Moving Insurance!

You want to make sure your possessions get to their destination all in one piece and without being damaged. Accidents can and do happen. One of the movers could accidentally drop your $2,000 TV set, the moving truck could be stolen or get in a wreck and if you use your imagination, you can probably think of a half dozen or so unpleasant things that could happen. There is no need to take a chance. With a little preventative medicine, you can make sure that your household furnishings as well as your valuable possessions are fully covered during your move. Hint: You might also take this opportunity to make sure that your vehicle, health and life insurance policies are up to date and valid.

Moving Insurance!

You can take take out an insurance policy for your belongings while they are in transit to your new home or you can check your homeowners insurance policy to see if your stuff might be covered during a move. If you find that your belongings are not covered by your homeowners policy then you might want to consider moving insurance. It could end up saving you thousands of dollars in the long run and it can also give you some peace of mind.

There are a few different ways to go about getting moving insurance. This type of coverage can usually be purchased for an extra fee from the moving company or from a moving truck rental company or, in some cases, through your homeowners insurance company. If you do decide to buy moving insurance, make sure that you read and understand the policy. You should know exactly what type of insurance it is that you are getting and the amount of insurance coverage that you are purchasing.

Even if you find that your homeowners policy does give you some coverage during transit, you may still want to look into getting some type of moving insurance. For instance, if your homeowners policy only covers 10 or 20 percent then you could think of that as supplemental moving insurance. If you go ahead and get the transit insurance from the moving company or from an independent source then there is a good chance that your items will then be covered in full.

Professional moving companies provide a basic level of coverage. This basic coverage must be provided to you by law at no charge. This goes for both local and interstate moves. This type of basic coverage will only pay 60 cents per pound for each of your items. So, if you have a 100 pound weight bench that somehow gets lost, stolen or damaged, you will be compensated with $60 to cover the cost of the weight bench. That might not seem like such a bad deal for a weight bench but what if the 100 pound item in question happens to be an antique dresser that is actually worth $1,000 or more?

Moving companies may also offer extended coverage of your items for an additional fee. You should also check to see if your moving company's policy includes damage to the home you are leaving as well as the home that you will be moving in to. Accidents can and do happen as moving can be a messy business. If the movers do cause damage to your existing or new home then you will need to tell them about the problem right away. There will most likely be a specific time-limit for any claims that you make.

If you have any items that have been appraised then it would make sense to have the items insured. This can be done with a rider to your existing homeowners insurance policy. Depending on the value of the item in question, it may be well worth your time to look into getting coverage for such individual items.

Final Word: Do make a checklist and start organizing your move as early as possible!

[ Back to top ]