They’re getting sick of each other.
Big Apple couples who moved in with each other during the pandemic are now starting to split, say the NYC moving companies who do the post-heartbreak hauling.
Brooklyn-based Dumbo Moving alone saw a staggering 2,500 New Yorkers move in with each other during COVID — and 800 of them have already moved out.
They also report a February spike in break-ups, just in time for Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14.
“There are a lot of spontaneous calls for that weekend,” said Dumbo CEO Lior Rachmany.
Last February they received a call from “Sean,” who was calling it quits with his girlfriend after “a Valentine’s Day gone wrong” — when he asked another person to enter their bed.
“It was a misunderstanding over inviting a third person into the mix for Valentine’s Day,” the 42-year-old told The Post. “I completely misunderstood something completely. It was a little awkward.”
Big Apple moving companies see a spike in moveouts around Valentine’s Day. Getty Images/EyeEmSean had been dating his now-ex since 2019, and they decided to cohabitate in June 2020, after the onset of the pandemic.
“We were like, ‘Let’s just do it. Who knows what’s gonna happen next,'” he explained.
Piece of Cake Moving, based in Flatiron, moved over 14,000 couples in together during 2020 and 2021 — and also witnessed the trend of them moving out in 2022, with a surge in January and February.
“In the first two months of 2023, this rate of couples moving out has increased dramatically, and we’ve seen a 56% increase in the average number of couples moving out than in 2022,” said CEO Voyo Popovic.
Piece of Cake Moving saw over 14,000 couples move in together in 2020 and 2021 and are witnessing a spike in moveouts this January and February. Piece of Cake MoversNow that the pandemic has subsided, couples who moved in together because of it are now realizing that the honeymoon phase is over.
“We’ve see this a lot in our practice. People rushed to move in together because of the pandemic it was hard to see each other without being in each other’s place,” said licensed clinical psychologist and couples therapist Yasmine Saad, founder and CEO of Madison Park Psychological Services.
“The pandemic gave an illusory lifestyle and did not equip couples to deal with life’s common stressors. It has also masked the reality as some couples are discovering that their partner do not have the emotional regulations skills to deal with these stressors.”
The honeymoon period is over for couples who rushed to move in together during COVID. Getty Images/iStockphotoIn February 2022, Rachmany received a call from a woman who requested that his employees arrive at 11 am and be out by 4pm.
“The move needed to take place and be completed before the boyfriend came back from work,” he said. “And from our understanding, she caught the boyfriend cheating, something on a cellphone. And this is how she got back at him.”
When movers arrive at the scene of a break up, there are typically tears shed — and Rachmany’s employees end up moonlighting as therapists.
In January, he got a call from a woman who gave a gushing review about a crew member.
“She mentioned this so-and-so foreman was great,” he explained. She said, “You know, I had a little bit of a breakdown. He offered a shoulder to cry on.'”





