In most of the world, people move whenever the new place is ready. In Québec, a surprising number of them move on the same day. Most residential leases still end on June 30, which makes July 1 a province-wide moving day, with trucks double-parked, elevators booked solid and a lot of people sitting in rooms full of boxes waiting for a sofa.
For a furniture or home goods retailer, those few days are the busiest and least forgiving delivery period of the summer. This guide explains why, what goes wrong, and how to plan a June that ends well.
Why July 1 is a delivery event
The custom is older than the current law. For generations the legal start of a lease was a fixed date, originally May 1. A 1973 law removed that requirement, and the leases then in force were extended to June 30, 1974, which made July 1 the moving day that year. The habit survived the change: most landlords and tenants still write leases that end on June 30, so a large number of households change address within the same few days. The customs are strong enough that they have their own name, le déménagement du 1er juillet, and its own traffic.
Not everyone moves then, and the share varies by neighbourhood, building type and year. But for a retailer, even a minority of customers moving on the same day is a spike in demand for exactly the kind of order that is hardest to deliver: bulky, scheduled, and dependent on access.
What goes wrong on a moving week
- The address is not yet the customer's address. Someone who orders a bed in early June for a flat they move into on July 1 has given an address they do not occupy. A delivery attempted on June 28 arrives at an empty unit, or at the old tenant's door.
- The buzzer still carries the old name. On the first of July, the name on the intercom and the mailbox is often still the previous tenant's. A driver told "ring for Tremblay" may be ringing a household that has just left.
- Access is booked, narrow, or both. Condo towers and larger buildings book the elevator for move-ins and may not allow deliveries during the same slot. Triplexes have outdoor staircases that were not designed for a wardrobe. See delivering in Montréal for how stairs and entrances change a stop.
- The streets are full. Moving trucks take the same parking that a delivery vehicle needs, and the walk from where it can stop gets longer.
- The customer is mid-move. The person who booked a 2 to 4 p.m. window may be in a stairwell with a mattress. Notifications are missed, and doors are answered late.
- Holidays. June 24 (Fête nationale) and July 1 (Canada Day) are both statutory holidays in Québec, so a business that would normally deliver and receive may be closed, and a driver may not have the usual access to a building's office.
A six-week timeline for the retailer
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| About six weeks out | Add a move-in date and a new address to the order for furniture and large items. Offer a "deliver on or after" date. | The address is correct, and the delivery date is tied to when the customer can actually receive it. |
| About four weeks out | Confirm stock on items likely to be ordered for a move. Talk to your courier about the volume you expect in the last week of June and the first week of July. | A backorder landing on July 3 is no use to a customer who moved on July 1. |
| About two weeks out | Confirm the address, the floor, whether there is an elevator, and who the building contact is. Ask about booking rules. | Access is a major source of failed deliveries during this period. |
| One week out | Confirm windows with the customer in their own language. Include the name on the buzzer and a phone number that will be answered. | See failed delivery attempts; a move multiplies every cause listed there. |
| The day before | Re-confirm that the unit will be empty and accessible, and that any elevator booking covers the delivery. | A quick message prevents a wasted trip. |
| Moving week itself | Offer fewer, wider windows, and expect some late changes. Decide in advance what happens if the customer is not ready. | A rebooking policy you made in advance is easier than one invented on a staircase. |
July 1 itself
The safest advice is to avoid promising a delivery on July 1 unless the customer asks for it and the building agrees. A customer whose lease starts that day may not have keys until the previous tenant has left, and a delivery on the same day competes with their own move for the elevator and for their attention. Offering the days just before and after, such as June 29 to 30 for early access, or July 2 to 3 once the unit is settled, takes pressure off everyone.
If your volume is large enough to need extra capacity, tell your courier early. The peak season guide explains how to have that conversation, and the same logic applies in summer.
Smaller orders count too
The furniture is the visible part of a move. Behind it is a stream of smaller orders: lamps, curtains, small appliances, boxes of kitchenware, shelf brackets. Each is a parcel going to an address that may be empty, locked, or a mess. The simplest protection is the same for all of them: let the customer choose when the order ships, and let them hold it until they have moved. A "deliver after" date on an order costs a field in the form and saves a surprising number of failed attempts.
If you also deliver to customers who are leaving, such as returns of items that no longer fit the new place, a scheduled return pickup avoids the customer making the trip with the car during an already difficult week.
Frequently asked questions
Is July 1 still the legal moving date in Québec?
No. A fixed lease date is not required by law; a 1973 law removed the requirement. Most leases still end on June 30 by custom, which is why the week still behaves like a moving day.
Should I deliver on July 1 itself?
Only when the customer has asked and the building allows it. The days just before or just after are usually safer, because the customer has their keys and the elevator is not booked solid.
What should I ask customers at the time of order?
The move-in date, the new address with the floor and unit, whether there is an elevator or only stairs, the name on the buzzer, a phone number, and a language preference for notifications.
Does moving week affect small parcels as well as furniture?
Yes. Any order to an address that is empty or in transition can fail. A "deliver after" option protects parcels and furniture alike.
Selling furniture or home goods to customers who are moving? Tell us about your June and July volume when you request a quote and we will plan routes around it.