift at both ends and the truck parked at the door sits at the shorter end. Stairs, a shared lift or a long walk to the truck push it towards the longer end.
Here’s how moving a 2 bedroom apartment compares with smaller and bigger places. These are estimates from our own moves, so treat them as a starting point. Your quote will give you an hour band for your place.
| Apartment size | Typical volume | Truck | Crew | Time on the day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1 bedroom | 7 to 14 m³ | 4 tonne, up to 25 m³ | 2 removalists | 3 to 5 hours |
| 2 bedroom | 12 to 23 m³ | 4 tonne, or 6 tonne (up to 40 m³) for a full one | 2 removalists | 4 to 7 hours |
| 3 bedroom | 18 to 31 m³ | 6 tonne, up to 40 m³ | 3 removalists | 5 to 8 hours |
Two things catch people out. The first is how much there is to carry when moving a 2 bedroom apartment, once the storage cage, the balcony and the linen cupboard are emptied. The second is how long a lift takes when it stops at every floor on a Saturday morning.
Which truck and crew size do you need?
When you’re moving a 2 bedroom apartment, a 4-tonne truck and two removalists is the right fit most of the time. The truck carries up to 25 cubic metres, which covers a typical 2 bedroom with room to spare.
Our 6 tonne truck takes up to 40 cubic metres. It makes sense when the apartment is full, or when there’s a storage cage, outdoor furniture or a home office on top. The 9 tonne truck, at up to 60 cubic metres, is built for 3 and 4-bedroom homes, so an apartment rarely needs it. Our guide to moving a 4 bedroom house covers that bigger job.
A third removalist is worth considering when the carry is long, when there are stairs instead of a lift, or when you have heavy pieces like a marble table or a double door fridge. Three people cost more per hour but can take hours off the day, so ask us to price both options.
Not sure how much you have? Our guide on how cubic metres are measured shows a quick way to estimate it room by room.
What does moving a 2 bedroom apartment cost?
The honest answer is hours multiplied by the rate. Our rates start from $150 per hour, GST included, for a 4 tonne truck and two removalists. That’s why two quotes for moving a 2 bedroom apartment can share the same hourly rate and still end up hundreds of dollars apart.
The 2 bedroom moving cost you actually pay depends on the hours in the table above, plus the minimum charge and the travel time that most hourly removalists add. Your free quote sets out the rate and the hours before we start. The same maths answers the 1 bedroom moving cost question: fewer things, fewer hours, same rate.
What pushes an apartment moving cost up is rarely the furniture. It’s time lost to access: waiting for a shared lift, carrying every box 40 metres from the lift to the street, or finding out on the day that the truck won’t fit under the loading dock. Almost all of that can be sorted before moving day.
Comparing a few quotes? Our checklist on how to choose a removalist shows what to look for and what to avoid.
How to book the lift and loading dock
This is the part of moving a 2 bedroom apartment that most people leave too late. Book the lift and the loading dock as soon as you have a date, and do it at both buildings.
In Sydney: strata by-laws and the building manager
Sydney apartment buildings run on strata by-laws, and most of them have rules that shape moving a 2 bedroom apartment, from lift times to where the truck can stand. Usually the building manager or the strata manager takes the booking for the lift and the dock. Some older strata schemes still carry a by-law that says you must give the strata committee notice before carrying furniture through common property.
By-laws vary from building to building, so ask for a copy of yours. The NSW Government’s guide to strata by-laws explains how they work and what they can and can’t ask of you.
If you’re comparing apartment removalists in Sydney, ask each one whether they can send the building a certificate of currency for their public liability insurance. Many buildings want it before they’ll confirm your booking, and we send ours straight to your building manager.
In Melbourne: owners corporation rules
In Melbourne, the owners corporation sets the rules for common property. If it hasn’t made its own, the model rules apply, and Consumer Affairs Victoria explains how owners corporation rules work.
Moving a 2 bedroom apartment in a CBD, Southbank or Docklands tower usually means booking the lift or the loading bay through the building manager, and some buildings ask for a refundable bond. In Brisbane you’ll deal with the body corporate instead, and the booking works much the same way. You’ll find more on how we work in Melbourne on our Melbourne removalists page.
What to ask your building manager
Before moving a 2 bedroom apartment, get answers to these questions from both buildings:
- Which days and times are moves allowed, and how far ahead do you need to book?
- Does the lift need protective curtains, and who puts them up?
- Is there a bond, and how do you get it back?
- What is the height clearance of the loading dock?
- Do they need a certificate of currency from your removalist?
- Where can the truck park if there’s no dock?
Ask for the answers by email, so you have them in writing if anything changes. And if you can, take the first slot of the day. The lift is quieter, and if something runs over there’s still time to fix it.
How to make moving a 2 bedroom apartment quicker
Most of the hours on moving day are decided before the truck arrives. These are the things that save the most time.
Match your lift bookings. Try to get the same window at both buildings. If the new place only gives you an afternoon slot, tell us, and we’ll plan the day around the gap.
Measure the big pieces. Check the sofa, the fridge and the bed base against the lift door and the inside of the lift. Anything that has to go down the stairs instead adds real time. It’s the check people skip most often when moving a 2 bedroom apartment.
Pack the kitchen the day before. It’s the slowest room to pack and it’s where most of the fragile things live. Our packing services can take it off your hands.
Label every box by room. Use the right box size for each job, with small boxes for books and bigger ones for linen. Keep one box for the first night with the kettle, chargers, toilet paper and bedding.
Tell us what needs taking apart. Beds, desks and some dining tables won’t fit in a lift in one piece. Knowing beforehand means the crew brings the right tools.
Show us your place on video. A video quote lets us see the lift, the corridors and the awkward piece, so the hours and your apartment moving cost are based on your building and not a guess. It’s the quickest way to get an accurate band for moving a 2 bedroom apartment in a building we haven’t seen.
Get an hour band for your apartment
Every apartment is different, so the most useful number is the one built on yours. If you’re moving a 2 bedroom apartment soon, send us what’s going and your building’s move rules. We’ll work out a 2 bedroom moving cost built on your place, not an average, and quote the hours before we start. Our home removals are planned around your building, from the lift booking to the last piece placed.
One customer wrote on Google that we moved “a very heavy and expensive marble table like it was their own… the job being complete well within the quoted time.” You can read more of our Google reviews before you book.