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From the NY Department of Transportation:

Movers are required to file evidence of insurance with the Department of Transportation. This assures the payment of any claims for which the mover may be liable.

There's an entire pamphlet you can read in html here although I'm having trouble finding the current .pdf file on NYDOT's site.

I used UMmoving (info@ummoving.com; tel 212-363-9190; attn.: Ortal); they charged 84/hour (min 3 movers and 3 hours, travel time 1/2 hour charge) and they were really great.

Found it!

This page gives you NYSDOT's scoop on moving, including a link to the current version of the pamphlet. Be aware that NYSDOT issues a certificate to licensed movers and this certificate number is supposed to appear in their marketing materials.

If you want to go ahead and use an unlicensed mover because they're great guys, that's your choice, but you're taking on a risk that the license is there to protect you from.

I really liked Movers not Shakers located in Brooklyn. They are a flat fee moving company. They sent 4 guys and my move was super fast. www.moversnotshakers.com

I used UMmoving as well. They charged $105/hr (4 movers).
They moved really fast from my 4th fl. walkup. I got everything in writing and they were as good as their contract.

My husband and I used Rainbow Movers for a move out of the city into Jersey. I think they charged $115/hour for 3 guys. They arrived at the appointed time. They wrapped/blanketed all of our furniture. They were very professional. We highly recommend them.

I used Rabbit and I'm fairly certain that they did have insurance, but your homeowner's or renter's insurance should cover your move in any case.

Rabbit was great, a very efficient, positive, smart and friendly group of guys. Our move was fairly big (2 1brs into 1 3br) and they worked nonstop for most of the day. I also felt they were fair and honest about their pricing. (At the end of the move they showed us several broken items and asked how much they were worth so they could deduct it from their bill.)

My one reservation was that their truck wasn't big enough and so had to make two trips.

I've used OZ moving twice...it did come out to be expensive (manhattan to brooklyn) the last time, but they did a good job. Watch out for box fees with any of them...even if you pack your own stuff they squeeze a few in.

Rabbit stood up two different friends of mine. Not cool.

your homeowner's or renter's insurance should cover your move in any case.

Actually, probably not.

From Wells Fargo:

Renters insurance policies will generally recognize your new address as an "insured location" for some limited time (i.e., 30 days) from the time you begin your move. However, if the property is stolen or damaged in transit from one location to the other, the amount of coverage may be limited to 10% of the total coverage. Check with your own insurance company before you start your move.

Sorry to keep interrupting, but this is a situation where incorrect information can really come back to bite a person if something goes wrong in the move.

We've used Shleppers twice and really like them. Reasonably priced and very friendly.

OZ is great! I used them for my previous move, and, although they were kind of pricey, I thought they were worth it. Three guys moved me out of a 6th floor walk-up on the Upper East Side to a 2nd floor walk-up (thank GOD) on the Lower East Side in less than two hours. They went over all the pricing BEFORE they started working - which I thought was nice - and if they needed to use one of their own boxes, they alerted me to the cost. It was like $800-ish, but I'm still glad I used them.

I recently moved and used the web site citimove.com. It's such a great idea, it's amazing no one had thought of it earlier.

You submit the details of your move (where from/to, how many flights, how many boxes, what furniture, etc.) and all kinds of local movers bid on your move. You can read hundreds of reviews on each mover and then choose the one who works best for you. And, it's free!

I had a great (and inexpensive!) move with C C movers.

Good luck!

Key Moving and storage is also very good, not too expensive, fast and they moved both myself and a friend with no problems. I don't have the address, but they are on the web.

I have used Divine Moving twice and have been thrilled with them both times. They no longer offer a binding estimate but a day-long move from Morningside Heights to Tribeca ran me about $1100 with tip and lunch for the guys. Extra insurance was very reasonable and the insurance company was very easy to deal with when my big glass table was scratched getting through my narrow new door.

I also used Schleppers, on a friend's recommendation, and thought they were great. If you know someone who used them to move and were happy with the service, they can get you the same foreman/crew. Price was quite competitive, too.

Meyers Moving just completed a move for me and they were amazing and fast. They actually came in about 100.00 under their estimate and worked like hell. I'd recommend them to everyone!

The guys at The Good Move are hands down my favorites! they moved me & my boyfriend from the LES to deep Brooklyn and had us pay them under what they quoted them!
they were fast and awesome, and their website has a theme song and a blog.
They moved friend of ours too who were equally smitten with them.
here's their url: http://www.thegoodmove.org/thegoodmove/home.html

I used Men on the Move when I left my 4th floor walkup in the west village to my 3rd floor in the east village. I had a lot of heavy breakable stuff, and they did a great job. All in, it cost around $500, and it took them about three hours. I would absolutely recommend them, and plan to use them again when I move in a few weeks.

http://www.menonthemove.com/

Is it just me or are too many people willing to accept that their stuff will get broken during a move? There's a couple of posts on here that are RECOMMENDING movers because they owned up to breaking stuff -- shouldn't you recommend someone that's capable of getting your stuff from point A to point B without any fatalities??? Its not impossible -- I guarantee if each of us had enough arms/legs/stamina to move ourselves we could do it without any incident.

I used Moore's moving (found them on the CitiMove site) for two different moves. Their prices were great, they were insured, and not a single item was scratched (including a lot of antique mirrors).

LC

u. santini - 718 768 6778....ask for dan. used them countless times, ref. them to a ton of people - never a bad or even luke warm experience.

We loved, loved, loved Movers and Shakers. They even turned up 15 minutes early, and were pleasant and did a great job.

Only warning: their receptionist can be a bit off-putting, but the movers themselves are great.

Okay, third comment: Movers NOT Shakers. I kind of destroyed the cleverness of their name.

I used - I think it was called Friendly Movers that I found on Craigslist. Just tried to find them quickly and couldn't, but I paid $40/hr for two movers, and they worked their tail off and got it all done in like 2 hours. One of the guys was about 5 minutes late and they were very apologetic. Found them on a day's notice, and was just all around satisfied.

They dont, I don't think, have trucks, but would recommend maybe you rent the truck and then hire them to load/unload.

I used Rabbit for my move a year ago, and was disappointed. The two guys they sent for my simple move (prepacked, 1 truckload of stuff, two blocks away, freight elevators in both buildings) were sloooooowww (cold molasses slow) until they cleared the two and a half hour mark. Once I told them that I would not pay more than their original quote of three hours, they started moving at lightning speed (they could have been done in an hour and a half if they'd been as motivated through the entire move). But...at least they didn't break anything.

It has been 10 years, but I will never forget my great experience with Big Apple. I sent my three pickiest friends to them, too. Would suggest getting their estimate, especially if you have lots of stuff, because often you get a low estimate and then the extras really add up. These guys actually came in right on the estimate, which is unheard of. The estimator was a genius and the actual moving guys were really smart and careful. I think there was one broken plate, which I had packed myself. Before I booked them they insisted I check their record with Better Business.
Clean as a whistle.

Only barely related - every time I watch the Punisher movie I always comment that you can tell its set in the US because in the scene where they are moving out of their house the banisters are wrapped in bubble wrap - just wouldn't happen in the UK

Another vote for Movers not Shakers. I had a great experience with them. It turned out that they couldn't use the elevator in the apt we were moving into, and there were more stairs than they expected, but they did not complain. I just gave them a nice tip to make up for it.

They were fast, friendly and professional. And the rate they quoted was less than almost everyone else.

I know other people in Brooklyn and Manhattan that have had good experiences with them as well.

i also recommend oz. their movers were friendly and really knew what they were doing -- plus they set up all my furniture for me at no extra charge. their bid came in significantly lower than another i had gotten, so in terms of expense, they're definitely worth it.

OZ was a GREAT experience for us. We could not believe how they packed everything (a large two bedroom apartment in Brooklyn) including our antique clocks and other pieces of furniture. Nothing broken. Super nice and fast.

Contrary to Eliza's statement and in regard to Wende's statement, homeowner's and tenant's policies do not provide coverage for items damaged in a move. Homeowner's and tenant's policy coverage for an item which is lost during a move is iffy. As Wende noted, consult your policy or call your insurance agent before you arrange for a move and verify whether and to what extent you have insurance coverage.

I also suggest you thoroughly catalogue your household items and number your boxes, and carry any fragile items to your new residence yourself whether or not professional movers are involved. To avoid high mover box fees, buy standard and odd sized boxes at a box manufacturing company. Box companies frequently sell odd sized boxes needed for tv's, and other pieces at less than a quarter the cost the mover will charge.

I moved from Inwood to Washington Heights and used NYCityVan. They were great -- super efficient, very friendly, careful with my stuff. They made the move very easy and they were very reasonably priced ($450 to move out of a studio). Also, they provided me with insurance certificates as required by my coop board. A friend used them to move from Fort Greene to Park Slope and he was happy with them as well.

http://www.nycitystuff.com/

I have always had great luck following the recommendations of MUG (Manhattan Users Guide). I've used All Star Moving and Storage for three different moves, and they were excellent. They come to your home to estimate cost, and give you a flat rate. They were very careful and meticulous and reasonably priced. this is the phone number
212.254.2638

i've used a place called 'the right move' a few times, and been happy with them. they quote the job before starting, and will not go over the estimate (which, by the way, have been pretty reasonable estimates). i don't have their number, but they are out of queens (i usually just google them).

the one piece of advice i have for hiring movers is to always be their FIRST job of the day. it takes a little more planning, since they usually book the mornings first, but they will generally show up on time and be fresh. most of the horror stories i have heard (showing up hours late, beign tired and slow, dropping and breaking things, and finishing way late) have been on second and third shifts, when the movers are running late and tired from previous jobs.

The moving scam forums offer lots of recommendations for movers all over the country, including many of the companies mentioned here. (For example, they noted that Oz has priced long-distance moves illegally.) I have moved about five times in the last four years and found their suggestions invaluable. I would never hire an unlicensed company that doesn't provide worker's comp to its employees; that's just asking to get sued.

Speaking of moving scams.. We used Big Johns moving company and was very dissatisfied with them. Here's the routine: They come by to give you an estimate that seems very reasonable and very professional. If you have a studio or one bedroom, the guy will say that he thinks it could probably be done with 2 people if you're looking to for a better rate, but tells you that it will take an hour longer. But, you do the math and realize that paying for 2 people for one extra hour is much cheaper than paying for 3 people and only saving an hour. But, come moving day, they show up with 3 people and try to tell you that it will go faster. But the problem is that you have to pay for that third person even during transit time between apartments (when they're just sitting in a truck). We acquiesced and allowed the move to begin, but in retrospect we should have refused. It ended up costing us significantly more than the original estimate. I've talked to others who have used their services and they said this is a very common tactic that they use.

Hi - I used Chelsea Movers to move from Murray Hill to -what do you know- Chelsea. They were great and the best deal compared to Moishe's and a couple of others. They were on time, didn't break anything, and didn't roll their eyes when my stuff turned out to be more than any of us anticipated. They also charged me only what was quoted.

p.s. it is important to also ask about "travel time" added on. Chelsea Movers only added 30 minutes, I think, where others may tack on an extra hour.

i think it depends a lot on which foreman happens to be running your move. on a recommendation, i used oz... long story short, they used 3 men (foreman who packed, runner who went down my four flights, and truck guy who loaded) and the runner and truck guy got in a shouting argument in front of me... why? because the truck guy said the runner wasn't doing enough work and was being lazy! then they left before i did to head to the new apartment, and i ended up beating them there (20 min traveling distance). by over an hour. then, the foreman insisted on getting at least $50 tip per person (which i wouldn't have had a problem with if i had felt they did a good job) and never refunded me for over $60 in boxes i purchased and never used! they also took about an hour to disassemble my bed because they failed to bring the proper tools with them. when i complained to their office, they sent me... a coupon for 10% off my next move!

my friend recommended moishe's and had only amazing things to say. i didn't go with them because they were more expensive per hour... but on the other hand, they probably wouldn't have been as slow as oz was!

I've used Rabbit Movers twice to move a two bedroom apartment (and a huge load of books and CDs). They were friendly, down-to-earth, competent and careful. I recommend them to everyone I know who's moving.

No hidden fees, no attitude.

Hey Folks - Rabbit Movers here.

Anyone getting ready to move should read the Summary Of Information For Shippers Of Household Goods. This is a short pamphlet distributed by the New York State DOT to inform consumers of their rights and exactly what to expect from their movers. Here is the link (you'll see it at the bottom): https://www.nysdot.gov/portal/page/portal/divisions/operating/osss/truck/forms

Here's the scoop on Household Movers Insurance Requirements in New York State. There are three basic options:

Option 1: $ .30 (thirty cents) per pound per article valuation.
This is provided by all moving companies at no cost to the customer. In the event of loss or damage, the total amount you will be entitled to recover is $.30 per pound per article. For example, if a lamp that weighs ten (10) pounds is damaged, the most you can recover is $3.00, regardless of the value of the lamp. This ordinarily does not provide protection for your goods.

Option 2: Additional Valuation
If you wish to be paid depreciated value for lost or damaged items, you must declare a lump sum value for the entire shipment and pay an extra charge (50 cents per $100 valuation) depending on the value of declaration. For example, if the entire shipment is valued at $2500.00, the additional cost would be $12.50. If any article is lost, destroyed or damaged while in your mover's custody, your mover will, at its discretion, offer to do one of the following for each item:

* Repair the item
* Replace with a similar item
* Make a cash settlement for the cost of the repair or the current market replacement value

Option 3: Full Replacement Value Insurance
We recommend an insurance company that offers full replacement value moving insurance direct to the shipper. MovingInsurance.com. Full replacement coverage is more comprehensive coverage than valuation, and generally offers more options (deductible levels, higher coverage). This coverage option is a bit more involved, and needs to be obtained prior to the actual move day.

Certificate of Insurance
All NYS Household Movers are required to have General Liability Insurance, as well as required Disability and Worker's Compensation insurance coverage. Nearly every residential building with an elevator will require insurance certificates prior to any work performed on the premises. Be sure to check with your buildings prior to move day!

Finally, a very brief response to a few comments above regarding Rabbit Movers:

1. We are fully insured and meet all requirements of NYSDOT.
2. We have NEVER stood anyone up. We are a small start-up company and what sets us apart from the rest is that we will bend over backwards to ensure that you have a positive experience.
3. If you feel our movers are moving too slow, please express your concern to the foreman on site or contact the office. We're Rabbit! Rabbits are fast! We aim to live up to our name.

I hope this information is useful, and I apologize for leaving such a long post.

May you have the best move ever,

Shawn Lyons, owner
Rabbit Movers

With less than 24 hours notice, NYcityVan was able to get me moved out of a 6th floor walk-up! What more could you ask for?