We try to be plain about how we price, how we’re licensed, and how we handle the things that make moving in Washington different from moving anywhere else. Below are the dozen questions we field every week.
Still have a question? Call (888) 711-4778 or email [email protected]. Tanya or Brian can usually answer on the spot and get a flat written estimate started.
How do you price a move — hourly or flat?
Both, depending on the job. Local moves are billed hourly — $159/hr for a 2-mover crew and truck, $209/hr for a 3-mover crew, with pads, dollies, and tools included — or as a flat band: a studio runs $420–$680, a 1-bedroom $700–$1,150, a 2-bedroom $1,200–$1,900, a 3-bedroom $2,050–$3,150, and a 4-bedroom house $2,900–$4,400. Long-distance moves are a binding flat-rate quote starting at $2,400. Either way, we lock the number in writing before we lift a box.
Is there a deposit to book?
Yes — a $129 deposit holds your date, and it’s applied straight to your total, not an extra fee. We take it once you’ve approved the written estimate, and it’s what reserves your crew and truck for the day.
What’s included in the price?
Our trucks, our uniformed crew, full furniture padding, shrink-wrap, floor runners, and door and stair-rail protection. Dollies, hand trucks, straps, tools, and wardrobe boxes come at no extra charge. There are no surprise fees for stairs or pads. Packing materials and storage are quoted separately if you need them.
Can you pack for us?
Yes. Full-service packing starts at $440 for materials and labor, and we’ll box the entire home — dish packs for the kitchen, wardrobe cartons for closets, and custom crating for art and mirrors. Prefer to pack yourself and have us handle just the breakables? Partial packing is available too.
For a long-distance move, do we share a truck with other shipments?
No. Your long-distance move travels on its own dedicated truck — no shared trailer, no transfer warehouse, no waiting for someone else’s delivery to clear. The same crew that loads in DC drives the route and unloads at your new home, and you get a fixed delivery window in writing.
How is my stuff insured?
Every shipment carries up to $1,000,000 in cargo coverage. The standard included protection is released value at $0.60 per pound per item, which is the federal default for household goods. If you’d rather have full-value protection, where we repair or replace at the item’s actual value, we can add that to your estimate.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. We hold US DOT and MC authority for interstate moves, and we carry household-goods registration to operate across the DMV — the District, Maryland through the Maryland PSC, and Virginia through the Virginia DMV. We’re bonded and insured, and we keep all of it current.
Are you a broker or a matching service?
No. District High Quality Movers is a fully licensed and insured local moving company based in Washington, DC, with our own trucks and our own uniformed W-2 crews. We are not a broker, a matching service, or a lead aggregator. We run the trucks ourselves and our own movers do every job, start to finish.
Do you offer storage?
Yes — climate-controlled short-term storage from $70 per month per vault. It’s ideal for the gap between closings or during a renovation. We move your things into the vault, store them securely, and redeliver to your new place whenever you’re ready.
Do you handle DC parking permits?
Yes, and it’s one of the most important things we do here. We pull emergency no-parking permits to reserve a curb spot for the truck so it isn’t ticketed, towed, or stuck half a block from your door. The rules and lead times differ across DC, Arlington, Alexandria, and the Montgomery County towns, and we file for each correctly.
Our building needs a certificate of insurance and a reserved elevator. Can you handle that?
Absolutely. Most downtown and Bethesda high-rises require a certificate of insurance on file and a booked freight-elevator window before move day. Give us your building’s management contact and requirements, and we’ll provide the COI and reserve the elevator window for you.
How far ahead should we book?
For weekday local moves, a week or two is usually fine. For weekends, the end of the month, and the summer peak — June through August, when leases and closings cluster — two to four weeks gives you the best pick of dates. If you’re up against a short timeline, call anyway; we keep some flexibility and will do our best to fit you in.
