Singapore Expats

Hi,
We're moving to Singapore at the end of next month.
One of the things that was mentioned to us was that apparently apartments/ condos need advance notice when moving in.
Sometimes it can be up to a couple of weeks. Is that correct?
I suppose there's always movement in and out of the apartments, so I just wanted to check if that's something we need to take into account when bringing our furniture over.
Thank you.

southernx wrote:Hi,
We're moving to Singapore at the end of next month.
One of the things that was mentioned to us was that apparently apartments/ condos need advance notice when moving in.
Sometimes it can be up to a couple of weeks. Is that correct?
I suppose there's always movement in and out of the apartments, so I just wanted to check if that's something we need to take into account when bringing our furniture over.
Thank you.

This would obviously be dependent on the condo, there's not going to be a universal "yes" or "no" for all of Singapore. Contact them.

southernx wrote:Hi,
We're moving to Singapore at the end of next month.
One of the things that was mentioned to us was that apparently apartments/ condos need advance notice when moving in.
Sometimes it can be up to a couple of weeks. Is that correct?
I suppose there's always movement in and out of the apartments, so I just wanted to check if that's something we need to take into account when bringing our furniture over.
Thank you.

If you are using a removal company, then they should be coordinating this for you.

In my experience condos DO usually require notice. This is so they can arrange to put padding up in one of the lifts, so your belongings/cartons don't damage it. It is also likely that one lift (in my experience, there are often three in total), will be 'locked off' for a period of a few hours for your exclusive use.

If unsure discuss with your movers. Or, discuss with the condo management office.

All the ones we stayed in needed advance notice and a deposit for damages to the lift and common area.

It makes sense as you don't want to end up with 2 families moving out on the same day, that will just bung up the service lift and what little parking is available, and they need to install all the druggets.

Worth noting some condos have a height limit so no point turning up with a 60ft container truck if it cant fit into the parking bays. They have a time limit on when contractors/movers can be in the development.

All this should be sorted out by your movers.

The deposit is worth noting, has caught me out a few times. Depending on your removal company, if it is a high-end / full service they should take care of deposit themselves. However other value priced movers will require you to post deposit yourself. If you have a cheque book it's easier. Otherwise you need to get cash or bank cheque.

I was caught out before when I realized at short notice I needed to do this myself and find $3,000 ($1k from outgoing condo and $2k for incoming), amongst all the other things I was trying to organize! If you are posting the deposit, I suggest you email the removal company in advance all the condo rules and guidelines and insist they comply, as any damage to lift etc will come out of your deposit which you then need to recover back from them.

Also get the movers to check the size of the cargo lift otherwise you will be hit with a hefty carry up the stairs fee.

Make sure the move cost includes the movers returning a week later to clear away all the cardboard boxes, and they provide a free handyman service to help put up pictures shelves etc.

Great. Thanks for those tips. I'll check about the deposit. Didn't even think of that one.