Your Bergen County Moving Questions, Answered
These are the things Hackensack, Teaneck, Paramus, and Fort Lee neighbors bring up most when they call to set up a move with Frank and the crew. If your question is not on the list, dial (888) 711-4778 and we will get you a straight answer the same business hour.
How much should I budget for a local Bergen County move?
Four things mostly set it: the size of the home, the distance between doors, the access on each end (a steep Teaneck staircase, a Fort Lee high-rise COI, an Edgewater building check-in, Route 4 backups), and how soon you need the date. If you would rather pay by the hour, two movers run $145, three run $190, and four run $250. Most clients take the flat figure instead, which generally sits between $480 and $760 for a studio and reaches $3,600 to $5,600 for a four-bedroom. Frank writes that flat number down before move day, so nothing new appears once the truck is packed.
Do you take a deposit to hold the date?
A small deposit, usually in the $100 to $200 range, reserves your day on the calendar, and it is applied straight to the final bill rather than charged on top of it. Each term sits in plain language on the written rate you receive before any money changes hands.
Can I verify your license and insurance?
You can, and we encourage it. For moves that stay inside New Jersey, Lighthouse Van Lines is registered as a public mover with the state Division of Consumer Affairs (PM#). Anything that crosses a state line runs under our US DOT and MC authority. Either way, your shipment carries $1M cargo coverage and full liability, whether it travels three blocks or halfway down the coast.
How far ahead should I reserve, and what do winter storms do to the schedule?
Demand peaks across the summer, around the last few days of any month, on lease-turnover dates, and in the weeks before school starts, so reserving roughly 3 weeks out is your safest bet for the date you want and an early start. From December into March we follow the forecast and keep room in the calendar, since a nor'easter or a heavy snow day can push a move for everyone's safety. In quieter stretches, a week to ten days usually does it, and a small job can occasionally fit on short notice.
What comes standard with a Bergen County local move?
Standard service means we blanket-wrap the furniture, carry it out, drive it, and set it down where you direct, plus light disassembly and reassembly of beds and tables. If a winter storm blows in or a humid summer afternoon turns wet, we shrink-wrap the pieces, clear and salt the path, and put down floor protection against slush and road salt, at no surcharge. Optional add-ons cover packing materials, a full pack, piano handling, and safe rigging, and Frank works whichever you choose into the rate from the outset.
How do cancellations and date changes work?
Tell us at least 48 hours out and there is no charge. Closer in than that, a fee may apply, sized to the time we had already blocked off for your job. When the change is driven by a nor'easter or a heavy snow day, we move you to a new date at no penalty. The precise terms appear on your flat-rate estimate.
Do you run interstate jobs leaving New Jersey?
Yes. Our own crew drives the long hauls on Lighthouse US DOT authority, and we bring in no outside company to finish the leg. The lanes we run most carry Bergen County households up to Boston, down to Washington, DC, and on to Florida, with other East Coast stops in between. You sign a binding written estimate before anything is loaded, and the same people who pick up your shipment are the ones who unload it at the far end.
Can you handle a Fort Lee high-rise or an Edgewater tower?
Those buildings are routine for us. Hudson-front towers in Fort Lee and Edgewater on a scheduled freight elevator, Hackensack colonials behind steep narrow stairs, Teaneck two-families wedged on tight side streets are what this crew runs week in and week out. When you ask for a quote, share the floor, the elevator booking process, the parking and alternate-side rules, plus any HOA or management requirements. Before your date arrives we put the Certificate of Insurance on file and reserve the building's move window directly with the property office.
Can you store my belongings between closing dates?
We can. If your dates do not line up, your things wait in heated, climate-controlled storage, generally $110 to $300 a month depending on the unit size. That matters in North Jersey, where an unheated space and the swing from winter cold to summer humidity are hard on wood furniture left sitting. The storage pricing and terms come with your estimate.
What happens if an item is damaged?
Coverage on every move is $1M cargo, defaulting to $0.60/lb released value, with optional full-value protection at 1 to 3 percent if you elect it. Notice damage and phone us promptly. We log the claim, lay out the 9-month filing window, and resolve it internally rather than routing you elsewhere. Responsibility for your belongings sits with us start to finish, from the first piece lifted to the last set down.
Are you a moving company?
Yes, a fully licensed New Jersey moving company. Frank Delvecchio opened Lighthouse Van Lines in Hackensack in 2013 as a licensed moving and storage operation, and we work every Bergen County and North Jersey job on Lighthouse trucks staffed by our own W-2 employees. The crew on your move belongs to this company at every step, start to finish, with no subcontractor in the mix, and we keep what you tell us in-house rather than passing it along or selling it.
What is the quickest way for me to get a price?
Phone the office or fill in the form here. We will take down the essentials: how large the home is, both addresses, your target date, and any specialty pieces like a piano or a heavy safe. Frank then factors the stairs, the Fort Lee COI, the building access, the parking, and where your date lands on the winter calendar into a single flat figure, books your crew, holds the slot, and checks back once the move is done to confirm everything went right.