What an apartment cleanout costs in Virginia Beach

The short answer

Apartment cleanouts are priced either by item or by truck fill, whichever fits the load. A few leftover pieces are priced by item: a sofa at $126 plus a queen set at $143 is $126 + $143 = $269. A fully furnished one-bedroom usually fits a 3/8 truck at $338 or a half truck at $431. A furnished two-bedroom often lands on a 5/8 truck at $513 or a 3/4 truck at $587. Elevators, stairs and building paperwork don't change the price.

Where apartment cleanouts happen in the 757

Hampton Roads has a lot of renters, and they move often. Downtown Norfolk is only about 17.5 percent owner-occupied. The Town Center ZIP, covering Pembroke, Aragona Village and the Newtown Road apartments, is just over half owner-occupied. Greenbrier in Chesapeake mixes apartments and townhomes along the Parkway. Military Circle and Janaf are full of 1960s apartment complexes.

Then there are the students and the Navy. Old Dominion's 23,000-plus students fill Larchmont and Lamberts Point apartments, and Norfolk State students rent around Brambleton. Navy families rent across Hilltop, Great Neck and East Beach between orders.

That means apartment cleanouts cluster around three moments: PCS season in late spring and summer, university move-outs in May and December, and lease ends at the end of every month. If your lease ends on the 31st, book a few days ahead.

Per-item or truck fill?

If you're leaving behind a handful of big pieces, item prices are usually cheaper. If you're clearing out everything, including bags of clothes, kitchen stuff and small furniture, a truck tier is usually simpler and cheaper.

As a rough guide, a lightly furnished studio is often a quarter truck. A furnished one-bedroom is often 3/8 to a half. A furnished two-bedroom is often 5/8 to three-quarters. Your photos decide it, not a guess.

Worked examples

Studio in a Downtown Norfolk high-rise, leftovers only: a futon and a small dining table. $111 + $103 = $214.

One-bedroom in Town Center, everything going: sofa, queen set, dresser, small dining table, two chairs, and 10 bags. Item by item that's $126 + $143 + $126 + $103 + $45 + $45 + $132 = $720. As a load, it fits a half truck at $431. The tier wins.

Larchmont student apartment at the end of May: a full mattress, a desk, an office chair and a bookshelf. $94 + $83 + $61 + $72 = $310.

Two-bedroom in Greenbrier, PCS move: the movers took most of it, leaving a sectional, a bunk bed and a pile of boxes and bags. That load is often a 3/8 truck at $338.

These are examples. The real number comes from your photos and is shown before you book.

Buildings, elevators and COIs

Apartment buildings come with rules. Many high-rises in Downtown Norfolk, the Oceanfront and Town Center require moves to be scheduled, an elevator to be reserved and padded, and a certificate of insurance from anyone hauling things out.

Ask your management office three things a week ahead. Which days and hours are allowed for moves? Is an elevator reservation required? What does the COI need to say, and who should be named on it?

Send us the building's COI requirements and we'll email a certificate within one hour. Crews are vetted and insured. Reserve the elevator, then pick a two-hour arrival window that fits inside it.

Garden-style complexes are simpler, but have their own catch: long walks from the unit to the parking lot, and outdoor stairs. Both are included. There's no stairs fee and no long-carry fee.

Don't use the complex dumpster

Most apartment complexes post their dumpsters against furniture and mattresses. Leaving a couch next to the compactor isn't disposal. Management pays to remove it and usually charges the tenant who left it.

The city's bulky pickup isn't always an option either. In Virginia Beach, bulky items go to the curb after a request three days ahead, between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. Many complexes have no curb that belongs to a unit, and some don't allow bulky set-outs at all.

Remember what the city won't take anyway: bagged items, cardboard boxes and computer towers are all excluded in Virginia Beach. That's a big share of what's left after a move.

A booked pickup takes everything at once and leaves the unit ready for inspection. That protects your deposit.

How to keep the cost down

• Sell or give away first. Incoming Navy families and students look for furniture all the time.
• Take what you can to the car. Small bags and boxes that fit your trunk can go with your regular trash and recycling, within your building's rules.
• Group everything into one visit. One booking costs less than two.
• Photograph every room. Accurate photos give an accurate tier.
• Book early in peak weeks. End of May and the last days of each month fill up first.

Book by 4 p.m. for same-day pickup, any day of the week. Get the number on the instant quote page.

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