Before you start
Prepare the appropriate accompanying-goods and goods-to-follow information before settling in Canada. Confirm the actual municipality, building access and possession date, then align the shipment and first-weeks plan.
Identify the Toronto-area home precisely
Send the complete address, municipality, postcode and building details. A request described only as Toronto can conceal a final address elsewhere in the Greater Toronto Area, or an apartment with access requirements that affect the delivery. Explain whether the property is your first temporary base or the home intended for the full household.
Our UK to Canada moving guide helps connect the shipment with the relocation. In the quotation discussion, keep UK collection, your flight, possession and final delivery visible as separate stages. If a lease or purchase is still conditional, say so before relying on it as the delivery destination.
Prepare the Canadian goods-to-follow record early
CBSA’s moving-or-returning guidance distinguishes the circumstances of new settlers and former residents. Its personal-effects process uses information about the goods, with Form BSF186 completed by the officer as applicable. Do not assume Canadian citizenship or a residence document alone settles every household import question.
For a qualifying settler, CBSA explains that the list should identify accompanying goods separately from goods to follow and be presented when first arriving to settle, even when the shipment comes later. Prepare the information before travel, not after furniture has reached Canada. Ask the appointed customs professional how the procedure applies to your own arrival history and retain the completed records for the later shipment.
Build a clear inventory rather than a box count
Link carton numbers to meaningful descriptions and estimated values in the form requested. Identify significant individual items, equipment and serial numbers where appropriate. Keep new purchases, leased items, vehicles and goods intended for business clearly visible for a separate review instead of describing the entire load as used furniture.
The official BSF186 page shows the personal-effects accounting document. Confirm the supporting list and records needed for your case, then keep the transport inventory aligned as you sell or add items. A last-minute change can affect more than volume if the customs list no longer describes what is actually arriving.
Choose furniture for a Canadian home, not an imagined floor plan
Get the landlord’s furnishing list and property measurements before shipping bulky items. Check entrances, lift doors, corridors and stair turns as well as room size. For a house, ask about basement access if furniture is intended for that level. Confirm storage and included appliances so you do not pay to transport unnecessary duplicates.
Ask manufacturers about electrical or technical suitability for equipment you want to retain. Compare the complete cost of taking an item with its condition, usefulness and replacement options, while leaving sentimental value in the decision. The Canada budget guide can help keep the household’s arrival purchases distinct from recurring monthly spending.
Arrange export packing and useful delivery labels
Discuss export packing for mirrors, furniture, fragile kitchenware and equipment. Photograph important pieces before wrapping and agree what will be dismantled. Keep labelled fixings with the relevant item, and distinguish cartons you will need first from those that can wait until the rest of the home works.
Use room names that make sense at the destination. If the home has a basement office or a storage locker, specify that clearly rather than leaving placement to be decided while unloading. Ask what unpacking and assembly are included in the proposed scope, and how owner-packed boxes and any selected cover will be handled.
Book the building arrangements before agreeing delivery
For a condominium or managed apartment, speak to the management office about the loading dock, service lift, reservation process, delivery hours and any required paperwork. Ask whether the occupant must attend and how changes to a booking are handled. Give the removal team the resulting instructions and measurements.
For a house, check where the vehicle may stop and the route to the door, including steps or a long carry. Use the applicable local rules for the address rather than assuming resident parking permits cover a removal vehicle. Make a locally usable contact number available. If delivery falls during difficult weather, discuss the practical approach and building protection needed for the actual date.
Plan temporary housing and the period before delivery
Keep clothing, medication, documents, chargers and work equipment with you. Establish what your temporary home supplies and what you need to function without the shipment. If household members arrive separately, decide who will hold the customs records and communicate with the people handling the goods.
Where the permanent address is not ready, compare storage with receiving everything at a temporary home and moving again. Confirm location, handling and the release process before collection. Ask how customs clearance and storage responsibilities connect. A goods-to-follow list, a storage booking and a lift reservation are different parts of the plan; each needs a responsible person and a workable date.
Request a Toronto removal quote with complete access details
Provide the UK collection address, Toronto-area destination, inventory, packing requirements and preferred dates. Include the municipality, apartment floor, lift dimensions, loading instructions and any provisional possession arrangements. Identify the importer’s circumstances and which customs information is ready.
Request a quotation based on those details. Compare collection, packing, transport, clearance-related work and final delivery on the same basis. Ask how any taxes, inspection, storage, extra handling or change of address would be treated. A clear scope helps you judge the proposed removal against the real household journey rather than a price to an unspecified Canadian arrival point.
Common questions
Should I prepare goods to follow before flying to Canada?
Yes. Review the applicable CBSA process before travel. For a qualifying settler, the goods-to-follow information is presented when first arriving to settle, even if the shipment arrives later.
Does a Toronto condominium need advance delivery arrangements?
Ask the particular building’s management office. Loading access, lift reservations, delivery hours and paperwork should be confirmed before relying on a delivery date.
Can the shipment go to storage while I find a home?
Discuss that before collection, including the location, customs responsibilities, handling and release process. Keep the final-delivery stage and its access requirements visible in the quotation.
Official information for your planning
Source links checked on 19 October 2026. Recheck current requirements and visitor information before making plans.
Make a plan for your move
Send your collection postcode, destination, inventory and likely dates so your quotation can reflect the actual move.
Request a moving quote