Moving insurance and valuation, explained
When a mover says licensed and insured, the insurance being referred to is usually the company's own liability cover. It protects the business. What determines whether you get anything if your dresser arrives with a leg off is a different thing entirely, called valuation.
Valuation is not insurance in the ordinary sense. It is the level of liability the carrier accepts for the goods it is carrying, and it comes in tiers. Knowing which tier your estimate assumes is the whole of it.
Released value, which is what you get by default
The basic tier is released value protection. It is included at no extra charge, and it settles damage by weight rather than by value, at a set amount per pound per article.
The consequence is easier to see with an example. A television weighs very little and costs a lot. Under a weight-based settlement, a broken one returns a figure that will not replace the stand it was sitting on. The same logic applies to laptops, artwork, jewelry, instruments and anything else where the value is not in the mass.
It works reasonably for furniture, which is heavy and comparatively cheap. That is roughly the shape of what the default tier is for.
Full value, which is the upgrade
The higher tier is full value protection. It costs extra, and it obliges the carrier to repair the item, replace it with something comparable, or settle in cash at the current market value.
There are conditions worth knowing before you assume it covers everything. Carriers may set a deductible. Items of extraordinary value usually have to be declared in writing before the move, or they are treated at the default level regardless of what you paid. And anything you packed yourself is often treated differently from anything the crew packed, because nobody can tell whether a box was packed badly or handled badly.
- Ask which tier the written estimate assumes, because it is normally the default
- Ask what the deductible is on the higher tier
- Declare high value items in writing before move day, not on it
- Ask how self-packed boxes are treated
- Ask what the claim window is, and diarise it
Your own policies may already do some of this
Before buying anything, check what you have. Some homeowner and renter policies extend to belongings in transit, sometimes with a lower limit than the one covering them at home. Some credit cards and some employer relocation packages include cover.
None of that is universal, so read the actual policy rather than assuming. What you are looking for is whether goods in transit are covered, at what limit, and whether a professional mover being involved changes anything. A ten minute call to your insurer settles it.
What to do before and after the truck arrives
The practical work happens before loading. Photograph anything valuable, with the existing damage visible, and date the photographs. Keep receipts for high value items where you have them. If the crew notes existing condition on the paperwork, read what they wrote and keep a copy.
After delivery, open and check things before the claim window closes rather than after. Claims have deadlines and they are shorter than people expect. If something is damaged, photograph it in place before moving it, keep the packing material it came in, and file in writing rather than by phone.