While we all love moving into a new apartment uptown, actually getting all your stuff there is kind of the worst. And in Athens, it's never just you moving; OU’s official move-in weekend often coincides with off-campus lease turnovers as well. What does all this add up to? Absolute chaos.
You’ve got parents who do not understand the street layouts or the one-ways. You’ve got dozens of moving trucks roaming around trying to deal with narrow brick roads and hills like First Street. You have the family arguments that naturally comes with high-stress situations like moving to an off-campus rental for the first time. And then, of course, you have the moving truck to deal with and a packing strategy to figure out.
How can we streamline move-in day and get to the good part – chilling in your new place?
Finding a Moving Truck Rental in Athens, Ohio
There are a few places to rent moving trucks in Athens, naturally. Like, 10,000 students move in and out every year. Not to mention professors and residents, old and new. But that doesn’t mean you should wait until the last minute to rent your moving truck. Like we said: 10,000 students move in and out every year. You should probably set up your truck rental once you’ve got your move-in day appointment set up with your landlord.
You can find moving trucks to rent at these locations:
Penske Truck Rental at West End Storage
- 751 W Union St, 740-593-6196
- Athens’ Penske offers several sizes of moving trucks, from cargo vans to 26’ trailers, and also offers additional moving supplies like dollies and furniture pads, if you need.
U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer
- 28 Herrold Ave, 740-249-1343
- Athens’ U-Haul location offers many different sizes of moving vans and trucks, as well as moving trailers, hitches and other moving supplies.
Right Away Moving
- 8 N Court St #509, 740-589-0729
- This local moving company will do all the work for you! Load, unload, staging. Plus, everything is professionally packed into the truck, so you know it’s all secure and safe during transport. They’ll move you from anywhere in the US, too.
Moving into Your New Off-Campus Apartment Like a Pro
Now let’s get to planning the legwork. We cannot say this enough: do not forget to book that moving truck weeks ahead of time. Literally everyone is moving back into town, and your student rental is in a central neighborhood close to campus and uptown – it will be crowded out there, and moving truck supply is limited.
Double check your moving truck reservation a couple days before moving day. That way, if there happens to have been a mess-up, the truck rental company has time to fix the problem. There’s nothing worse than going to pick up your moving truck rental only to find out your day is not going to go the way you thought it was.
Pack up 100% of your apartment ahead of time and stage things to make the process easier on yourself and whoever is helping you move. Simply having everything packed and organized off the bat is going to save you time and frustration, and it’s also going to make coming up with a packing strategy for the moving truck rental that much easier.
When you go to pack the truck, heavier furniture and other large items should be packed last. It’s better for weight distribution. Start with manageable boxes and random things like lamps. Unpacking will be simple – put the big pieces in first in their designated rooms, and finish with the labeled boxes and small items. No one will have to do much directing, which means more hands for getting everything out of the truck.
Pull your moving truck as close to your house or apartment entrance as you can. This is one weekend (the other is move-out weekend) where pulling up on the sidewalks is A-okay. Unofficially, of course. On most roads, it’s the only way to keep your moving truck from blocking traffic on that street.
Remember to be courteous; everybody is stressed out and everyone is crowded. We’re in this together!
Before you return your moving truck, sweep everything out and triple check all your belongings are not only out of the truck, but that they’ve actually made it inside your house or apartment. Make sure to return the truck before the deadline, and that it’s got the same amount of gas you left the truck rental location with.
Make your Move into a KPR Student Rental Simple
Kleinpenny Rentals also does our best to help make your move simple. When you move into your off-campus housing, there’s no bothersome trip to an office to get your keys, and you don’t have to wait for a company rep to let you in and do a walkthrough with you. We do our own initial walkthrough after cleaning and updates from the last tenant are done. We’ll let you know your move-in time, and then leave the unit unlocked with the keys inside.
You’ll also find your own move-in checklist you can use to do your own walkthrough, which you’ll turn into us by within a couple weeks of move-in day. That way, you can document anything you’re worried about, and we can take care of any issues you might have ASAP, as well as put anything else in our records, so you can get to living your best OU life worry-free.
When it comes to the big moving weekends in Athens, a little planning goes a long way, logistically, and for everyone’s mental health. Follow these tips and maybe the move to your next uptown rental home won’t be a nightmare! (Well, not a total nightmare, at least.)