Do I need to have the piano tuned every time it's moved?

Pianos generally need to be tuned every time it is being moved from one house to another. But to move a piano from just one room to another, you don't need to have it tuned. The reason pianos are tuned after a move is because there are a number of things that happens to a piano:

1. The jostling about of the movement of the piano on a dolly hitting bumps etc, on the ground jiggling the tuning pins from the impact of it
2. The ride in a truck knocks it out of tune
3. A different climate at the new location causes the wood in the piano to expand or contract in the soundboard and wood posts and bridges, causing the piano to go out of tune.

If the piano is very out of tune to begin with, the move at a future date should not prevent you
from at least getting the first tuning in because even if the piano is not moved, it will still go out of tune because it will require a second tuning anyway from the sudden strain of the pitch raise it required.

Once a piano is in place at the new location, it is recommended that you let the piano set in place for at least two weeks to a month period of time. It is during this time that the piano is acclimating to the new temperature and humidity. Of course you can still play the piano while you're waiting.