Moving in Ottawa: one request, one moving company calls
Tell us both addresses, the size of the home and the date. We pass the move to one independent Ottawa moving company, and it calls you to quote.
In short
- 01Two movers with a truck: typically $110–130 an hour in Ottawa.
- 02Most crews bill a 2–3 hour minimum, plus a travel fee or one extra hour for the drive.
- 03Hours set the bill: home size, stairs, elevator waits, long carries and packing all add time.
- 04Ontario caps the final bill at 10% over the written estimate unless you agree to more work.
Typical ranges
Source Ottawa listings seen 29.10.2026: U-Haul Moving Help, Ottawa ON, Kijiji Ottawa moving & storage ads (2026), MovingWaldo: Professional Movers Ottawa and UpMove, Let’s Get Moving, Moving cost in Ottawa. The 10% rule: Ontario, Hiring a mover.
What to ask before you book
- Q1Is the truck included in the hourly rate, and how many movers will come?
- Q2How do you charge for travel: a flat fee or extra time on the clock?
- Q3What is the minimum, and how do you bill the time after it?
- Q4Will you put the estimate in writing, with the rate, minimum and every extra listed?
- Q5If something gets damaged, what covers it and how do I report it?
Before the visit
- A list of the big pieces: beds, sofas, dressers, appliances, anything a person cannot lift alone
- The service elevator booked, and your building's rules for movers
- A spot for the truck close to the door; unposted streets allow 3 hours, 7 am–7 pm
- Boxes packed and taped before the crew arrives, if you are paying by the hour
- Clear hallways and a plan for what goes first at the new place
What to put in the request
Both addresses, or at least the neighbourhoods. The home size in bedrooms. The floor at each end and whether there is an elevator. The date, and whether it can move by a day or two. Any piece that needs extra hands: a piano, a safe, a treadmill, a sofa bed.
That is enough for the company to estimate the hours and the crew size on the first call. Add the walkthrough later if they ask for one.
Where the hours go
Ottawa movers mostly bill by the hour, so the clock is the price. Time goes into stairs and elevator waits, long carries from the door to the truck, taking beds apart and wrapping furniture. A truck parked at the door saves time at both ends. So do sealed boxes stacked by the exit.
Travel is billed too. Some crews charge a flat travel fee, others add an hour at the same rate. Ask which one before you compare two quotes, and check that both include the truck.
Moving in summer? Book early. The Canadian Association of Movers calls summer the peak season for moving companies.
District notes and the full price guide
- Moving in Kanata: the 417 run, townhomes and stacked townhomes
- Moving in Orléans: the east end along Highway 174
- What a move costs in Ottawa: the bill line by line, with sources
Reading a moving quote
Put two quotes on the same base before you compare them. Check four lines: the hourly rate for the same crew size, whether the truck is in that rate, the minimum hours and how travel is charged. For a short job, $110 an hour with a 3-hour minimum and a $150 travel fee comes to $480; $130 an hour with a 2-hour minimum and one hour of travel comes to $390.
Ontario sets what the written contract must show: the mover’s name, address and contact details, the services with an itemized price list, the total, the start and end dates and the payment terms. If a crew arrives with a different contract on moving day, stop and read it before anything goes on the truck.
How the request travels
613 Pros sends your move to one independent Ottawa moving company. That company calls you, quotes and does the move.
Questions
01Does the moving truck need a City permit?
The City of Ottawa asks for no permit when the truck parks by the posted rules. A portable storage container left on the road is different: it needs a temporary encroachment permit, and the City takes at least 10 business days to process one.
02Is a quote over the phone enough?
Ask for a written estimate after the mover sees what you are moving, in person or on a video call. The Competition Bureau and the Canadian Association of Movers both warn against estimates given over the phone.
03How far can the final bill go over the estimate?
Up to 10% over the estimate written in your contract, under Ontario law. Anything above that needs your agreement to extra services or supplies.
04What about a move to Toronto or Montreal?
Long-distance moves are usually priced by volume or weight and distance. Put both addresses in the request and ask for a written estimate after a walkthrough.
05What if the mover holds my things until I pay more?
Ontario treats holding goods for extra payment as an unfair practice. If you pay under pressure, write “paid under protest” on the invoice.