Two things shape a Miami move that barely register anywhere else: the building you are moving into is probably a condo with rules, and the calendar has a season built into it.
Miami is served by direct sailings from the UK, and published schedules vary noticeably between operators, from a little over a fortnight to considerably longer. Ask for the specific sailing rather than a general figure when you compare quotes, because on this route the average is not much use to anybody.
We connect your enquiry with a vetted international moving company from our network that runs the Florida route, and they quote you directly. There is no charge to you for the introduction.
On most routes the ship sets the timetable. In a condo heavy city like this one the building often does, and people book the shipping long before they think to ask the association anything.
Three questions, asked early, prevent most of the trouble. Which days are moves permitted. How far ahead does the service lift have to be reserved. What paperwork does the building want from the moving company. In the busy winter months the answer to the second one can be weeks rather than days, and a missed slot means waiting for the next one.
Loading bays can be tight, so a smaller vehicle is sometimes used for the final run, and storage close to the port is worth arranging in advance if your building cannot take delivery straight away.
Hurricane season
It runs through the late summer and autumn. It does not stop moves, but it can affect schedules, so build slack into your dates rather than planning to the day.
Florida is reached directly by sea, so goods are not trucked down from another state. They clear in Florida and then move on to your address, which keeps the chain shorter than it is for inland destinations.
Published transit times for this route differ more between operators than they do for New York, which makes the useful question which sailing your shipment is booked on rather than what the route takes on average. For anything short of a full house, shared container space is normally the sensible answer: you pay for the room your goods occupy rather than the whole container.
The ordinary test applies: effects used by you, or in a household where you were a resident, for a year, and not intended for sale or for another person.
South Florida raises a second question more often than anywhere else. If the property is somewhere you visit rather than live, the relief may not apply at all, and that is worth settling before anything is packed.
Published times vary noticeably between operators on this route, from a little over a fortnight upwards. Ask which sailing your shipment is on rather than relying on an average, and allow five to seven weeks door to door.
Florida is served by direct sailings, so household goods normally arrive and clear there rather than travelling down from another state.
Many set move-in days and hours, ask for the lift to be booked and want documentation from the moving company beforehand. Check with your association early.
Further than feels necessary, particularly in the winter months when the buildings are busiest. A missed slot can mean waiting for the next available day.
It does not stop moves, but schedules can shift during the season. Leave some slack in your dates rather than planning to a single day.
Storage near the port can be arranged, and it is far cheaper organised in advance than in a hurry after the goods have arrived.
For anything short of a full house, yes. You pay for the space you use rather than the whole container.
Usually, though bridge weight or height limits sometimes mean a smaller vehicle for the last stretch. Mention the approach at enquiry stage.
No. The service is free and there is no obligation to book.
Effects used by you, or in a household where you were a resident, for a year normally do. Anything newer is declared separately and is usually dutiable.
Send the collection address, the Miami building and its move-in rules, your date and a rough inventory. A moving company from our network checks it and contacts you with the detail.
Send your move detailsA Working Member of AGM Group. Enquiries are connected with vetted FIDI FAIM certified and BAR Overseas accredited international moving companies from the network.
We do not carry out moves ourselves. Your Miami move is handled and quoted by the moving company you are introduced to.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder.