Regardless of which household moving company you decide to use when relocating from one area to another, accidents can always happen, even with the best movers. So it’s important that you are sufficiently protected in case these kind of accidents occur on your move.

 

The first thing to know is that most moving companies will prepare a document that shows all of the inventory of items that they have picked up at the origin of the trip. This document will not only list the items that they are moving, but also the condition of each item as well. Quite often there are numbered stickers on each of the stored items that correspond to numbers on the list in order to keep it all straight.

 

Here is where you want to be sure to take plenty of time to go over this document and verify all of the items that are listed as being taken, and make sure that the condition listed is true. Once you sign this document, it will set the liability parameters for the entire move. The next time you will see this document is at the destination where you will be required to again review all of the items listed and verify that the condition at the end of the move matches that found on the document.

 

At both the origin and destination you need to take sufficient time to carefully review all items and their condition without feeling rushed or pressured. Any claim that you make in the future with regard to any item that was shipped will be compared against the listed condition found in this document and whether or not you approved that condition at both origin and destination.

 

If a claim does arise, and it’s not a particular surprise if that happens, what happens next will depend on the kind of coverage that you have chosen for all of your moved items. This is also another area that you want to give particular attention to before the move even takes place. Essentially, most movers offer three basic kinds of item coverage or breakage insurance.

 

The most basic kind of insurance that is often included for little or no cost by professional movers pays only a certain amount for each pound that an item weighs if it is damaged in transit. For instance, if you have a 100 lb. item that is damaged, and the mover has agreed to pay $.50 per pound per item, then you will be paid $50 for that damaged item regardless of how much it actually cost originally. Obviously, this kind of coverage can often be wanting in certain instances.

 

The next kind of coverage is called cash value coverage, and it will pay for whatever an item originally cost minus depreciation. So if a damaged item that you have owned for five years originally cost $300, you will be paid the amount to replace that item that is five years old. The most expensive and best coverage is full replacement coverage, which will replace whatever items were damaged with a brand new item instead regardless of cost. Of course, this kind of insurance will cost more, and you will need to decide whether or not it is worth it.

 

If you then choose the correct insurance on the items you wish to move, and you actively keep an eye on their condition both at origin and destination, you will be in the best position possible to be well protected when you use a professional household moving company.