White glove moving is full service relocation where one company handles every phase of the move, from the first survey to the last picture hung on the wall. In New York it also covers the work most people never think about until the week of the move: certificates of insurance, freight elevator windows, board approvals, and the building rules that decide when a crew can walk through the door.
This guide covers what white glove service includes, how it differs from standard moving, what it costs in New York, and the questions worth asking before you book. FlatRate invented the guaranteed flat-rate pricing model in 1991 and has moved New York homes, collections, and offices ever since.
What is white glove moving?
White glove moving is a premium service tier in which one company plans, packs, protects, transports, unpacks, and places everything you own, with specialized handling for fine art, antiques, pianos, chandeliers, wine, and designer furniture. You approve a plan and a price, and the company executes the rest.
The name comes from handling valuable objects with gloves, but the service describes a level of coordination rather than a single line item on an estimate.
The core difference comes down to how much of the move a company handles for you. A regular mover typically loads, transports, and unloads your boxes, while a white glove mover manages everything from custom crating and full packing to furniture disassembly, careful placement in your new home, and specialty care for fine art, antiques, and pianos.
Dejon Reid, VP of New York Sales, FlatRate Moving
Reid made that point in Redfin’s guide to white glove moving, published in September 2026.
What does white glove moving include?
1. A pre-move survey and a written plan
Every white glove move begins with a walkthrough, virtual or in person. A move consultant inventories the home, flags fragile and oversized pieces, measures doorways and stairwells, and confirms building access at both addresses. That survey produces the move plan: crew size, truck size, materials, packing days, and the move date itself.
2. Building paperwork and access coordination
New York buildings decide how a move runs. Most co-ops, condos, and managed rentals require a certificate of insurance naming the building, the managing agent, and sometimes the board, at specific coverage limits. Many restrict move hours, require a freight elevator reservation, and hold a deposit until the move is complete. A white glove mover prepares and submits the certificate, books the elevator window, and confirms both schedules before the truck is loaded.
3. Full packing, inventory, and labeling
Packers handle kitchens, closets, libraries, and dressing rooms with materials matched to each category, including dish barrels, wardrobe boxes, mirror cartons, and acid-free tissue for textiles. Every carton is labeled by room and destination, and a written inventory travels with the shipment so nothing has to be reconstructed from memory at the other end.
4. Custom crating and specialty handling
Fine art, sculpture, mirrors, marble, glass tabletops, and irregular pieces go into wooden crates built to the dimensions of the object. Pianos, safes, chandeliers, and large canvases get rigging plans of their own. In pre-war buildings with narrow stairwells and no service elevator, that plan may call for a hoist or a disassembly sequence worked out weeks in advance.
5. Furniture disassembly, protection, and reassembly
Beds, sectionals, dining tables, and shelving come apart with hardware bagged and labeled to the piece. Upholstery is wrapped, wood is padded and shrink-wrapped, and finished surfaces are protected for the carry. At the destination everything is reassembled and set in position.
6. Loading, transport, and storage
Crates and high value items are positioned and secured so nothing shifts in transit. When the two dates do not line up, and in New York they often do not, white glove service includes climate controlled storage, with the same company handling pickup, storage, and final delivery.
7. Unpacking, placement, and debris removal
Unpacking service empties cartons, places items room by room, makes beds, sets closets, hangs art, and removes every box and sheet of paper before the crew leaves. A finished white glove move leaves a home ready to live in on the first night.
White glove moving compared to standard service
| SERVICE | STANDARD MOVING | WHITE GLOVE MOVING |
|---|---|---|
| Packing | Optional, often handled by the client | Full service packing and materials included |
| Fragile and high value items | Padded and wrapped | Custom crating and item specific rigging |
| Building requirements | COI provided on request | COI, elevator booking, and board coordination managed |
| Furniture | Loaded and unloaded | Disassembled, protected, reassembled, and placed |
| Unpacking | Usually a separate service | Typically included, with debris removal |
| Best suited to | Studios and one bedrooms with few fragile pieces | Art, antiques, full households, and demanding buildings |
What does white glove moving cost in New York City?
White glove pricing depends on volume, packing scope, crating, building access at both ends, and the date on the calendar. A one bedroom with light packing sits at one end of the range, and a townhouse with a collection, a piano, and a storage gap sits at the other.
The structure of the number matters more than the range. Hourly estimates move with the day, so a slow elevator, a delayed certificate approval, or a longer carry all change what you owe at the end. A guaranteed price does not move. FlatRate builds one guaranteed price from the survey, and the price quoted is the price paid.
On a white glove move, the surprises should happen to us and not to the client. We build the plan around the building, the inventory, and the calendar, and then we hold the number.
Dejon Reid, VP of New York Sales, FlatRate Moving
Who should consider white glove moving?
- Collectors and art owners who need crating, condition awareness, and careful placement.
- Co-op and condo residents in buildings with strict insurance requirements and narrow move in windows.
- Brownstone and walkup residents where stairs, turns, and hoisting drive the plan.
- Busy professionals and families who would rather approve a plan than manage one.
- Long distance and international clients who want one company accountable from origin to final placement.
- Downsizing and estate moves that combine delivery, storage, and distribution to several addresses.
Six questions to ask before hiring a white glove mover
- Are your crews employees? Ask whether the people in your home are W-2 employees of the company or day labor hired for the job. FlatRate staffs its moves with its own W-2 employees.
- Is the price guaranteed? Ask what can change the number, and get the answer in writing before you sign.
- Who handles the certificate of insurance? Ask whether the mover prepares and submits it to your managing agent, and how quickly.
- How is crating handled? Ask whether crates are built to the item and who performs the work.
- What are the licensing and insurance credentials? Look for USDOT and MC numbers on interstate moves, New York State DOT registration on local ones, and valuation options above basic released value.
- Who is my contact on move day? Ask for a named coordinator and a named foreman.
Frequently asked questions
What does white glove moving include?
White glove moving includes a pre-move survey and written plan, building paperwork such as certificates of insurance and elevator reservations, full packing with inventory, custom crating for fragile and high value items, furniture disassembly and reassembly, protected loading and transport, optional climate controlled storage, and unpacking with final placement and debris removal.
Is white glove moving worth the cost?
It is worth it when the value of the contents, the complexity of the buildings, or the value of your time exceeds the difference in price. A studio with few fragile pieces is usually better served by standard moving. A full household with art, antiques, or a demanding building is where white glove service pays for itself in handling risk and hours saved.
Do white glove movers handle fine art and pianos?
Yes. Fine art, sculpture, mirrors, pianos, chandeliers, and safes are handled with custom crating and item specific rigging plans, prepared during the survey rather than improvised on move day.
Does white glove moving include unpacking?
Unpacking is typically included. The service covers emptying cartons, placing items by room, reassembling furniture, hanging art, and removing all packing debris from the home.
Do I still need a certificate of insurance for my building?
Most New York co-ops, condos, and managed buildings require one. A white glove mover prepares the certificate to the building’s exact requirements, submits it to the managing agent, and confirms approval before the move date.
How far in advance should I book a white glove move?
Four to six weeks is comfortable for most New York moves. End of month dates, the last week of August, and the first week of September fill earliest, and building elevator windows are reserved on a first come basis.
Planning a white glove move in New York
White glove moves are decided in the survey, the plan, and the paperwork, long before the truck arrives. FlatRate has built those plans in New York since 1991 with its own employee crews, its own crating, and a guaranteed price that holds.
Get one guaranteed price for your move, built from a survey of your home and your building.
Happy Moving Day.