What First Rate Movers Inc does

First Rate Movers Inc is a privately held, Ottawa-based residential moving company founded in 2003 that provides local moving within Ottawa and surrounding suburbs, inter-city moves within Ontario (including the Ottawa–Toronto corridor), packing services, short- and mid-term storage, and specialty offerings such as piano moving and furniture hoisting. The company operates a fleet of 16', 20', 24', and 26' trucks with standard moving equipment — furniture padding, mattress bags, wardrobe boxes, floor runners, and professional wrapping materials — and complements its labor service with retail moving supplies such as boxes and packing materials. Coverage extends across the National Capital Region including Kanata, Stittsville, Manotick, Barrhaven, Nepean, Orleans, and Gloucester, with a stated local radius of 100 km from Ottawa City Hall.

Its core differentiators are operational and reputational rather than technological. The company employs only full-time, WSIB-covered, bonded staff (no day laborers), maintains $1,000,000 of full replacement value insurance with no deductible bundled into all full-service moves, and carries a separate $2,000,000 general liability policy. It is BBB A+ accredited and certified by the Canadian Association of Movers, and offers a 'consolidated move' product in which customers share a truck with other clients on the same route for cost savings of up to 30% on travel time. Management is described as founder/owner-operated, with Matt referenced in testimonials as the owner handling scheduling and estimates.

Revenue is generated on a usage-based model: hourly rates for loading, unloading, and travel time (with examples such as $160/hour for a 2-man crew and $700–$2,800 for one- to four-bedroom local moves), professional-services pricing for packing, and managed-storage pricing for short- to long-term storage (10 days free, up to 90 days discounted, with possible rate increases thereafter). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via phone and a website estimate request form with no intermediaries. The marketing mix is reputation-led, leaning on Google reviews (499+), BBB reviews (151), and HomeStars (9.7) to drive top-of-funnel leads, supported by a content/blog presence and an organic social footprint on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Name

First Rate Movers Inc

Legal name

First Rate Movers Inc.

Website

https://firstratemovers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Rate Movers Inc is a privately held, Ottawa-based residential moving company offering local and Ontario-wide long-distance moving, packing, storage, and specialty services such as piano moving, serving individual homeowners primarily in the National Capital Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Moving Services

NAICS

Used Household and Office Goods Moving (484210)

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Moving with Packing/Unpacking Add-On (HSAKAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Moving for Homes (Single-Family, Townhome) (HSAKAAAC), Apartment & Condo Local Moving (HSAKAAAB), Local Loading/Unloading with Company Truck (In-Town Transport) (HSAKAAAJ)

Keywords

• Residential moving services
• Local moving Ottawa
• Long distance moving
• Professional packing services
• Short term storage solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Hourly Moving Services: Charged at hourly rates for loading and unloading, plus travel time. For local moves within 30km of City Hall, 1-hour travel time included. Rates increase in 15-minute increments for further distances.
2. Packing Services: Professional packing services offered as add-on to moving services
3. Storage Services: Up to 10 days of free short-term storage, up to 90 days at discounted rates (up to 50% less than regular rates). After 90 days, rates may increase up to 100%.
4. Intercity/Long Distance Moving: Hourly rate for loading/offloading plus flat rate for travel time based on distance, crew size, and truck required
5. Consolidated Moving: Cost-effective option where customers share truck with others moving same direction, saving up to 30% on travel costs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

First Rate Movers Inc provides residential moving services in and around Ottawa, Ontario, including local moves within Ottawa (and surrounding communities such as Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Gloucester, Stittsville, and Manotick), long-distance/inter-city moves within Ontario, and consolidated (shared-truck) moves on key corridors such as Ottawa-Toronto. The offering is bundled into a full-service move package that includes professional loading, transport, unloading, furniture padding/wrapping, and $1,000,000 full replacement value insurance with no deductible, with optional add-ons for professional packing, short-term storage, piano moving, and furniture hoisting.

Product overview

First Rate Movers Inc is a full-service moving company offering a comprehensive portfolio of relocation services. The core offering consists of local moving within Ottawa and long-distance moving within Ontario. Key services include packing services, storage solutions (with up to 10 days free storage), and specialty services such as piano moving and furniture hoisting. The company operates a fleet of trucks ranging from 16' to 26' and provides consolidated moving options for cost savings on inter-city moves. All full-service moves include $1,000,000 full replacement value insurance with no deductible, and the company maintains $2,000,000 general liability coverage. The product portfolio is organized as a unified full-service offering with add-on ancillary services including packing supplies, self-storage referrals, and furniture donation/disposal assistance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Moving in Ottawa Full-service local residential moving within Ottawa and surrounding suburbs (Kanata, Stittsville, Manotick, Barrhaven, Nepean, Orleans, Gloucester). Crew handles packing, loading, transportation, unloading, and furniture protection; $1,000,000 full replacement value insurance included with no deductible.
• Moving Within Ontario Long-distance residential moving services within Ontario, including inter-city relocations to and from Ottawa. Hourly crew rate for loading/offloading plus flat-rate travel charge based on distance, crew size, and truck required.
• Consolidated Moving Services Consolidated (shared-truck) move option where the customer's belongings share truck space with other households moving the same direction, reducing travel costs by up to 30%. Particularly suited to inter-city Ontario routes.
• Moving From Ottawa to Toronto Inter-city residential moving service from Ottawa to Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, with options for consolidated (shared) trips to reduce travel costs.
• Moving to Ottawa From Toronto Inter-city residential moving service from Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area to Ottawa, with options for consolidated (shared) trips to reduce travel costs.
• Piano Moving Specialized residential piano moving service with expertise in safely handling, padding, and transporting pianos.
• Furniture Hoisting Professional furniture hoisting service for items that must be moved through windows, balconies, or other non-standard access points where stairways or doorways are not feasible.
• Our Storage (Short- and Mid-Term Storage) Short- and mid-term household storage solutions: up to 10 days of free short-term storage and discounted rates for up to 90 days (up to 50% less than regular rates). Includes $1,000,000 full replacement value insurance while belongings are in storage.
• Ottawa Self Storage Referral Referral service connecting customers to self-storage facilities in Ottawa for longer-term or self-managed storage needs beyond the company's own short-term storage.
• Ottawa Packing Services Professional packing services to help residential customers pack belongings efficiently and safely before a move, offered as an add-on to the core moving service.
• Moving Boxes and Supplies Retail sale of moving supplies including boxes, packing materials, mattress bags, and wardrobe boxes for customer-purchased DIY use.
• Furniture Donation & Disposal Assistance with donating or disposing of unwanted furniture and household belongings during the moving process.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Better Business BureaucoreOthersBBB Accredited Business with A+ rating - provides third-party verification of business practices and customer satisfaction

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• North American Van Lines: Large North American moving company with Canadian agents providing household moving, packing, and storage. Overlaps directly on residential local and long-distance moves plus storage bundling.
• Two Men and a Truck: Major residential moving franchise system with Canadian locations. Directly competes in the local household moving segment with hourly-billed crews, packing, and storage offerings aimed at the same customer profile.
• Allied Van Lines: Major North American van line offering local and long-distance household moving with agent network in Canada. Comparable in service scope — household goods transportation, packing, storage — though operating at a larger, multi-region scale.
• United Van Lines: Major North American household goods carrier with Canadian operations. Competes in the same residential moving and storage category, with comparable bundled service offerings.
• Atlas Van Lines: Major North American van line with Canadian agents handling household and office moves. Comparable service mix including packing, storage, and interstate/interprovincial relocations.
• AMJ Campbell: One of Canada's largest moving and storage companies offering local, long-distance, and international household moves. Directly comparable as a full-service Canadian residential mover with storage and packing add-ons.

Emerging players

• Dolly: App-based platform for on-demand moving help, furniture delivery, and small moves. Competes with First Rate Movers' loading/unloading rental truck and small-move service lines via a digital-first experience.
• Lugg: On-demand moving labor platform connecting customers with hourly movers via a mobile app. Represents a technology-led emerging model that competes for the same DIY-adjacent customer seeking loading/unloading and small move help.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ottawamovers
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/first-rate-movers-inc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Rate Movers Inc