If you're buying, the OC certificate came with your contract — find it. If you're renting, ask your property manager to email you the move-in rules before you sign or before move day, whichever comes first. Under Victorian model rules in Schedule 2 of the Owners Corporations Regulations 2018, every owners corporation has a baseline set of rules, but registered (custom) rules vary widely.

Read the rules. Specifically the move-in section, common-property protocols, and noise hours. If there isn't a formal move-in section, that's also useful information — it usually means a smaller building with no concierge.

Most buildings with three storeys or more have a goods lift or a designated move-in lift. You book it through the building manager or the OC manager, usually 5–10 business days in advance. Some buildings charge a small fee. Most don't.

The booking gives you a window — typically two to four hours — during which the lift is yours, with protective padding installed. Outside that window, you queue with everyone else, which is slow with a removal truck waiting downstairs at $160-plus per hour.

A lift or move-in bond is a refundable deposit held against damage to common property. The owners corporation refunds it after a post-move inspection, usually within a couple of weeks. Smaller boutique blocks often don't bother. Tier 1 buildings nearly always do.

Take time-stamped photos of the lift, hallway and lobby before the move starts. If a scratch is disputed later, you have evidence. Bond disputes are the single most common owners-corporation complaint we see.

Most Melbourne owners corporations require evidence that your removalist holds public liability insurance before they'll allow them onto the property. AFRA-accredited operators carry public liability cover as a condition of membership, so a Certificate of Currency is straightforward to provide.

Email it to the building manager 48 hours before move day. Don't wait until move day. We've watched a perfectly capable crew turned away at 8am because the OC manager hadn't received the certificate and refused to grant entry without it.

This catches Melburnians more than anything else. CBD, Southbank, Docklands, South Yarra — almost no street parking, lots of clearways, height restrictions on basement loading bays. A 6T or 8T truck at 3.5+ metres tall doesn't fit in a residential carpark. Some buildings have a dedicated loading dock; some assume the truck will park on the street; some have signed agreements with the council for a temporary loading zone.

Ask the building manager: "Where does the truck park, and do I need a parking permit?" If a permit is needed, City of Melbourne offers temporary parking control alterations, but applications can take days, so don't leave it to the last week.

Almost every Melbourne owners corporation has approved hours for moves — typically 8am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, sometimes ending earlier on weekends. Most don't outright ban Sunday moves the way some Sydney buildings do, but many discourage them. Some city blocks restrict moves to weekdays only because of body corporate noise rules.

Confirm in writing what's allowed for your building. A 6pm finish becomes a problem if your settlement only happens at 4pm.

An email a week before move day, addressed to the manager by name, with your unit, the date, the removalist's name and Certificate of Currency attached, makes everything easier. People are more flexible when they know who you are. Building managers especially.

If you're moving into a smaller block without an on-site manager, the equivalent is the OC committee chair or the strata manager listed on the rules.

The owners corporation insurance covers the building structure and common property only — not your goods. Building public liability insurance covers third parties (other residents, contractors). Your removalist's public liability covers if they damage the building. Transit insurance — usually a separate add-on — covers your goods while in transit on the truck.

If you're moving valuable furniture, art, or anything irreplaceable, transit insurance for the day is worth the small premium. Especially for a multi-storey carry where minor damage is statistically more likely.

The building manager during business hours. The after-hours number on the lobby noticeboard outside business hours. The strata manager if there's a dispute. Consumer Affairs Victoria for owners corporation issues that can't be resolved at building level.

You won't need any of these. But if you do, you'll need them at 8am on a Saturday, not at 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon. Save them now.