UPDATE: Somerville Parking (yet again)

In August we were asked by a customer to obtain a Somerville moving van permit for their move. This permit would involve metered spots. Perhaps we haven't had to get a metered spot in Somerville in a long time or maybe there's a new rule, we're not sure.

Here's how it worked when we requested a spot with meters: Fill out the form, including all of the relevant information. The clerk will enter this info and process as usual. However, with metered spots you will NOT receive permit paperwork as you would with a non-metered spot. Somerville will put your request in the system and bag the meters, but you will not receive signs to post or permit paperwork for your files. Also, each meter head is $35 and then there's another fee on top of that for the request. Its a little confusing and kind of expensive, but it worked for us when we had to do it.

If you need a moving van permit from Somerville we would suggest calling them before you go down or just heading over there and figuring it out on site. It seems there's have been a lot of changes, but they don't show up on the website.

UPDATE: Somerville Parking (again)

Apparently, Somerville parking office now requires that if you are putting up moving van permits you call and let them know the day you do so. For instance, if you pick up your moving van permit and signs two weeks before your move you must call them the day you put them up (we'll assume the bare minimum of 48 hours in this case). They say that if they do not receive a phone call about the signs going up they will not enforce the signs. So, if you don't call the parking office about your signs and someone is parked in those spots on the day of your move you have no recourse.

We just learned about this today so we haven't given it a go yet, but we'll be calling them soon for some permits we've got waiting to go up. If we learn anything new we'll keep you updated!

Parking Permits - Changes to Boston and Somerville

Both the City of Boston and the City of Somerville have recently made changes to their procedures for moving van permits.

Boston used to have two offices for moving van permits, one for the signs and one for the paperwork. Now, they have consolidated the process into one office. Getting a permit should now be more streamlined and it only requires one check instead of two. Everything else about the process remains the same.

Somerville previously put up the moving van permit signs for you. Now, however, it is the responsibility of the person or company requesting the permit. They signs must go up 48 hours in advance of the requested date(s).

If you're moving to or from Boston or Somerville keep these changes in mind when its time to request your moving vans. And, of course, if you have any questions about getting through us if you're using Intelligent Labor and Moving for your move, just let us know!

Also, as a random side note, I just found a picture of our truck on this blog. Nice shot!

The Busy Season Approaches

image is our own!

Moving in the Boston-area (and perhaps everywhere else) is a very seasonal business. Winters are slow and summers its hard to keep up with demand. Part of this has to do with the leasing/university schedule in Boston and part of it is just that its not that pleasant to move when its very cold and possibly snowy out.

Every year, sometime in April, is when we start to get busy. We have hit that point this year. The phones are ringing more, the inbox has a lot more e-mails and we're filling up the calendar.

If you are looking to use a moving company sometime this summer or to move yourself with a rental truck we have some recommendations:

1. When you know you are going to move start planning. Call truck rental places to book a truck if that is your plan. If you're using a moving company call around to get estimates as soon as you know you're moving.
2. Think about moving van permits. On very busy days during the summer moving van permits can become unavailable due to someone else requesting a permit for the same address.
3. Know what days are busiest and if you have any flexibility with your move date. Traditionally, the first and last days of the month are the busiest. The 15th is also usually fairly busy. Weekends are also very popular. If you have a specific day in mind and you know that the landlord's or your schedule doesn't allow for any wiggle room about that make sure you call to make reservations as soon as you are able.
3. The above applies particularly for September 1st. Everyone in the greater Boston-area knows that is the hardest day of the year to try and move, whether you're doing it yourself or using a moving company. That day books up FAST, so keep that in mind when planning.
4. Last minute moves are hard to pull off in the summer, at least for us and most likely for any truck rental places. While during the winter we can often schedule you within a day or two, during the summer we tend to book up at least a week or two in advance, sometimes more. It never hurts to try, though, so if you do have a last minute move or change of plans definitely give us a call or shoot us an e-mail.

Being prepared is the key to any low-stress, happy moving experience of any kind and even more so in the summer. If you have any questions about moving this summer please give us a call (617.864.0620) or e-mail us (help@intelligentlabor.com). You can also check out our excellent, revamped website for tips and information. We'd love to help you move!

Website Upgrade!

We've just completed a major overhaul to our company website. We're really proud of how it turned out. Here are just some of the changes:

- More information about moving van permits and how they work
- An expanded link section with links to businesses we work with and organizations we belong to
- Information about how and what we recycle
- A section about how we participate in our community
- An expanded section on our rates, including rush rates, extra charges, insurance, and disposal

Go take a look and tell us what you think! We'd love to hear from you about ease of use, comprehensiveness of information, etc. We think we've now got best site for a moving company in the Boston area!

Parking Permits - State Owned Roads

Some roads, particularly in Boston, are not owned by the City, but by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For example, the Jamaicaway/Arborway are state owned roads. Even though they are in the City of Boston, the City cannot issue moving van permits for addresses on state owned roads.

Unfortunately, the only way to find out if a street is state or city owned is to call. The City of Boston parking office is the first place you should try. If they tell you the street belongs to the state then the next step to is call the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) at 617.626.1297. Its possible the DCR will tell you the road in quesiton doesn't fall under their jurisdiction either, but I've never run into that. If the road is their's, the DCR will e-mail you an application. The application must be filled out and returned with a check (as of right now its $100) at least six calendar days prior to the permit date. The paperwork needs to be delivered to their office at 215 Causeway St. Boston and they will give you your permit.

We don't run into this situation very often, but its always good to be prepared for the possibility!

Using a Resident Visitor Parking Pass

photo courtesy of centersandsquares.com

Unfortunately, we can't use visitor passes in Cambridge and Somerville.

Residents with parking stickers for the cities of Cambridge and Somerville are given a visitor pass for their zone which allows visitors to park without fear of a ticket. However, these passes do not apply to commercial vehicles so we cannot use them in our moving trucks in place of a moving van permit.

Updated Tariff, Updated Parking Fees

We've updated our tariff with the Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy (MDTE). You can see it here on our website. One of the things we updated is our fees for obtaining parking permits.

We now charge $100 for Somerville and Brookline parking permits. Cambridge is now a $50 fee. Boston remains at $150. If we are able to combine parking permits for you at Somerville, Brookline or Boston we charge half price for any additional permits. For instance, if you asked us to get two Boston parking permits for you the total would be $225.

As always, if you have any questions about this give us a call at 617.864.0620 or e-mail us at help@intelligentlabor.com

photo courtesy of http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2010/01/10/somerville_cracks_down_on_parking_permit_rules/

Parking Permits - Boston *CHANGE IN PROCEDURE*

Well, things sure have changed in Boston City Hall as far as parking permits are concerned. Where you go and what you do is the same but the fees and insurance are different.

First of all, you will no longer need a street bond letter from us to get a moving van permit. The City will be self-insuring so the bond is unnecessary. This means that you can walk in yourself, without any paperwork from us, and get a moving van permit. You'll still need the length of truck from us, though.

The other big change is the fee. Since the City will be self-insuring they're raising the base rate of permits from $20 to $50. This does not include meters, truck lengths or multiple day permits. This also means that we now have to change what we charge to get a permit for you. Where we previously charged $90 for the service (including all fees) we will now be charging $150 (including all fees). If you have any questions about this you can always ask us.

Parking in towns that don't issue moving van permits

In Boston and some surrounding towns the city government allows for moving van permits. These are signs that are put up in front of the requested address on the designated day so that there's room for a moving truck to park and load or unload goods. Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and Somerville offer these moving van permits. Allston, Brighton, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Hyde Park and other neighborhoods associated with Boston fall under the City of Boston's jurisdiction for moving van permits.

Many other cities don't offer this. Most of the time it is because its generally not a necessity due to either abundant street parking or a high number of driveways. The more suburban you get the more likely you are to find a lack of moving van permits.

For instance, Arlington, Lexington, Malden, Medford, and Newton do not offer moving van permits. Generally we don't find not having a moving van permit in these or similar towns to be a problem. However, if you know that the address you are moving into or out of has particularly difficult street parking you can either park your own car in a spot and move it when we arrive or kindly ask your neighbors to find other spots for a few hours while we move you.

Police details are available in special circumstances in all towns, but that's a topic for another post!

Parking Permits - Somerville

photo courtesy of www.somerville.patch.com

We charge $90 per permit to obtain Somerville moving van parking permits.

If you'd like to get the permit yourself go to the Office of Traffic and Parking at 133 Holland St. Somerville (its just outside Davis Sq.). The office is open Monday through Wednesday 9 AM to 4 PM, Thursday from 9 AM to 7 PM and Friday from 9 AM to 12 PM. To save some time when you get there, download the form you'll need and fill it out. The Office of Traffic and Parking is also where people go to pay parking tickets and get residential parking stickers so be prepared for a long wait at times. I've been there and gotten in and out in five minutes and other times I've been there and waited in line for half an hour or more. So, be prepared to take some time going through this process just in case.

Once there you'll be called up to one of the teller windows. Hand over your filled out form and get ready to pull out your checkbook. Somerville charges $40 per day per permit and $5 per parking sign. So, for example, if you are moving from one address in Somerville to another and you need permits at each location it would cost you $100 (two permits at $40 apiece and 4 signs at $5 apiece). Additionally, Somerville charges for metered spots. If you need to have us park metered spots you'll need to have those meter numbers with you before you go to obtain your moving van permit. Metered spots in Somerville cost $25 per bagged meter plus a $25 service fee.

Once your charges are determined and you pay the teller will give you signs for the trucks. They're cardboard signs with information about your permit. Keep these for us to put in the front window of our trucks on the day of the move. The actual street signs will be posted by the City of Somerville, so you don't have to worry about that part.

As for a timeline, the website doesn't list how early you need to apply for a moving van permit and calling and asking doesn't yield any better results. I would go at least 2 business days in advance to request a moving van permit, earlier in the busy summer months. You can go much earlier than that, though I once went a month in advance and it seemed to through them off. I did walk away with the permit, though.

Parking Permits - Brookline

Obtaining a parking permit for the town of Brookline is a pretty straight forward afair. As usual, if you would like us to get the permit for you we charge $90/permit in Brookline, which includes going to get the permit, the cost of the permit and putting it up.

If you would like to take care of the permit yourself the first thing you do is go to 333 Washington St. in Brookline, which is the Brookline Town Hall. On the 4th floor is the Transportation Division, which where you will both pay for and pick up your "no parking" signs. Sometimes the office doesn't seem very well staffed, but someone always comes out to help and they're very nice there.

photo courtesy of http://brookline.patch.com

Each sign costs $5, so you'll be paying $10 for two. In addition to the sign fee, you'll have to pay $7.50 per meter space if the truck will be occupying meter spaces during your move. You will have to put the signs up yourself. Per the Town of Brookline, signs cannot be put up until after 7 pm the night before the move (its possible its 5 PM. The town issued signs and paperwork will state this information). You can request a parking as far in advance as you'd like, but the signs can't go up until the night before. So far, this short time line hasn't caused any problems, but its good to be aware and check the space as early as possible the next day to make sure no one is parked there. Also, be aware that the office is not open on weekends, so if you have a Monday move scheduled you'll need to go get your signs on Friday the latest.

If you have any further questions, either specific to your particular move or about information that wasn't covered here, you can call the Transportation Division at 617.730.2177.

Parking Permits- Cambridge

Well, we've covered how to go about obtaining parking permits for Boston, now we'll tackle Cambridge.

If you'd like us to get the Cambridge parking permit for you we can do that for $45, including the cost of the permit. As with Boston, telling us if you live on a street with meters and what those meter numbers are is very helpful. Unlike Boston, we don't put these signs up for you. The City of Cambridge puts up the signs. So, if there is an issue it is best to call them up about it even if we are the ones who requested the signs for you.

Cambridge is the easiest city to get parking permits in if you're looking to save some money and want to do it yourself. All requests can be made online or in person. Either way you will need to provide your name, your telephone number and you e-mail address. You will also need to provide the name of your moving company (hopefully us!) and our telephone number. You do not need to list a contact person, fax number or e-mail address for us if you are requesting the permit yourself. Beyond contact info, the City of Cambridge wants to know the date(s) you need the permit for, the address you want the permit for, how big the truck will be (we'll provide you with that information) and what the parking is like at that location (resident permit, metered, etc). Once you fill out the form you'll pay the fee. This can be done with credit card in Cambridge. The base fee is $25. The price increases based on things like length of time the permit is requested for and whether there are meters being covered. Also, each address you are requesting a permit for requires a new application. For instance, if you are moving within Cambridge and you need a moving van permit for each location you need to fill out the form twice, once for each address.

The most important thing to remember when trying to get a Cambridge moving van permit is that they require 4 business days to process the request. If you try on a Friday (when they close at noon) to request a parking permit for Tuesday, you'll be denied because that's only three business days. This fact is important both when you're asking us to get a permit for you or when you are requesting one yourself. Either way, the latest you can submit a request is four business days in advance of the move. Unfortunately, just because we're a moving company doesn't mean we get any special privileges when it comes to that deadline.

Parking Permits - Boston

We get a lot of questions about parking permits. The following should cover most of the questions we receive from customers.

If you live in Boston and its neighborhoods - this includes Allston, Brighton, Jamaica Plain, Charlestown, the South End, etc. - then you can get a parking permit through the City of Boston. We can take care of it for you for $90, which includes the price of the permit itself. When we get a permit for you that means we go to City Hall, purchase the signs and the permit and put the signs up for you 48 hours in advance. That's the least amount of time before the date of your move that you can request a parking permit. We tend to get them even earlier than that if possible, but we do wait until 48 hours ahead of time to put up the signs. We learned through experience that putting the signs up much earlier than that often leads to the signs disappearing or getting ruined, whether that's due to weather or someone who wants to park in that spot is anyone's guess.

You can also go get a permit from City Hall yourself. If you choose to go this route we send you a copy of our street bond letter which is on file with the City. You would then go down to City Hall at least 48 hours in advance (their offices are closed on weekends) and head to the 7th floor and go to room 721, the Boston Transportation Department, which is right near the elevators. They'll ask you to sign in and then you'll wait for one of the people who work there to come and call for whose next. Bring them your copy of our street bond letter, tell them what date you want and what the address is. They will also ask you how much space you need for the truck. All this information will be on the street bond letter we send you. You will have to pay by check. The BTD charges $4/sign, so typically $8 total. After you receive your signs go down the hall to room 714. This is the Public Works Department and they will have received your information from BTD. Present your street bond letter to them and they'll hand you a permit to sign. They'll also tell you the fee, which can be paid by check, money order or cash. The fee is variable based on the size of the truck, number of meters being covered, etc. If you live on a street with meters you'll need to note the meter numbers we'll be blocking with our truck. That information is very helpful to us as well if we're the ones getting the permits. Once they have payment and you've signed the permit they'll hand you your copy of the permit, which you should keep available for the day of the move.

Keeping the permit paperwork is very important for the move. Any time we deal with permits we bring it with us on the jobs. There's a lot of important information in that little packet. First, the actual permit should be displayed on our truck dashboard. Its kind of an insurance policy for the parking signs. Second, there's information in there about what to do if someone is parking in your marked off spot. If you notice there is someone parked in your spot the day of your move let us know as soon as possible. Then, call 911. I know that sounds ridiculous but its right there in the City issued permit paperwork. You call 911, let them know its not an emergency and they will direct your call to the appropriate person. This will start the wheels in motion to get the offending car towed. Towing cars takes a long time and is often not the best course of action, but it is always an option when you've got the permit to be there. Often, because it usually takes an hour or more to get a tow, we double park or find another space to put the truck. Having the permit should keep us from getting a ticket if we have to park somewhere funny because another car is in our place.

Once you have your signs and permit paperwork you can go about the business of physically posting the signs. As I mentioned, its best to do it as close to the 48 hour mark as is reasonable. We can only speculate, but we've seen our parking permits "lost" due to others wanting to park there (particularly in bad weather or when there's huge piles of snow everywhere), meter maids taking them down to issue us a ticket, other moving companies taking them down, etc, etc. The less time those signs are up there the less time there is for them to disappear.

Actually putting them up can be a challenge. We recommend zip ties or heavy duty tape such as packing tape. As you can see in the photo above, sometimes there's just nothing to hang them on and you have to get creative. This particular customer used string run between two trees and then attached a broom to the sign to weight it down. There are many, many spots in Boston where good sign locations are few and far between. Do what you have to do to put them up. I've adhered them to fences, light posts and trees, to name a few. Don't put them up on fire hydrants, bus stop signs or anything else that might get you or us in trouble.

There are some other challenges to parking permits as well. One thing to think about is whether or not you live on a private way. They're all over the place in Boston and City Hall can't issue permits for them because they're not owned by the City. If you live on a private way you'll have to kindly ask your neighbors to leave space for our truck. Its also important to be aware of street festivals or closings. The City will not issue a permit for a road that's closed off due to a street festival or road work. Also, if someone else has already requested a permit for the same spot on the same day you will not be able to get a permit. In that case, just you can hopefully just request a spot a little further up or down the road or around the corner. You can check for already issued permits on the City's website. With that in mind, there are certain times of year where that is more likely than others. September 1st, everyone's least favorite day to move, is going to be a tough day to get a permit as you get closer to that day.

That about covers it for Boston. If you have any questions or you think I left anything out let me know. Or, if you have any tricks we'd love to hear about them!