Moving out of a Providence apartment: clearing what you are not taking

The short answer

Decide what is not coming with you a week before the move, use the city's free bulky pickup if your building qualifies and your timing works, and book a pickup for the rest. Common move-out items: sofa $126, queen mattress and box spring set $143, dresser $126, TV $68. A larger leftover load is often a quarter truck at $241 or half a truck at $431.

Start with a list, a week out

Moves go wrong when the leftover furniture is discovered on the last day. Walk through the apartment a week before you move and sort everything into three groups: coming with you, going to someone else, and going away.

Be honest about the third group. The sofa that barely made it up the triple-decker stairs four years ago may not be worth moving again. The particleboard bookcase will not survive the truck. The mattress that came with the apartment is not yours to take, but it may be yours to dispose of depending on the lease.

Once you have the list, you can price it. Pick the items online or send photos for an instant quote, and you see the total before booking.

Sell or give away first, if there is time

The middle group on your list, going to someone else, is worth real effort in Providence because of the calendar. In late August, thousands of students and new staff are furnishing apartments around Brown, RISD, Providence College and Johnson & Wales at the same time. Desks, bookcases, small tables, lamps and bar stools move fast then.

In May the reverse is true. Everyone on College Hill and in Fox Point is getting rid of the same desk at once, so listings sit. If you are leaving in May, price low, post early, and set a cutoff date two or three days before the move, after which anything unsold goes on the pickup list.

For what is left, we try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can. A clean, solid dresser has a better chance of a second life than a sagging futon, so be realistic about which is which.

The city pickup: when it fits a move

Providence's free bulky-item pickup through Waste Management takes furniture and large appliances from buildings with six or fewer units. You schedule at least 24 hours before your trash day, and items go out no earlier than the night before.

That works if your trash day falls just before or on your move-out day, you can get things to the curb yourself, and nothing on your list is excluded. It does not take mattresses. It does not take TVs and other electronics, which Rhode Island bans from the trash. It does not serve buildings of seven or more units.

The timing is the usual problem. If your trash day is three days after you hand back the keys, the furniture is either on the curb too early or still in the apartment when the landlord does the walk-through.

Flat prices for move-out items

A sofa, a queen set and a TV are $126 + $143 + $68 = $337. A futon, a desk and a bookshelf are $111 + $83 + $72 = $266. Carry-out from any floor is included.

Bigger leftovers: truck-fill tiers

If you are leaving behind most of a room, or the contents of a basement storage cage, a truck tier is often simpler:

A furnished bedroom plus some kitchen items and bags is often around a quarter truck. Most of a one-bedroom is often around half.

Long-distance and military moves

Moves out of the region bring a different calculation. When the moving company prices by weight or volume, every heavy, cheap piece you leave behind saves money on the move itself. That is especially true for military families on Aquidneck Island, where Naval Station Newport and the Naval War College mean regular moves on orders.

A typical pre-move clear-out from a Middletown or Newport rental is the bulky, low-value furniture: a sofa, a standard bed frame, a particleboard bookcase and a desk, $126 + $68 + $100 + $83 = $377. Once you add a few boxes from the garage, a quarter truck at $241 plus the sofa may be the simpler way to quote it; the photo quote shows which comes out lower.

Book the pickup after the moving company's survey, so you know exactly what they are not taking. Island addresses cross a bridge, but the price is the same flat number.

Timing the pickup with the move

Book the pickup for the day before or the morning of your move, after the movers have taken what is coming. That keeps the leftover items out of the movers' way and gets the apartment empty in one day.

You choose a two-hour arrival window, and crews work seven days a week from 8am to midnight. Same-day pickup is available when you book by 4 PM, which helps when a move runs long.

Mid-May and late August are the busiest weeks around Brown, RISD, Providence College and Johnson & Wales. If you are moving in those weeks on College Hill, in Fox Point, Elmhurst or Downtown, book a few days ahead. See college move-out junk removal in Providence.

Building rules and parking

• Larger buildings. Downtown apartments and converted mill buildings may require a certificate of insurance and an elevator booking. JunkRabbit emails a COI within one hour of booking.
• Parking. On College Hill, Federal Hill and Fox Point, note any driveway or loading spot. Your moving truck and the pickup truck may need the same space at different times.
• Shared stairs. In a triple-decker, let the other tenants know there will be heavy items coming down the stairs that day.
• Landlord walk-through. Ask what the landlord expects to be left. Some want window ACs or appliances to stay.

Frequently asked questions