Emergency Moves in Norfolk
Need movers today? Tomorrow? Undergrads specializes in emergency and last-minute moves across Norfolk and Hampton Roads. Our background-checked college crews mobilize on short notice, load or unload your rental truck or container, and charge the same locked hourly rate as any other move. No rush surcharge.
Need a price now? Get an instant estimate with our Norfolk Moving Calculator, built from 40,000+ completed moves across our markets. It also includes a quote checker for comparing any estimate you already have.
Need a price now? Get a free quote in about 60 seconds, or call us and a dispatcher will walk you through your Norfolk move on the spot.
Last-Minute Moving Services
Last-minute movers are moving professionals you can hire on short notice, sometimes same day or next day, to help when there is little or no time to plan. Our labor-only teams arrive ready to load or unload your truck, POD, or storage container the moment they reach you.
Whether your lease starts next week, your ODU or Norfolk State housing assignment changed, or the moving company you booked just cancelled, we are built to make a rushed move feel handled. You rent the truck or container; we bring the crew.
How It Works
Call or book online
Call us or request a quote online. Tell us your Norfolk pickup and drop-off, the move size, and when you need it. Same-day and next-day are our specialty.
We confirm your crew
We coordinate the nearest available crew and confirm your booking, usually within about 30 minutes. Your hourly rate is locked before anyone lifts a box.
The crew arrives ready
Your background-checked college movers show up on time with moving blankets and straps, ready to load, unload, or both.
You pay after the move
It is $5 to reserve. You pay the balance after the job is done, only for the time worked. No surge pricing, no surprise add-ons.
How soon can movers actually get to you?
“Same-day movers” means different things to different companies. We have a deep bench of licensed and insured moving crews across Norfolk and a dispatch team whose whole job is finding the one closest to you with an open afternoon.
In practice: if you call us before 9 AM on a weekday, we can usually get a crew to you between noon and 4 PM the same day. Call between 10 AM and 2 PM and we can often get you booked for that evening. After 2 PM it gets hard, and availability might be the following morning. No matter what, we tell you on the phone what we can get for you, not after you have paid a deposit.
The table below is what we try to provide. If we can beat it, we will.
When can we move you?
| When you call | When we can usually move you |
|---|---|
| 7-9 AM (weekdays) | Same afternoon (2-6 PM) |
| 10 AM-2 PM | Next morning (8 AM start) |
| After 2 PM | Next available day |
| Weekend calls | Next business day or same day (if crew available) |
Why Norfolk Renters Call Undergrads First
Three reasons people pick up the phone when the clock is running:
Fast, same-day dispatch
We mobilize crews across Norfolk and Hampton Roads, from Ocean View down to Ghent and across the water to Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth, on short notice, often the same day. Most bookings are confirmed in about 30 minutes.
Locked rate, zero surge pricing
Booking last minute does not mean paying a premium. Your hourly rate is locked upfront with no rush markups, fuel surcharges, or stair fees, even during the busy summer lease-turnover season.
Vetted, background-checked crews
Every mover is a background-checked university student, trained on furniture wrapping and tight-space navigation. $1,000 damage protection backs every move.
What if something breaks?
Every Undergrads move includes $1,000 in damage protection, and every crew is licensed and insured. If a mover damages something, tell us. We document it, ask for a photo, and work to make it right.
Our protection covers our crew's handling. Damage that happens in transit while you're driving the rental truck is between you and the rental company, so take their coverage if the load is worth it. And if you have items that need specialty handling, a piano, a safe, fine art, tell us. We'll say whether it's a job for us or for a mover who specializes in those things. We'd rather send that move to someone else than put your things at risk.
What We Need to Book Your Emergency Move
Have these ready and we can lock your crew in one quick call:
| What we need | Details |
|---|---|
| Move date and time | The sooner the better. Same-day and next-day are our specialty. |
| Pickup and drop-off | Addresses for both ends, plus any stairs, elevators, or long carries. |
| Move size | Roughly how many rooms, or a rough box and furniture count. |
| Truck or container | Whether you have a rental truck or POD, or need help deciding what size to rent. |
| Access notes | Freight-elevator and Certificate of Insurance windows for the downtown towers, narrow streets and alley parking in Ghent and Colonial Place, or gate and escort rules for base-adjacent housing. |
Prepping for a last-minute move (and keeping the bill down)
You're paying for crew time, so anything that shortens the job saves you money. These six things make the biggest difference.
Get the truck first
We're labor-only, which is why we're affordable, but it means you rent the truck. Same-day rental availability in Norfolk is the thing most likely to sink a last-minute move, so call U-Haul, Penske, or Budget before you call us. As a rule, a studio fits a cargo van or 10-foot truck, a one-bedroom a 15-footer, and a two- or three-bedroom home needs 20 feet or more. If you can't get a truck, call us anyway; we can often help you get one sorted, or at least think through the other options.
Reserve the elevator
If either address is an apartment or condo, call the front desk now and book the freight elevator. The downtown Norfolk and Town Center towers often require it, and a crew waiting in a lobby is a crew you're paying by the hour.
Box what you can, stage it by the door
You don't need to finish packing. You need loose items in boxes or bags and everything that's leaving in one spot near the exit. Crews load fastest when they aren't hunting through rooms.
Break down the big stuff
Bed frames, table legs, the TV mount. Break down what you can. Time you spend on this is time you aren't paying us for.
Tell us about the stairs
Three flights with no elevator is a different job than a ground-floor walkout. We'd rather send three movers than have two struggle, and we can only plan for what we know.
Find parking
A truck parked around the block adds real time to every trip. Cone off a spot, ask a neighbor, or plan to sit in the truck while the crew loads.
WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
50+ five-star moves in Norfolk
Reasonable pricing in comparison to hiring a moving company.
“Very simple and easy service. Mover was professional and easy to work with. Reasonable pricing in comparison to hiring a moving company.”
Christina Burnette
Google review · Richmond, VA · Oct 2026
friendly and got the job done right
“I had a wonderful experience with Undergrads Moving! The movers were friendly and got the job done right. Highly recommend!”
Sharma W.
Google review · Richmond, VA · Sep 2026
Booking was easy, pricing was fair, and the service was excellent.
“Booking was easy, pricing was fair, and the service was excellent. Jumal and Luke were polite, professional, and friendly, and they were careful and thoughtful with our items. Wonderful experience!”
Laura Reiner
Google review · Richmond, VA · Sep 2026
able to get the job quickly done in the window of time I had
“I was able to request two movers to help the same week I was moving. Jamal and Dublas were both very professional and they were able to get the job quickly done in the window of time I had.”
Megan Fowler
Google review · Richmond, VA · Sep 2026
arrived early and got everything moved in short order
“Easy experience moving a few pieces of furniture. Demetrius and Matthew arrived early and got everything moved in short order. Would use again.”
Greg Brock
Google review · Richmond, VA · Sep 2026
Best value movers
“Best value movers, the guys did a great job and were very helpful and nice! Would definitely use this company again and recommend to others. The movers did a great job and were gentle with the furniture!”
Natalie
Google review · Richmond, VA · Sep 2026
How Much Does a Same-Day Local Move Cost?
Last-minute moves in Norfolk run on the same honest hourly pricing as any other Undergrads job, no rush surcharge. Two movers are $112 per hour, you pay only for the time the crew works, and most last-minute moves run $200–$350 for a 2-person crew. A typical same-day local move looks like this:
| Move size | Crew | Typical time | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio or 1-bedroom | 2 movers | 2–3 hours | $200–$350 |
| 2–3 bedroom | 2–3 movers | 3–5 hours | More hours, rate locked upfront |
| 4-bedroom | 3–4 movers | 6+ hours | More hours, rate locked upfront |
Truck rental, if you need one, is paid directly to U-Haul, Penske, or your POD provider and is not included above. If the crew finishes early, you pay less.
Expert Moving Services in Norfolk
We cover Norfolk and Hampton Roads: Ghent and Colonial Place, downtown and Freemason, Larchmont and Lochhaven, Ocean View, the ODU and Norfolk State areas, plus Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News. Our crews know the tunnel timing, the base access rules, and the historic-grid parking in Ghent.
Moving Tips for a Last-Minute Norfolk Move
Beat the traffic
The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the Midtown and Downtown tunnels, and I-64 back up from about 6:30 to 9 in the morning and 3:30 to 6:30 in the evening, and a backup at any tunnel adds real time to a cross-water move. Check tunnel traffic before the truck rolls and aim for a mid-morning weekday start.
Plan around the heat
Summers are hot and humid, hurricane season runs June through November, and nor'easters can flood low streets in Ghent and Ocean View in the fall. We book the largest moves first thing in the morning, and if a storm is in the forecast we call you to move the date rather than load in it.
Sort out parking and building access
Ghent and Colonial Place are historic grids with narrow streets and alley parking, so a smaller truck and a coned-off spot beat a 26-footer. For downtown Norfolk towers, reserve the freight elevator and confirm any Certificate of Insurance before move day. For base-adjacent moves, sort out gate access and sponsor escort rules ahead of time.
Norfolk Areas We Cover
Same-day and next-day crews mobilize across the Norfolk side of the metroplex, including:
- Ghent, Colonial Place, and Freemason
- Downtown Norfolk and Fort Norfolk
- Larchmont, Lochhaven, and ODU
- Ocean View and East Beach
- Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth
- Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News
Secure Your Moving Vehicle (if you need one)
Because we are labor-only, you provide the truck or container and we provide the crew, which is what keeps a last-minute Norfolk move affordable. Not sure what size to rent? Tell us your move size when you call and we will point you to the right truck before you book it. U-Haul, Penske, Budget, and PODS all work.