Questions Valley movers ask us
A few things come up on almost every call: what it costs, how the deposit works, what California requires, how we handle a third-floor walk-up with no elevator. Here are straight answers. If yours is not here, call (888) 711-4778 and the Reseda office will sort it out.
Do you do the move yourselves, or pass it to someone else?
A moving company. Laprom Movers is a fully licensed and insured local moving company in Reseda, CA, with our own eight trucks and our own uniformed crews, and we hold a California PUC Cal-T permit plus US DOT/MC authority on file. We are not a booking middleman that farms your job out to whoever; the truck that shows up is ours and the movers are on our payroll. We load it and drive it ourselves.
How do you price a local move?
Local jobs are hourly: $175/hr for a two-mover crew and truck, with blankets, dollies, and tools already on board, or $239/hr for a three-mover crew when the place is bigger. For most moves we can also give a flat rate up front: a studio runs roughly $470 to $680, a one-bedroom $720 to $1,080, a two-bedroom $1,200 to $1,800, and houses scale from there. Either way you get the number in writing before we start.
What is the $150 deposit for?
It holds your date on the calendar. Reseda weekends and the end of the month fill up fast, especially around CSUN turnover, so the $150 books your slot, and it is not an extra charge: it comes straight off your final total. If you ever need to move the date, just give us reasonable notice and we will roll it.
Do I get the estimate in writing before the move?
Always, and in California it is required, not optional. Before move day we put the price in writing, and we hand you the CPUC "Important Information for Persons Moving Household Goods" booklet so you know your rights as a customer. No verbal-guess pricing, no number that doubles when the truck shows up.
What license and authority do you actually hold?
In California, household-goods movers are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. We carry a California PUC household-goods carrier permit (a Cal-T number) for moves inside the state, plus US DOT and MC authority for the interstate runs out to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and beyond. We keep both current; ask and we will give you the numbers.
If something gets damaged, how does the coverage work?
Every move includes released-value coverage at the California-standard $0.60 per pound, at no extra cost. If you want dollar-for-dollar protection on the higher-value pieces, we offer full-value protection as an add-on. On top of that we carry cargo coverage up to $1,000,000 per shipment, so the truck itself is well insured.
Can you move a piano?
Yes. Uprights, baby grands, and the other heavy specialty pieces (gun safes, slate pool tables, big armoires) are routine for us, and piano work starts at $399. Our crew brings the right straps, boards, and padding and knows how to get a grand around a tight Encino stairwell or up a narrow canyon driveway without dinging it or the walls.
Which areas do you cover?
Reseda is home, and we run the whole San Fernando Valley out of it: Tarzana, Encino, Northridge, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Winnetka, West Hills, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, Panorama City, North Hollywood, and Studio City. If your pickup or drop-off is anywhere across the Valley floor or up in the hills, we are there.
On an interstate move, do the same movers stay with it?
Yes, that is the point. On a long-distance job the Laprom crew that loads your home in Reseda is the same team that drives it and carries it back off at the other end, whether that is San Diego, Las Vegas, or Phoenix. We do not hand your boxes to a stranger or shuffle them onto another company's trailer at a warehouse. Long-distance starts at $2,620 on a binding written quote.
Do you pack, or just move?
Both, your call. We can pack the entire house, or just the parts you would rather not: the kitchen, the glassware, the artwork, the closet of fragile stuff. We bring boxes, paper, and bubble, and we label as we go. Plenty of customers pack their own clothes and books and let us handle only the breakables; that works fine too.
Can you store my things for a while?
Yes. When your move-out and move-in dates do not line up, and in this rental market they often do not, we offer short-term storage. We pad-wrap and inventory everything, hold it secure, and deliver it on your new date. Ask the office for current availability and rates.
Can I move my date or cancel if plans change?
Life happens: closings slip, landlords stall. Give us reasonable notice and we will move your date with no drama; your $150 deposit comes with you to the new slot. We only ask that you not leave a confirmed crew standing on the curb on the morning of, since that is a day they could have booked someone else.
My building is a walk-up with no elevator; does that cost extra?
A normal flight or two of stairs is just part of the job, no surcharge. The Valley is full of older walk-ups and we move them every week. Where a long stair-carry comes in (a third- or fourth-floor unit with no elevator, or a hillside house with a long set of steps from the street), we will tell you up front on the estimate so there is nothing to argue about on move day. No buried fees.
Do you handle street parking permits and the COI my building wants?
Yes, and we deal with this constantly. Lots of the apartment corridors off Ventura Blvd and around the Reseda Blvd area are permit-only at the curb, so we sort out where the truck legally sits before move day. And if your Warner Center high-rise or NoHo building requires a certificate of insurance from the mover before they will let us up the freight elevator, just tell us who to send it to and we will have it on file in time.