A moving company sells on reputation as much as on trucks — online reviews and repeat referral business carry real weight — but the legal work centres on something less visible: customer deposits already collected, storage arrangements already in place, and moving contracts written under Consumer Protection Act rules that don't simply reset because ownership changed.
Part of Transportation & Logistics — see the family overview.
Every figure below is a typical Canadian deal-market pattern, not a valuation — use it to sanity-check what you're being told.
| Metric | Typical benchmark | Use this to |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation is a real, measurable asset here | Online review volume and rating, along with repeat and referral business from real-estate agents and past customers, typically carry more weight in a moving company's valuation than in most trades businesses.† | Weigh review history and referral-source durability specifically, not just the fleet and storage capacity. |
| Customer deposits already collected are a liability that follows the deal | Deposits taken on bookings scheduled to move after closing represent a real, quantifiable obligation that needs to be accounted for in the deal, not treated as incidental.† | Get an exact accounting of outstanding customer deposits and the bookings they're tied to before you agree on price. |
| Storage arrangements add their own diligence layer | Where the business holds customer belongings in storage, whether in owned or leased warehouse space, that arrangement carries its own contractual and insurance obligations separate from the moving operation itself.† | Review storage contracts and insurance coverage as their own line item, not folded into general operations. |
| CVOR scrutiny applies to the commercial fleet | The commercial trucking fleet used for moves is subject to the same kind of carrier-profile scrutiny as other commercial trucking operations, scaled to the size of the fleet.† | Confirm the fleet's CVOR standing early, proportional to its size. |
| Cross-border work adds a federal layer, where it exists | A business that performs bonded or customs-cleared cross-border moves carries a federal compliance layer on top of Ontario's own rules, worth flagging even though it sits outside provincial regulation.† | Identify whether any revenue comes from cross-border work before assuming the compliance picture is purely provincial. |
Consumer Protection Act rules govern moving-contract terms and deposit handling, and those obligations to customers don't reset with a change of ownership — deposits already collected on future-dated bookings need to be honoured and accounted for as part of the deal.
Where the business holds customer belongings in storage, that arrangement carries its own contractual and insurance obligations that get reviewed separately from the moving operation itself.
CVOR carrier-profile scrutiny applies to the commercial moving fleet in the same manner it applies to other commercial trucking, scaled to fleet size — confirming standing early avoids a late surprise on an otherwise-ready file.
The same sequence underlies almost every moving company deal — what changes from deal to deal is how long each step takes, and which one becomes the bottleneck.
Reaching an agreement
The offer sets price and key terms — for a moving company it should build in the conditions that actually matter from day one, not just financing.
usually 1–2 weeks†The APS fixes price, structure — asset or share — and closing date, plus the reps, warranties, and holdbacks that protect you if diligence turns up something different than promised.
1–3 weeks to negotiate†CVOR carrier profile, Consumer Protection Act contract/deposit terms, Vehicle fleet & PPSA, Storage arrangements, Staff/drivers all start moving at once, on separate clocks — this is usually where moving company deals are won or lost.
often the critical path†Getting to closing
Corporate, PPSA lien, and litigation searches confirm what you're actually buying; we chase down licence standing and records the seller doesn't always have to hand.
2–4 weeks, in parallel†Funds, keys, and signed documents change hands, alongside any inventory count and interim authorizations that bridge the gap until final transfers are confirmed.
1 day, once conditions are met†We track final licence confirmation and the staff transition through to completion — nothing is left for you to chase once the deal is done.
1–2 week tail†This is the first real decision in almost every moving company deal — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how it's taxed.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The business's assets — the truck fleet, storage arrangements, the trade name, customer-review reputation, and goodwill. | The shares of the corporation itself — everything it owns and owes, including outstanding customer deposit obligations. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind, though outstanding customer deposits on future bookings are typically accounted for separately in the deal. | Generally come with the company, including deposit obligations. |
| Consumer Protection Act deposits/contracts | Outstanding deposits and future-dated bookings are itemized and accounted for as part of closing. | Continue under the existing corporation, which remains directly obligated to honour them. |
| CVOR carrier profile | Doesn't transfer — the buyer establishes its own operating authority for the fleet. | Transfers with the corporation, subject to regulatory review of the ownership change. |
| Storage arrangements | Reviewed and, where a lease is involved, assigned with landlord consent. | Generally continue under the existing corporation, unless the storage lease has its own change-of-control clause. |
| Tax angle | Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
| Typical use in a moving company deal | The default for most single-location moving businesses. | Less common — sometimes used to preserve CVOR carrier history or a hard-to-reassign storage lease. |
The business's assets — the truck fleet, storage arrangements, the trade name, customer-review reputation, and goodwill.
The shares of the corporation itself — everything it owns and owes, including outstanding customer deposit obligations.
Generally stay behind, though outstanding customer deposits on future bookings are typically accounted for separately in the deal.
Generally come with the company, including deposit obligations.
Outstanding deposits and future-dated bookings are itemized and accounted for as part of closing.
Continue under the existing corporation, which remains directly obligated to honour them.
Doesn't transfer — the buyer establishes its own operating authority for the fleet.
Transfers with the corporation, subject to regulatory review of the ownership change.
Reviewed and, where a lease is involved, assigned with landlord consent.
Generally continue under the existing corporation, unless the storage lease has its own change-of-control clause.
Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
The default for most single-location moving businesses.
Less common — sometimes used to preserve CVOR carrier history or a hard-to-reassign storage lease.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
Different lists depending on which side of the deal you're on — both matter for how smoothly closing goes.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single-location residential moving business with a modest fleet, straightforward storage, and one buyer stepping in.
Start my file →A moving company with active storage holdings for customers, a larger CVOR-scrutinized fleet, or occasional bonded cross-border work adding a federal compliance layer.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
†Typical patterns across Canadian deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
Those deposits and the bookings they're tied to get itemized and accounted for as part of the deal — Consumer Protection Act obligations to those customers don't reset because ownership changed, so the new owner is generally expected to honour them, and that gets reflected in the deal terms rather than left as a surprise.
Yes, more than in most trades — review volume, rating, and repeat or referral business (from real-estate agents in particular) typically carry real weight in how a moving company is valued, since reputation is a bigger driver of new bookings here than in many other service businesses.
That depends on whether the storage space is owned or leased, and how the storage contracts with those customers are written. It's reviewed as its own item, separate from the moving operation, since it carries its own contractual and insurance obligations.
CVOR carrier-profile scrutiny applies to the commercial fleet regardless of size, scaled to how many vehicles and how much activity is involved — it's worth confirming standing even for a smaller local operation rather than assuming it only applies to larger carriers.
It can. Bonded or customs-cleared cross-border moving work adds a federal compliance layer on top of Ontario's own rules, which is worth flagging specifically if any part of the business's revenue comes from that kind of work, even if it's a small share of overall bookings.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| Ontario CVOR & carrier safety Commercial Vehicle Operator's Registration, Ministry of Transportation | Visit www.ontario.ca |
| Consumer Protection Ontario Moving-contract and deposit-handling rules | Visit www.ontario.ca |
| Personal Property Security Registration (PPSR) Vehicle lien searches | Visit www.ontario.ca |
| Canada Border Services Agency Cross-border and bonded moving compliance | Visit www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca |
Where we close moving company deals
Tell us about your moving company deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.