What to know about Melbourne
- About 14.8% of people in Greater Melbourne (717,165 of 4,861,264 aged one and over) lived at a different address one year before the 2021 Census, by our count from ABS table G44.Source: ABS 2021 Census General Community Profile (table G44)
- At the 2021 Census, 30.2% of Greater Melbourne's occupied private dwellings were rented and 15.6% were flats or apartments.Source: ABS 2021 Census QuickStats
- All clearways within 20 kilometres of the Melbourne CBD became tow-away zones from 1 December 2020.Source: Premier of Victoria
- The City of Melbourne's reserved parking permits name removalists as an eligible use; applications must arrive more than five clear business days ahead, and urgent ones with less notice may be accepted at the council's discretion for a priority fee.Source: City of Melbourne
- In Victoria an owners corporation without rules of its own is covered by the model rules in Schedule 2 of the Owners Corporations Regulations 2018, which bar obstructing common property and damaging it without approval.Source: legislation.vic.gov.au
Moving across Melbourne at short notice
People move often here. By our count from the ABS 2021 community profile, about one in seven people in Greater Melbourne (14.8%) had changed address in the year before the Census, and three in ten homes are rented. When a lease or a sale forces a quick move, the first job is booking the truck's space at both ends.
Parking on short notice
In the central city the City of Melbourne issues reserved parking permits to removalists. The standard lead time is more than five clear business days, but the council may accept an urgent application with four business days or less at its discretion, for a priority fee (City of Melbourne). Other councils set their own rules, and our suburb pages cover several of them.
Never plan to load in a clearway: every clearway within 20 kilometres of the CBD has been a tow-away zone since 1 December 2020 (Premier of Victoria).
Apartments and renting
About 15.6% of Greater Melbourne's homes are flats or apartments. Where an owners corporation has no rules of its own, the model rules in Schedule 2 of the Owners Corporations Regulations 2018 apply, including not obstructing common property and not damaging it without approval (legislation.vic.gov.au). Renters leaving at the end of an agreement give 28 days' written notice (Consumer Affairs Victoria); check the official page for your situation.
Melbourne suburb guides
Local guides for Richmond, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Carlton, Southbank, Brunswick, South Yarra, Prahran, Footscray, Northcote and Hawthorn. Tell us when you need to move. We'll try to find a removalist who can help at short notice.
Common questions
Can I get a parking permit in Melbourne with less than a week's notice?
In the City of Melbourne, an urgent reserved parking application with four business days or less may be accepted at the council's discretion, for a priority fee. Other councils differ; ask yours.
Can a removalist come tomorrow?
Sometimes, but nobody can promise it. Urgent requests are passed on first, and the removalist will tell you what they can do.
Do you cover outer Melbourne?
Yes. Requests from any Melbourne suburb, inner or outer, are passed on. Type your suburb and state in the form.