Movers & Moving Companies in Ottawa

There is no licence to ask for

The province states plainly that moving companies are not licensed by it. That removes the usual first check, so the research has to go elsewhere: references you actually call, a local business you can visit, and the province's own Consumer Beware List, which records complaints and charges against businesses.

The advice is to get at least three written estimates and to be clear about what each includes, particularly whether the company is packing or only moving what you packed yourself, because insurance often turns on that distinction.

What the contract has to contain

1. The mover's name, address and contact information.
2. A description of the services and an itemised list of prices.
3. The total amount you will have to pay.
4. Start and end dates for the service.
5. The terms of payment.

Worth adding, though not required: the estimate itself, the insurer's name and policy number, who is responsible for damage or loss, and the number of staff, hours and vehicle size assumed. If you never receive a copy of the contract with the required information, you can cancel within one year.

Put the estimate in the contract, because that is what caps it

The rule is specific and it only bites if the estimate is part of the contract: by law the mover cannot charge more than ten per cent above the estimate in your contract, unless you need additional supplies or services and you agree to the increase.

An estimate emailed separately and never referenced in the agreement is not the estimate in your contract. That is the difference between a number you can hold them to and a number they can revise on the day.

How you signed changes what you can cancel

Signing in person in your home makes it a direct agreement, which carries a cooling-off period of ten days starting after you receive a written copy. You can cancel for any reason, and it still applies if the move happens inside those ten days, though you would reasonably compensate the company for work already done.

Online makes it an Internet agreement: the company has to let you accept, decline or correct the contract before you accept, and to send a written copy within 15 days. Without a copy carrying the required information you can cancel within 30 days. By phone or mail it is a remote agreement, and the no-copy window there is one year.

They cannot hold your belongings for more money

Packing a household and then demanding more than the agreed amount to finish the job is an unfair practice and an offence under the Consumer Protection Act. A mover cannot hold your items or furnishings to pressure you into renegotiating the terms of your contract.

If you pay anyway because you feel you have no choice, the province's instruction is exact: write on the invoice that you paid under protest, keep a copy, and follow up with the company, the police, or a consumer complaint. That sentence on the invoice is what keeps the payment disputable afterwards.

How much does it cost to hire movers in Ottawa?

Local moves in Ottawa are usually priced by the hour for a crew and a truck, so the bill comes down to the size of the crew, the hourly rate for that crew and the hours the job takes. Ontario's guidance on hiring a mover suggests writing the number of staff, the estimated hours and the size of the vehicle into the contract beside the estimate.

Ask for those figures on three written estimates for the same inventory. Then you can compare the companies line by line, and a bigger crew or a longer day shows up before moving day instead of on the invoice.

What are red flags with movers?

1. An estimate given without anyone seeing your things. Ontario suggests hiring a local company partly so its movers can come and look at what needs moving, which is what an accurate estimate rests on.
2. An estimate left out of the contract. Only the estimate written into the contract carries the ten per cent cap.
3. Vague answers on insurance: whose policy pays for damage or loss, and whether it covers boxes you packed yourself.
4. A refusal to let you see where your belongings will be stored.
5. Complaints or charges against the company on Ontario's Consumer Beware List.
6. A demand for more money after everything is packed. Holding belongings to force a new price is an offence, as the section above explains.

Ontario's consumer ministry received 294 complaints about moving companies in 2015, the year its page cites, and 12 complaints and inquiries that year about goods held for extra payment.

Moving for a new job or school: keep the mover's invoice

The Canada Revenue Agency lets you deduct moving expenses if you move for work or a business at a new location, or to study full time at a post-secondary school, and the new home is at least 40 kilometres closer to that work or school by the shortest public route.

The move generally has to be from one place in Canada to another. The deduction comes off what you earn at the new work location; a student deducts it from the taxable part of scholarships, bursaries and similar awards.

The mover's bill counts. The CRA's list for line 21900 includes transportation and storage costs for household items, naming packing, hauling, movers, in-transit storage and insurance, and it tells you to keep all receipts and documents that support the claim. Keep the paid invoice with the contract, whose itemised price list shows what each charge was for.

If your employer pays for the move, you can claim the expenses only if you include the reimbursement in your income or reduce your claim by it.