Choosing a moving concierge is challenging because the title can describe anything from free utility setup to weeks of hands-on downsizing, vendor coordination, unpacking, and home setup. Fees, referral relationships, authority, privacy practices, and responsibility for the actual moving truck also vary widely.
This guide will help you choose the right level of concierge help, understand free and paid fee structures, define the work in writing, protect sensitive information, keep regulated transportation with qualified providers, and measure success by completed handoffs rather than promises.
Choose the right kind of concierge
Some services focus on electricity, internet, security, and other home accounts. Some manage the complete household transition, including sorting, packing coordination, mover scheduling, move-day oversight, unpacking, and room setup. Corporate relocation providers may add temporary housing, travel, expense rules, school searches, and destination support.
The service name matters less than the task list. A strong proposal names each job, who performs it, the deadline, the approval needed from the customer, and the proof that it is complete.
| Service level | Common work | Typical fee approach |
|---|---|---|
| Home-service setup | Utilities, internet, security, trash, and installation appointments | Free referral-funded service or a small flat package |
| Move coordination | Timeline, vendors, building documents, cleaners, keys, deliveries, and move-day calls | Flat project fee or hourly coordination |
| Hands-on move management | Sorting, downsizing, floor plan, packing oversight, donations, unpacking, and setup | Often about $50–$150 per person per hour; projects can reach several thousand dollars |
| Corporate or international relocation | Policy, travel, temporary housing, destination services, customs coordination, and reporting | Employer package, fixed program fee, or custom proposal |
Decide which work is worth delegating
List every move task, then mark the ones that require local knowledge, repeated phone calls, scheduling, in-person supervision, or emotional effort. A household may want only utility setup, or it may need one person to coordinate movers, a storage unit, a cleaner, estate donations, furniture delivery, and the first night in the new home.
Keep decisions that matter personally—what to keep, the approved budget, the final provider, and access to sensitive accounts—with the household unless the written authorization clearly says otherwise. Moveline’s complete moving timeline is a useful starting list.
Understand free and paid services
A utility concierge may be free to the customer because participating service providers pay referral or marketing fees. That can be convenient, but ask which providers are considered, whether the service compares all available plans, how recommendations are paid, and what personal information must be shared.
Paid concierges commonly use hourly, per-person hourly, flat-package, or complete-project pricing. A limited coordination package may cost hundreds of dollars; hands-on management involving weeks of sorting, packing, vendors, and setup can cost several thousand. Ask for expected hours or a clear project total instead of comparing hourly rates alone.
Build a complete written price
The proposal should separate the concierge’s fee from movers, packers, storage, cleaners, junk removal, estate-sale help, supplies, travel time, mileage, parking, after-hours work, and third-party purchases. For an hourly project, confirm whether the rate is per worker, how many people attend, minimum hours, travel billing, and the approval point for exceeding the estimate.
For a flat project, list the included appointments, revisions, visits, on-call period, and completion standard. “Full service” should become a visible set of deliverables.
Confirm authority and privacy
A concierge may need to speak with utilities, buildings, vendors, or movers. Use limited written authorization that names the permitted task and ends after the move. Ask how identity documents, payment information, account numbers, keys, alarm codes, and building access are stored and deleted.
Do not send sensitive information through an unapproved text or email simply because a task is urgent. Confirm who can see the data, whether a secure portal is available, and how a mistaken order or unauthorized charge is corrected.
Keep regulated moving work with qualified providers
A concierge can recommend, schedule, and coordinate a mover, but the transportation agreement should identify the licensed moving company responsible for the belongings. For an interstate move, verify the mover or moving broker through FMCSA and review the written estimate, protection choices, pickup documents, and claims process.
Ask whether the concierge receives a referral fee from the mover or any other provider. A referral relationship can be acceptable when it is disclosed and the household still receives the facts needed to choose confidently. Use Moveline’s moving-company questions for the transportation decision.
Choose a concierge by the handoffs they improve
Ask who will be the daily contact, how progress is reported, what requires approval, what happens when a provider cancels, and who attends move day. Request a sample timeline or completion report. References should describe communication, budget control, and problem-solving—not only friendliness.
The best concierge leaves the household with fewer open tasks and better records: confirmed appointments, approved prices, vendor contacts, receipts, account confirmations, returned keys, and a functioning new home.