Piano moving day checklist: what to do before the crew arrives

Running through a short checklist before the piano crew arrives takes about twenty minutes. Piano-trained crews arrive with all the equipment, the fitted transit covers and the training; your part is making the site ready for them. Clear the route, prepare the piano itself, confirm the parking and have someone present at both addresses. Those four things cover the most common delays that happen on a piano moving day. For a fixed price with access included, get an instant online quote at book.pianospeed.com before the day.

Clear the route from the piano to the street

Walk the route from the room where the piano stands, through every door, along every corridor, down any flight of stairs, and out to the street. An upright piano is 135 to 155 centimetres wide, and on a padded skid board it takes more space still. Anything that narrows the route, or creates a trip hazard underfoot, adds time to the job.

• Lift and roll all loose rugs and stair runners at the collection address: they create a slip hazard when the crew is carrying under load
• Move hall tables, coat stands and any furniture that projects into the corridor or hallway
• Clear items from the foot of the stairs, the landing and the top of any flight
• At the delivery address, clear the path from the street into the room where the piano is going, and move any furniture already in that room so the crew has space to position the instrument without having to ask you to shift things mid-carry

If you find a concern on this walk, for example a doorway that looks narrower than expected, contact PianoSpeed in advance rather than flagging it when the crew is at the door. The team plans each job before setting out, and information given the day before is far more useful than a discovery made on the morning.

Prepare the piano itself

The fully insured specialist crew wraps and protects the instrument, but a few things need to happen on your side before they start.

• Close the piano lid and, where there is a key lock, lock it: a closed lid sits flush with the case and does not catch on door frames as the piano angles through a tight gap
• Remove everything stored inside the case: sheet music behind the toe panel on an upright, papers resting inside the top lid section, anything loose in the body of a grand. Hard objects shift when the instrument is tilted and can damage the action
• Check the castors: a missing or damaged castor changes how the piano rolls and the crew needs to know about it before they begin
• Photograph any existing marks or damage on the casework before the crew touches the instrument, so there is a clear before-record if you need it
• For a grand, remove anything sitting on top of the instrument, including lamps, metronomes and photographs: the lid will be lowered and padded before the move begins

Parking and vehicle access

A specialist piano moving vehicle is a large van or truck. It needs a clear loading space close to the front door at both addresses. Parking arrangements made in advance avoid the most common cause of delays on moving day.

• If the street is in a permit zone, confirm the bay suspension has been granted before the morning of the move: London boroughs typically need two to five working days' notice, sometimes longer, so this cannot be left to the day itself
• Check whether any new restriction has appeared since you booked, for example scaffolding that has gone up, a road closure or a parking order for a neighbouring skip
• Flag any physical access restriction when you book: a height barrier, a width restriction on the approach road, a red route directly outside the property, a private road with a gate
• Move any vehicle you control from the loading space if it would block the crew's access

People, pets and the delivery address

Someone must be present and reachable at the collection address from the time the crew arrives through to departure. If collection and delivery are at separate locations happening the same day, arrange a reliable contact at each.

• Secure dogs and cats in a room away from the route the piano will travel: a crew managing a heavy instrument on a staircase cannot safely stop for a pet that appears at the wrong moment
• Keep children away from the staircase and loading area while work is in progress
• Confirm with the person at the delivery address that the route into the room is clear and they are ready
• Have your phone charged and in reach: if the crew needs to contact you from the road, a missed call adds delay

What to have ready when the crew arrives

The crew does not need paperwork or signatures to start, but having certain information immediately available keeps the handover clean.

• The floor the piano is on at collection and the floor it is going to at delivery, if there is any question about what was booked
• The piano's make and model if you did not give it when booking: dimensions vary considerably between models and the crew uses this to plan tight corners
• Any change to lift availability at the delivery address: if a lift has gone out of service since you booked, call PianoSpeed as early as possible, because this affects crew planning and timing. Stair access is chargeable and is priced automatically in the online quote at book.pianospeed.com
• Any known issue with the instrument the crew should know before they start: a loose leg that has been repaired, a replaced castor, a grand lid pin that sticks
• PianoSpeed's number in your contacts: 020 7164 0000

Piano moving day: common questions

How early should I run through this checklist?

Allow at least thirty minutes before the crew arrives, longer if the stairs need clearing or furniture needs moving. The parking check should have been done days earlier, but confirm the suspension is still in place the morning of the move. If you find a route problem, you need time to fix it before the crew arrives, not after.

The crew is carrying the piano upstairs. Is there anything extra to do?

Clear the staircase thoroughly on both flights and the landing between them. Stair runners should come up before the crew arrives. Measure and flag the narrowest point if you know of one, particularly where a newel post projects into the flight. Stair access is chargeable at both addresses and is calculated automatically in the instant quote at book.pianospeed.com when you enter the floor level.

Do I need to be present for the whole job?

Yes, or have a responsible adult present throughout at each address. Someone needs to confirm the piano's condition before it is moved, agree the room and position at delivery, and be available if the crew has a question. If collection and delivery are happening simultaneously at different locations, arrange a trusted contact at each.

The delivery address has a lift. What should I check?

Confirm the lift is working the morning of the move, not just that it was working when you booked. If it has gone out of service, call 020 7164 0000 as early as possible. A crew expecting a lift delivery and arriving to find stairs needs time to adjust the plan, and it may affect the crew size sent for the job.

What if something unexpected comes up on the morning?

Call 020 7164 0000 as early as possible, before the crew is already on their way. The crew operates on a planned schedule. A call an hour before departure gives the team time to adjust. A call when the van is outside the front door does not.

What does the crew bring? Do I need to supply anything?

The crew brings everything: top-of-range, triple-thickness fitted transit covers tailored to the piano, a padded skid board, and all equipment needed for the job. On a grand piano, the legs and pedal lyre go into individual padded bags inside a heavy duty crate. You do not need to supply packing materials, blankets or padding.

Book a specialist piano move

Piano moves start from £125. For a fixed price with access and stairs priced in, get an instant online quote at book.pianospeed.com. The quote covers the piano, the access at both addresses and a confirmed date from the planned route for your postcode. PianoSpeed is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 77 reviews. PianoSpeed London Limited, 020 7164 0000, 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ. Part of the Pianospeed Group.