Readers Say

Here’s what to do during Sept. 1 lease turnover in Boston

Readers and moving experts weigh in on what you should do between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

A police officer directs U-Hauls during college move in day in Brighton, Massachusetts on September 1, 2014. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff)

By Annie Jonas

July 29, 2024 | 5:00 AM

Owing to Boston’s large student population, the majority of the city’s apartment leases begin on Sept. 1 and end on Aug. 31. This period throws many into logistical limbo as they juggle moving out of their current place with preparing for a Sept. 1 move-in.

If your lease ends on Aug. 31 at midnight or earlier, what do you do? Where do you keep your belongings before you can move in on Sept. 1? Where do you stay?

We asked Boston.com readers these questions and heard from nearly 40 respondents. They shared their tips, tricks, and anecdotes for managing the lease turnover period, ranging from the logical (“coordinate with the new tenants”) to the outlandish (“sleep in the U-Haul”) and everything in between.

To prepare Bostonians for the Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 lease turnover and move-in day madness, we spoke to moving and landlord experts about what you should do during your lease turnover. They gave tips on how to prepare beforehand, handle the turnover period itself, and what to do the day of your move.

Here’s what experts say you should do

Think ahead when signing rental agreements

At risk of stating the obvious, one way to completely avoid the chaos of Sept. 1 is by getting off the Sept. 1 lease cycle.

“The best thing I’ve been able to do is get off the 9/1-8/31 lease cycle. Obviously that won’t work for everyone, but moving on any other day of the year will cut the headache in half, at least,” Boston.com reader Zack B. from East Somerville said.

While it can be hard to find an apartment not on the traditional lease cycle, it’s not impossible, according to Douglas Quattrochi, the Executive Director of MassLandlords.

“The best advice for renters with lots of housing choice (which is rare) is to think ahead and sign rental agreements that provide suitable overlap,” he told Boston.com, adding that there is no law requiring a Sept. 1 lease start date.

If you can’t sign a lease that is off the Sept. 1 lease cycle or overlaps with your current lease, Quattrochi suggests asking your landlord if they will let you move in earlier (if the previous folks leave earlier) and pay additional prorated rent. However, staying past the end of your lease is not advised, Quattrochi said.

“No landlord will ever let someone stay past lease end. The eviction laws make that a total disaster and will cancel the next lease for the incoming renter,” he added.

Communicate with your new landlord about move-in

Instead, connect with your new landlord to ask the tenants at your new place if their move-out date is flexible, several Boston.com readers suggested.

“Always ask your new/current landlords if the previous/new tenants are not moving exactly on the date or move. Landlords may reach out and ask, which could give you a buffer day or two. This has happened to me a couple times which made it so much easier,” Matt from Dorchester said.

Moving just a few days before or after the Aug. 31 through Sept. 1 period can be hugely beneficial for you and the movers.

“Zig when other people are zagging,” Piet Gauchat, president of Olympia Moving & Storage, told Boston.com. “If there’s any way to adjust those dates by a little bit forward or backwards, it removes a lot of stress from the equation and it makes it a lot easier on the companies trying to work with you.”

Schedule your moving truck and/or book your moving company early

If you’re unable to get off the Sept. 1 lease cycle, the next best thing you can do is schedule your move early, as soon as you know you’re moving.

“I always tell people, when they know what their plans are, start putting the wheels in motion around it,” Gauchat said.

He suggests scheduling your movers or moving trucks as early as you can because they book up quickly, and last-minute movers won’t offer the same quality of service.

“You want to reserve that truck early, not wait until a week or two before the 31st because your options are so limited. And oftentimes, the better moving companies are completely tied up at that point, so you often end up paying more for substandard service,” Gauchat said.

How early should you book your movers or moving truck, exactly? Jorge White, the president of the U-Haul Company of Boston, told Boston.com he starts seeing moving truck rentals being booked for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 in February and March.

“Believe it or not, we do end up booking fully around February, March,” he said.

Put your belongings in storage overnight

We heard from many Boston.com who were left stranded with their belongings overnight, because they were required to move-out by midnight or earlier on Aug. 31. If you’re faced with this predicament, here’s what the experts we spoke to suggest.

Gauchat, the president of Olympia Moving, said most moving companies offer some sort of option to hold your items in the truck overnight – and it’s the ideal scenario for movers, too.

“That’s a preferable option where we would load everything on the 31st and then deliver it out on Sept. 1. That’s an ideal scenario, because you avoid any sort of redundant handling, which would come from a moving company picking up your things, unloading that truck into a storage unit, and then reloading that into a truck to be dropped off at your new place,” he said.

Indeed, some readers said this is their preferred method of moving.

“I had hired movers, and for an extra fee, they were able to store my stuff overnight,” Courtney from Somerville said.

If you’re not going with a moving company, White, the U-Haul president, suggests moving your things into either a storage unit or a moving pod overnight.

“It’s a little more labor involved (because you’re unloading your items twice) but you’re doing it with the peace of mind that you don’t have to rush back with a truck,” he said.

The U-Box, U-Haul’s version of a portable storage container, has become one of their most popular items, and Boston is one of the busiest cities to use U-Box in the country, White said.

Boston.com reader Sarah from Dorchester said she’s a fan of the storage unit method if you can’t swing a lease overlap.

“Just pack a suitcase, crash a friend’s or get a hotel/hostel, and then move in on the 1st with just what you can carry and handle the rest over the next week or so,” she said.

Stay with a family, friend, or at a hotel overnight

Many readers said they opt to move their things into their moving truck and park it overnight while they crash at a hotel.

“I’m just crashing in an Airbnb for the night with all my stuff shoved into a moving van. Not ideal, but that’s the reality of the situation. Worst part is that my new landlord doesn’t give the key out until 2 PM! It’s going to be a long day of being stranded,” Beth from the North End lamented.

Those with local ties to the region, like Jenny from South Boston, said she stays with her parents in the suburbs.

And others suggested much more creative strategies to navigate being stranded overnight, like sleeping in the moving truck.

“Sleep in the U-Haul,” Anais from East Boston said.

It’s something Mara from Somerville and her two roommates did once before, but not something they plan on again. “One time my two roommates and I slept in the cab of a U-Haul outside the apartment we were moving to. Never again, but hilarious to look back on,” she said.

On the other hand, Hannah from Jamaica Plain said “don’t sleep – load up the car with your belongings and pets and take turns running into a diner to eat, hang out, and drink coffee until 10 a.m.”

When we asked White, the U-Haul president, what he makes of this nocturnal scheme, he said he’s never heard of the phenomenon in his 15 years with the company.

“I’ve heard of them sleeping next to their furniture because they couldn’t get a truck. But I guess with the cost of hotels nowadays and how expensive they’re becoming, I can see why they’re choosing to sleep in a U-Haul. I mean they’re pretty comfortable,” he said.