Should You Use TaskRabbit to Help With Your Move?

It’s not controversial to say that moving is hard, especially moving on your own. When the time comes to pack up your home and move, you might need a little—or a lot—of help. You can ask your friends for help moving, hire professional movers or try something somewhere in between, such as TaskRabbit.

TaskRabbit is to movers what Uber is to taxi drivers. When you hire help through TaskRabbit, you’ll get an independent contractor, or several, to help lighten your workload.

What Taskers Do

TaskRabbit workers are called “taskers,” and they cover a range of services. These include packing, unpacking, moving, driving your belongings from one place to another, putting together furniture (with IKEA furniture as a specialty), cleaning, repair work, furniture shopping and delivery, disposal services, TV mounting, and more.

Do you have a bunch of things to put in a new self storage unit? Hire a few taskers. Do you just need help packing up one room? You can hire a tasker for that. Have you sorted through a closet and put together a box of things to donate to a local thrift store? A tasker can drop that off for you. Do you have an old couch you need to get rid of? A tasker can dispose of it.

They Are Vetted

Rest assured that TaskRabbit vets each of its taskers. That said, quality of work isn’t consistent, but you can expect it to at least be good.

Hiring a Tasker Costs Less Than Hiring a Moving Company

The hourly wage of a tasker generally ranges between $17 and $80, depending on their experience, the specific tasks they perform, and where they work. In areas with a higher cost of living, they’ll charge more.

However, they almost always charge less than a moving company. Like with moving companies, you can compare different taskers.

Choosing Taskers

On the TaskRabbit homepage, you’ll find buttons for different types of services. One example is “Moving and Packing.” If you select this, you’ll be asked whether you’re ready to move now, soon, or you’re just browsing. Next, you’ll put in your current address and, if you’re moving, your destination address. You’ll then choose the number of hours you expect it to take and whether you require someone with a car or truck. Next, you’ll put in some task details.

Then you get the list of taskers and you can vet them. Their listings have their profile picture, bio, how many tasks they have completed, the percentage of positive reviews, and a percentage score for their reliability. The “Great Value” badge means they have plenty of great reviews.

Paying and Tipping

Once your booking is confirmed, you can expect your tasker at the time scheduled. A nice thing about TaskRabbit is that you don’t pay until the job is done. You can pay through the TaskRabbit app, or through PayPal. However, you can’t add a tip this way, so if you want to tip your tasker, have cash on hand. A common tip for a local move is a flat $20. For a long move, tip based on hours worked. The formula is $5 per hour for each mover, up to $40 per day for each mover.

Claims and Insurance

Unfortunately, TaskRabbit itself doesn’t have a claims process. So, if a tasker drops that antique dresser and breaks the legs, you’ll have to go through another type of insurance.

Homeowners and renters insurance doesn’t usually cover damage taken during a move. Check your policy and consider getting a moving insurance policy for the duration of your move. You can then make any needed claims through them.

We hope this primer on TaskRabbit helps you get the assistance you need with your move, and that it eases the stress that often comes with moving.