Moving a Whole Flat in Abuja: Garki, Wuse and Jabi Apartment Blocks

The truck reaches the block in Jabi at ten, the security man says the lift is reserved until noon, and the sitting room sofa is still wrapped on the third floor. Apartment blocks in Abuja run on their own rules, and the best way to deal with them is to ask before the truck arrives.

This guide is for a full flat: bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen items and the usual boxes, moving by truck within Abuja.

Call the block before moving day

Phone the property manager, landlord or security desk a few days ahead and ask four things.

• Is there a fixed time for moves, and is a pass or deposit needed?
• Can the lift be reserved, and does it have a size limit?
• Where can a truck stop, and for how long?
• Does the new block have different rules, and who do you tell?

Get the answers in a message you can show at the gate. Nobody argues with a written note.

Know the three areas

Garki has older blocks, tight service roads and plenty of parked cars along the edges. Wuse has busy commercial streets mixed with residential blocks, so loading near a shop front can block someone. Jabi has newer blocks, wider approaches in places and some gated courts. These are general impressions, so check the exact street the day before. A drive-by at the same hour as your planned move tells you more than any guide.

Measure the awkward parts

Walk from the flat door to the truck with a tape measure. Note the stair width, the lift door, any turn on a landing and the gate. Beds, wardrobes and sofas are the usual problems. Our guide to moving furniture up and down stairs in a block of flats applies in Abuja as well, and taking furniture apart before a move will save you at a tight landing.

Prepare the flat the day before

1. Label every box by room, on two sides.
2. Disconnect the fridge and cooker early so they are dry and cool. Read our guide to disconnecting appliances.
3. Empty drawers that cannot lock, or tape them shut.
4. Carry down small, fragile items yourself in your own car.
5. Leave the heavy items near the door, not in the middle of the room.

Order of work on the day

Start early. Abuja mornings are usually calmer than afternoons, though that varies by neighbourhood, so ask the driver what they prefer.

1. Tell the security post the truck has arrived.
2. Reserve the lift or choose the stairs for the first load.
3. Send the heavy furniture first: wardrobe, bed frame, fridge.
4. Box loads next, then mattresses and sofas.
5. Do a last sweep of cupboards, balcony and store room.

Keep one person at the flat and one at the truck. They should be the ones giving instructions to the helpers.

Handover at both ends

Photograph the empty flat, including any scratches on the walls or floor, before you hand back the keys. At the new flat, check the door, gate and lift before the first piece comes in. If something is already damaged, say so to the manager before you begin unloading. It saves a quarrel later.

Choosing the vehicle

A one-bedroom flat may fit a pickup van in two trips. A two or three-bedroom flat with a full sitting room is a truck job, and one trip is cheaper in time than three. See how to choose the right truck size and our note on moving between central Abuja and satellite towns if you are leaving the city centre.

How to do this on Sphere

Open the Sphere app and choose a truck or pickup van. Add the pickup and drop-off with the block name and gate details, and list the load, for example "three-bedroom flat: two beds, wardrobes, sofa set, fridge, cooker, forty boxes". Propose a price. Nearby verified drivers accept or send counter-offers, and you choose. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.

Have a look at Sphere in Abuja and our guide to writing pickup and drop-off notes.