The short answer
A move-out cleanout is whatever is left after the movers drive away. Priced by volume:
| Truck fill | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Quarter | $241 |
| Three-eighths | $338 |
| Half | $431 |
| Five-eighths | $513 |
| Three-quarters | $587 |
| Full | $732 |
An apartment leaving behind a sofa and a few bags is a quarter, $241. A three-bedroom house where the garage and the basement did not get dealt with is a full truck, $732. Disposal is included at every tier and the minimum visit is $75.
If it is only a handful of specific things, itemize instead: sofa $126 + queen mattress and box spring set $143 + dining table (2-4 seat) $103 = $372.
Why so much gets left behind in this metro
Two structural reasons, both Atlanta-specific.
The basement and the garage. This is hill country and the housing stock reflects it — daylight basements, under-house garages, bonus rooms over the garage, carports. People pack the rooms they live in and run out of time before they get below or above them. The move-out cleanout in Atlanta is almost always the lower level.
The distance. Movers here price by weight and by mile, and people moving out of state look at what it costs to ship a used sectional to Texas or Ohio and decide against it at the last minute. So it stays. That decision is usually made the night before, which is why so many of these are same-week bookings.
What routinely gets abandoned, priced
| Item | Flat price |
|---|---|
| Sofa / couch | $126 |
| 3-piece sectional | $185 |
| Queen mattress | $103 |
| Mattress + box spring set | $143 |
| Bed frame (standard / metal / platform) | $68 |
| Dresser (standard) | $126 |
| Desk (standard) | $83 |
| Bookcase — particleboard / flat-pack | $100 |
| TV (42" to 65") | $68 |
| Large area rug (5×8+) | $68 |
| Patio table | $89 |
| Propane grill | $71 |
| 10 bags of debris | $132 |
Flat-pack bookcases and particleboard desks lead the list every time. They do not survive a move, everybody knows it, and nobody wants to be the one to say so until the truck is loaded.
The patio set is the other one. Atlanta households own a lot of outdoor furniture and none of it travels — after a few Georgia summers on a Smyrna deck it is faded, mildewed at the seams and not worth the freight.
The August problem
Atlanta has a genuine peak move season and it is brutal. Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory, the AUC schools, Agnes Scott, Oglethorpe and Kennesaw State all turn over in August, corporate relocations cluster in summer, and a large number of leases in the metro end on the last day of the month.
The consequence: in the last week of July and through August, movers are booked, buildings ration their freight elevators, and every apartment complex from Buford Highway to the BeltLine is doing the same thing on the same day.
Book the cleanout at the same time you book the movers. Not after. If you wait until the movers have left and you are standing in an empty unit with a sectional you cannot fit in your car, you are competing with everyone else who did the same thing.
Buildings, docks and paperwork
If you are leaving a Midtown, Buckhead, Downtown or Atlantic Station tower, the building controls the schedule. Management will want a certificate of insurance from the removal company on file, a reserved freight elevator window, and a dock slot. Those windows are finite and in August they go fast.
The five-over-ones along the BeltLine, Howell Mill and the Upper Westside are usually easier — a service elevator and garage staging — but the garage clearance is often too low for a box truck, so the truck stages outside and the carry is longer. That is priced in.
Garden apartments off Buford Highway, Clairmont, Memorial and Candler Road have no elevator at all. Everything comes down an exterior stair. Also priced in — there is no stair charge.
Selling a house instead of leaving a lease
Different deadline, same job. If you are closing, the house has to be empty and broom-clean on the date, and the date does not move.
Two Atlanta notes. First, the peak listing season is spring, which is also pollen season — if your plan involves staging items on the driveway for a day, they will be yellow. Second, do the basement first, not last. It is the biggest volume in the house and the one that runs over.
Book the cleanout for two or three days before closing, not the morning of. You want a buffer, because if the crew has to cross the metro at rush hour you do not want that trip to be the only one available.
The arrival window is the product
On a move-out day you are not really buying disposal. You are buying certainty on a day where twelve things have to happen in order.
The window is fixed at booking and it does not slip because the crew hit the Connector. You get a confirmed slot and a text on approach, so you can hand back keys, meet a leasing office, or make a closing walkthrough without sitting in an empty unit for four hours hoping.
Booking it
Either list what is staying behind or pick a truck tier. The total is agreed before the truck leaves the yard and it does not change on the day. Coverage runs across the metro, intown through the Perimeter and out to Marietta, Smyrna, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Duluth, Tucker and the south-side cities.
Frequently asked questions
How much to clear out a two-bedroom apartment at move-out?
A furnished two-bedroom is usually a half truck at $431. If the movers took most of it and you are left with a sofa, a bed and some bags, a quarter at $241 is more likely.
When should I book if I am moving in August?
The same day you book your movers. Late July through August is the tightest window in the Atlanta calendar, and high-rise freight elevators get reserved out weeks ahead.
Can you come after the movers leave, on the same day?
Yes, and that is the usual pattern. Give us a window in the afternoon and build in a buffer — on a move day nothing runs exactly to plan, especially if anyone is crossing I-285.
Do you provide a COI for my building?
Yes. Most Midtown, Buckhead and Downtown towers require one before they release the freight elevator, and we handle it as part of the booking.
What if I am already in another state?
That is common with out-of-state relocations. We can work from photos, agree the price in advance, and coordinate access with a leasing office, a property manager, a realtor or a lockbox.
Is there a stair charge for a third-floor walk-up?
No. There is no stair charge and no elevator charge. The price assumes the crew goes up and gets it.