The best time of year to move in Ontario is October through April, on a weekday, away from the last days of the month. That window gives you the most open dates, the easiest bookings for elevators and parking, and a written estimate you can hold a mover to. If a closing date or a lease has already picked your month, the same rules still trim the bill: choose a mid-month, mid-week date and book early.
We have been moving households in and out of York Region since 1980, and the calendar fills the same way every year. Here is what drives that demand, what the off season saves you, and how to book the best time of year to move for your own calendar.
Key takeaways
- October to April is the best time of year to move for open dates and easy bookings.
- Summer is the most popular time to move; school years, rental months and closings line up in July and August.
- Mid-week and mid-month beat any month, because Ontario monthly tenancies end on the last day of a rental month.
- Book eight weeks out with three written estimates, and Ontario law caps the final bill at 10% above the estimate in your contract unless you agree to added supplies or services.
What is the most affordable time of year to move in Ontario?
For your budget, the best time of year to move in Ontario is the stretch from October to April, when crews have more open dates and you can take a mid-month weekday instead of competing for a month-end slot. We have said it on this site since 2015: it is called the summer rush for a reason, and fall is the time to look for a better price because movers have more time available to fit in your move.
Here is how that saving shows up on a local move. We charge by the hour plus HST, with upfront pricing, so your bill is the hours the crew works. A quiet date means fewer moving parts: the elevator and the parking you reserved are yours, and nobody spends billable time waiting.
Under Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act, the mover cannot charge you more than 10% above the estimate in your contract unless you need additional supplies or services and agree to the increase, so a written estimate on a calm day is a number you can plan around. If your sale closes before your purchase, our guide to storage between closing dates walks through the gap.
When is the best time of year to move in Ontario?
For most households the best time of year to move in Ontario is the fall, once peak season is over. Our own booking guide puts peak season from late May through early September and says winter and mid-week dates offer more flexibility, so a date from September onward is easier to book. Fall also spares you the high heat and humidity of a summer move, which is why we have pointed homeowners toward it since 2015, and it is when movers have more time available to fit you in. The table puts the four seasons side by side.
| Season | Demand for crews | What to plan around | What it means for your date |
|---|
| Spring (March to May) | Rising toward May, which the Canadian Association of Movers calls Moving Month | Thaw, rain and soft lawns; the Good Friday and Victoria Day weekends | Book late May early, because peak season starts then |
| Summer (June to August) | The most popular time of the year to move | Heat and humidity; Canada Day and the first Monday in August, a holiday at some employers; month-end lease turnover | Book weeks ahead, skip month ends and holiday weekends, start early in the day |
| Fall (September to November) | Peak season closes in early September; movers have more time to fit you in | Cooler days; wet leaves get slippery on steps and walkways; Thanksgiving weekend | The sweet spot: your pick of dates, easier elevator and parking bookings |
| Winter (December to February) | Outside peak season | Snow, ice and short days; snow clearing and parking at both ends | More flexibility on the exact date you want, if you prepare the walkways |
Why is summer the busiest time to move?
Summer is the most popular time of the year to move because three calendars line up at once: the school year, the rental month and the closing date. Ontario’s regular school year typically runs from September 1 to June 30, which leaves July and August clear, so families with kids aim for those two months. Ontario tenants on a month-to-month tenancy must give at least 60 days’ notice, and the termination date has to be the last day of a rental month, so rental moves pile onto the last day of each month and the first day of the next. Buyers with school-age kids have every reason to ask for a closing date in the same weeks.
Put those three calendars together and the crowded dates follow: the last days of June, July and August, and the week before Labour Day. Our own booking guide says the same thing, that schedules fill up fast, especially for weekends, holidays and the start or end of the month, with peak season running from late May through early September. Our 2018 note on the summer rush made the same three points: weather, leases and school terms.
How much control do you really have over your moving date?
More than most people think. The reason for a move decides how far the date can slide, and Statistics Canada’s study of why people move within Canada, published in February 2026 from the 2022 Canadian Housing Survey, shows what drives Ontario households.
Among Ontario movers, 25.8% cited a bigger or better home, 19.6% were becoming homeowners, 13.7% had a change in household size, 12.2% wanted a more desirable neighbourhood, 11.3% were forming their own household, 8.8% wanted to be closer to family, 8.5% wanted to reduce housing costs, 8.4% moved for employment, 8.0% moved to cut commuting time, and 5.9% were forced to move. Households could give more than one reason.
Why Ontario households moved, share citing each reason (2022)
Bigger or better home25.8%
Becoming a homeowner19.6%
Change in household size13.7%
More desirable neighbourhood12.2%
Forming their own household11.3%
Reduce commuting time8.0%
A new job start or a forced move fixes the date for you. A bigger home, a first home or a downsizing usually has weeks of give in it, and a few weeks is all it takes to land in the best time of year to move.
Is it better to move in fall or summer?
If you can choose, fall is the best time of year to move. Once peak season closes in early September you get the open calendar without winter’s snow, plus easier bookings for elevators and parking. Our position has been the same since 2015: fall is when movers have more time available to fit in your move, and it is the time to look for a better price.
Summer still makes sense when school terms decide for you, because Ontario’s regular school year typically ends June 30 and the next one starts in September. In that case the savings come from the date inside the month: a mid-week, mid-month move booked eight weeks out. One fall caution we have given since 2015: wet leaves get slippery with a little rain, so clear the steps and walkways before the truck arrives. And Thanksgiving is one of Ontario’s nine public holidays, so book around that weekend.
When is the worst time to move?
The hardest dates to book in Ontario are the last days of June, July and August, the weekends attached to the Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving public holidays, and the week before school starts. Month-end tenancies, school calendars and holiday plans all push people toward those dates, so a crew, an elevator and a parking spot are hardest to line up then. The seven rules below keep you clear of them and steer you toward the best time of year to move.
Do this
1. Aim for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
2. Pick a date in the middle of the month, well clear of both ends.
3. Choose October to April if your reason for moving gives you the room.
4. Get three written estimates eight weeks out, confirm the booking at four weeks, and reserve the elevator at three.
Avoid this
5. The last day of any month and the first day of the next.
6. Holiday weekends and the week before Labour Day.
7. Leaving snow clearing, parking or the elevator booking until moving day.
What day of the month and week should you move?
Mid-week and mid-month, in any season. Because a monthly tenancy in Ontario ends on the last day of a rental month, the last day of the month and the first of the next are claimed first by people whose tenancy set the date for them. A Tuesday to Thursday in the middle of the month gives you the pick of crews and start times. If a weekday is impossible, a Saturday costs nothing extra with us: there is no extra charge for Saturdays, and we bill local moves by the hour plus HST whatever the day.
Whatever date you land on, the cheapest hour of a move is the one the crew never has to wait through. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs puts it plainly: have everything ready to go when the movers arrive, otherwise you may be charged for keeping them waiting, and be ready at both ends, which can mean booking the elevator, arranging street parking and even snow removal. Our Ontario moving checklist lays those tasks out week by week.
How far ahead should you book an off-season move?
Eight weeks, in every season. The best time of year to move is also the easiest to book, but the Canadian Association of Movers’ consumer timeline still has you picking a mover after at least three quotes eight weeks before the move, confirming the booking four weeks out, reserving the freight elevator three weeks out, and calling the mover the day before if bad weather is in the forecast. Ontario’s consumer protection guidance agrees: get at least three written estimates, and deal with a local business that can come and see what needs to be moved, because that is what makes an estimate accurate.
That visit is how we quote. Our moving consultant visits, calculates the size and weight of your belongings and gives you a free written estimate. Your contract must show the start and end dates for the service and the total you will pay. That is the real off-season saving: a date you chose, at a price you saw in writing.
Our own booking guide puts a local move at three to six weeks of lead time and a long distance move at six to twelve, so eight weeks leaves you room even when the calendar is busy. For lead times by move type and season, see how far in advance to book movers, and for what goes into the hourly rate, how much movers cost in Ontario.
33.3%
of Canadian households had moved to their current home within the previous five years, according to the 2022 Canadian Housing Survey.
Can you move in winter in Ontario, and what does it save?
Yes. For anyone who needs one exact date, winter can be the best time of year to move: our own booking guide says winter and mid-week dates offer more flexibility, our hourly billing is the same, and we offer same-day moving services if the booking time is available. What winter asks of you is preparation, and the federal moving advice above spells it out: arrange snow removal and street parking at both addresses, keep candles, medication and cleaning products out of the truck and out of storage because heat and cold affect them, and if your goods are going into a facility, check that it is heated in winter.
Two more habits keep a winter move safe. Call the day before to confirm the arrival time and flag any storm in the forecast, as the CAM timeline advises, and clear scatter rugs and anything else the crew could trip over. Put something down to protect the floors at both ends, so the salt and slush stay outside. Our storage page covers what we offer between homes.
Floor protection down the hallway, scatter rugs rolled out of the way, and a shovelled, salted walkway outside. That preparation is what lets winter be the best time of year to move when you need one exact date.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most affordable time of year to move?
October to April, on a mid-month weekday, is the best time of year to move in Ontario on a budget. Movers have more open dates once the summer rush ends, and because local moves are billed by the hour plus HST, a date where nothing waits and nothing runs late keeps the bill down.
Is it better to move in fall or summer?
Fall is the best time of year to move if your reason for moving lets you choose. You keep the open calendar and mild weather without competing with every family that has to move between the end of June and the start of September. If school terms fix your dates, book a mid-week, mid-month summer date eight weeks ahead.
When is the worst time to move?
The last days of June, July and August, any holiday weekend, and the week before Labour Day. Ontario monthly tenancies end on the last day of a rental month and the regular school year runs from September 1 to June 30, so those dates carry the most competition for crews, elevators and parking.
What is the cheapest month to move in York Region?
The best time of year to move in York Region on a budget is a mid-month weekday between October and April. Summer is the most popular time of the year to move and monthly tenancies turn over at month end, so a mid-month weekday outside summer faces the least competition for crews. Ontario monthly tenancies all end on the last day of a rental month, so the date inside the month matters more than the month itself wherever you are moving. Our own crews work Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, King, Georgina, Bradford, Innisfil, New Tecumseth and Barrie.
Does a weekday move cost less than a Saturday move?
With us, no. There is no extra charge for Saturdays, and local moves are billed by the hour plus HST on any day. Weekdays are simply easier to book and easier for elevator reservations and parking, so if you can take a Tuesday to Thursday, take it.
How far in advance should I book a fall or winter move?
Eight weeks is the Canadian Association of Movers’ guideline for choosing a mover, with the booking confirmed at four weeks and the elevator reserved at three. We offer same-day service when the booking time is available, but the eight-week plan is what gets you three written estimates and an accurate in-home quote.
If a fall or winter date is what you want, ask for it now: request a free written estimate through our local moving page, or call us at (800) 263-3281 toll free or (905) 775-3982 locally, and we will walk your home, count the hours honestly and hold the date for you.
