Questions to Ask When Moving
Questions to ask a moving company before you book, written for anyone hiring movers for a local or a long-distance move. They run in the order the job does: vetting the company, what to ask when the movers come to give an estimate, cover and claims, then moving day through to delivery. The last group is not for the movers at all. It is for your landlord, your building, your utility providers and yourself, since an unbooked elevator can stop the day as surely as a late truck.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The company
Are you the carrier or a broker, and which license number can I look up?
Why ask it
A broker sells your job on to a carrier, so the company you vetted may not be the company that arrives. In the US an interstate mover has a USDOT number you can look up, while local movers are licensed state by state and other countries keep their own registers, so ask which license covers your move.
Will the crew on moving day be your employees or a subcontracted team?
Why ask it
Subcontracted crews are common and the work can be just as good, but it changes who answers when a mirror cracks. Get the name of the firm that will actually send the people, how many are coming, and how long the lead has been moving furniture.
What insurance do you carry in case one of your crew is hurt at my home?
Why ask it
If a mover is hurt on your stairs, you want that to be the company's matter and not yours. Workers' cover and liability rules differ by state and country, so ask what applies to this crew and request the certificate instead of taking a yes.
How often do you do moves like mine: this distance, this size, this kind of building?
Why ask it
A crew that clears walk-up apartments every week is not automatically the right one for a four-bedroom house going across the country. A rough count from the last month is harder to inflate than a yes.
How do you resolve complaints, and can you describe one from this year?
Why ask it
Every mover has had an unhappy customer, so a company that claims none is telling you less than one that walks you through a scratched floor and what it paid. Some belong to a dispute or arbitration program, and how much weight that carries depends on where you live.
What is the full legal name of the business, and how long has it operated under that name?
Why ask it
The name on the estimate, the truck and the license should all be the same one. A moving company that has changed names recently is worth a second search under the old name, since reviews do not follow a rebrand.
Do you have a yard or office I could visit, and do you own your trucks?
Why ask it
A mover with a fixed address and marked vehicles is easier to find again if a box goes missing. Rented trucks prove nothing bad; what matters is who is responsible for your goods while they sit in one overnight.
How do you screen and train the people who will be inside my home?
Why ask it
Strangers will handle your documents drawer, your jewelry box and your spare keys for a day. The details worth having are whether background checks are run, who teaches new hires to carry and wrap, and whether day laborers are ever added to fill a crew.
Can I speak to two customers who moved with you in the last few months?
Why ask it
Recent references tell you about the crews working now, not the ones from five years ago. Two things to put to each of them: did the final bill match the estimate, and how did the company behave when something went wrong?
Are you free on my dates, and does the price change with the day or the season?
Why ask it
Month ends, weekends and summer tend to fill first and cost more. If your dates have any give, ask what a midweek or mid-month slot would save before you fix the day with your landlord or your buyer.
The estimate
Will you survey my home in person or by video before you quote?
Why ask it
Whoever sets the price should have seen the cellar, the balcony and the inside of the wardrobes. Point out what is staying behind as well, so you are not quoted for the sofa you plan to sell.
Is this estimate binding, non-binding, or binding not-to-exceed?
Why ask it
These terms decide whether the number on the page is a price or a guess. A non-binding estimate can rise once the goods are weighed or the hours are counted, and how far it may rise depends on the rules where you live and whether the move crosses a state line, so ask for the limit on yours. Outside the US the wording differs, often a fixed quote against an estimate, but the question is the same.
How is the final price worked out: by weight, by volume, or by the hour?
Why ask it
Volume pricing is the hardest of the three to check, because how tightly a crew packs a truck is not something you can audit. If the charge is by weight, the weigh tickets from before and after loading are the proof, and you can ask to see both.
On an hourly job, when does the clock start and stop, and what is the minimum charge?
Why ask it
Some movers bill from the moment the truck leaves their yard until it is back there, and others only while they are at your addresses. The drive between the two homes and the crew's meal break are the hours people end up disputing, so have both settled on the estimate.
How many movers and what size of truck is this price based on?
Why ask it
Two quotes with the same hourly rate are not the same quote if one sends two people and the other sends four. A truck that is too small means a second trip, and the estimate should say who pays for it.
What is not included in this quote?
Why ask it
Better than asking what is included, because it forces the exclusions into the open: boxes and tape, mattress bags, furniture assembly, a fuel or travel charge, tolls, tax. None of these is unusual, and any of them can be missing from the headline figure.
What do you charge for stairs, a long carry from the truck, or a street a full-size truck cannot enter?
Why ask it
A narrow street can mean a smaller shuttle truck and a second loading, and a distant parking spot a long-carry fee. Describe both addresses honestly and get any charge in writing now, because on the day the truck is already half loaded with your things.
What would make the final bill higher than this estimate?
Why ask it
Common triggers are items added after the survey, boxes not packed when the crew arrives, and time spent waiting for keys or an elevator. Have a rate put beside each one, because most of them are things you can prevent once you know.
Do you charge extra for heavy or awkward pieces such as a piano, a safe or a treadmill?
Why ask it
Name each one during the estimate, with its rough size and which floor it is on. A piece that is not written down may need equipment or extra hands the crew did not bring, and the driveway is a bad place to negotiate.
What do packing and materials cost, and can you pack only the kitchen and the fragile things?
Why ask it
A partial pack is often the sensible middle: you box the books and clothes, they wrap the glasses and the pictures. Boxes may be charged per piece or included, and some movers take unused ones back, so have the materials priced as their own line.
Can I have the itemized list of goods this estimate was built from?
Why ask it
The item list is what lets you set one mover's estimate beside another's. If one company counted sixty boxes and another counted a hundred and ten, the lower price is for a smaller job, not a better deal.
How long is this estimate good for, and what do you need from me to hold the date?
Why ask it
Quotes expire, and a price given in March may not stand for a July move. Signing the estimate does not always reserve the crew, so find out what makes the date yours: a signature, a deposit or a written confirmation.
What deposit do you want, and how do you take final payment?
Why ask it
A large upfront deposit or a cash-only demand leaves you with little to hold back if the job goes badly. A small deposit by card with the balance due on delivery is a fair thing to propose, and it helps to know which forms of payment the driver will accept at the door.
What is your cancellation and rescheduling policy?
Why ask it
Closings fall through and lease dates move, usually at short notice. Find out how many days before the move you can still change the date without losing the deposit, and have that printed on the estimate.
Can you send me the contract I will sign on moving day so I can read it beforehand?
Why ask it
The document handed over at the truck, called a bill of lading in the US, is the one the mover will point to in a dispute, and a driveway with a crew waiting is a poor place to read small print. With a copy a few days early you can check it against the estimate line by line.
Cover and claims
What valuation coverage is included by default, and what does full replacement value cost?
Why ask it
The basic level on many US moves pays by the pound, which for a laptop or a framed print comes to very little, and other countries set their own default limits. Get a price for full value protection with each deductible option before you assume your goods are insured.
Is that cover an insurance policy or the mover's own liability, and would my home or renters policy add anything?
Why ask it
Valuation is generally the mover's own promise to pay, which is not the same thing as a policy from an insurer. A call to your own insurer settles whether goods in transit or in storage are covered, and that depends entirely on your policy.
If I pack my own boxes, are the contents still covered?
Why ask it
Many movers limit what they owe for a box they did not pack unless the outside of it shows damage. That may decide which things you leave for the crew to wrap, so read the rule in their terms and not the salesperson's summary.
How do I declare high-value items such as art, jewelry or instruments?
Why ask it
There is often a separate form for anything worth more than a set amount, and a piece left off it may be paid at the basic rate whatever cover you bought. Request the form early; small valuables can simply travel with you instead.
If something arrives damaged, what is the claims process and what is the deadline?
Why ask it
Filing deadlines vary with the kind of move and where you live, and some contracts expect damage to be written on the delivery paperwork before the crew leaves. Have the deadline put in writing, and find out whether a claim goes to the mover or to an outside firm.
Who pays if the crew damages a floor, a doorframe or the building's elevator?
Why ask it
Damage to the property is a separate matter from damage to your goods, and a landlord is likely to come to you first. Floor runners, door pads and banister wraps are the routine protection, so check they are in the price.
If an item is damaged, do you repair it, replace it or pay cash, and who chooses?
Why ask it
Under many full-value plans the choice belongs to the mover, which is how a dining table ends up repaired when its owner expected a new one. Knowing that beforehand tells you which pieces deserve their own insurance.
Moving day
What time will the crew arrive, and is that a fixed time or a window?
Why ask it
An afternoon slot depends on the morning job finishing on schedule. If your elevator booking or key handover has a hard end, ask for the first start of the day and have it written on the confirmation.
What should I have done before the crew arrives so they can start loading at once?
Why ask it
Drawers, the fridge, the washing machine and anything plumbed or wired in are the usual unknowns, and movers often will not disconnect gas or water lines. On an hourly move, every job left for the morning is one you pay a whole crew to wait through.
How will you protect mattresses, sofas, televisions and mirrors?
Why ask it
Blankets, shrink wrap, mattress bags and television boxes may be included or billed per piece. Have the answer written on the estimate, since a crew that arrives without them will either improvise or charge.
Do you take furniture apart and put it back together, and is that priced separately?
Why ask it
Reassembly can be where a cheap quote stops being cheap, and a bed frame is not something you want to tackle at ten at night. Name the pieces you mean, such as the wardrobe, the bunk bed or the crib, so the answer covers them.
Which items will you refuse to take?
Why ask it
Movers commonly decline propane, paint, aerosols, opened liquids, plants and anything perishable. Finding out on the morning means either binning them or making an unplanned second trip in your own car.
Who arranges parking for the truck, and who pays for a permit or a ticket?
Why ask it
Some cities let you reserve curb space for a moving truck and some do not, so ask the mover what is usual on your street and who applies. A truck parked a block away can turn into a long-carry charge.
Will you write up an inventory as you load, and do I sign it?
Why ask it
On a long-distance move each piece usually gets a numbered sticker and a condition note. Read those notes before signing, because a table marked as scratched at pickup is hard to claim for at delivery. If a local crew does not make a list, count the boxes yourself.
Who do I call on moving day if something goes wrong, and can that person make decisions?
Why ask it
The salesperson you have been dealing with is often out of the picture once the job is booked. Get a name and mobile number for someone who can approve a change or settle a charge while the truck is loading.
Will my shipment share a truck with other households?
Why ask it
Shared loads tend to be cheaper and slower, and every transfer between trucks is one more place for a box to go astray. If yours is combined, find out how each piece is labeled and checked at a handover.
What is the delivery window, and what happens if you miss it?
Why ask it
Long-distance shipments often come with a window of several days or more, not a date. Whether a late delivery earns you anything is down to the contract, so read that clause, and plan to live out of a suitcase for the gap.
How will I know where the truck is, and how much warning do I get before delivery?
Why ask it
Someone has to be at the new address with the keys and the final payment when the driver pulls up. The driver's direct number, taken once the truck is loaded, is worth more than a tracking page, and notice can be anything from a day ahead to a call from the road that morning.
If my closing or lease start date slips, what does storage cost and how long can you hold my things?
Why ask it
A loaded truck with nowhere to deliver has to put your things somewhere, and the bill for that is yours. With the storage-in-transit rate and the notice period settled now, a delay becomes a known cost rather than an emergency.
What should I check and sign before the crew leaves the new place?
Why ask it
Walk through the empty truck, count the boxes against the inventory and write any damage on the paperwork before you sign. A signature under wording such as received in good condition can make a later claim harder, so ask what the delivery form says.
Is a tip for the crew expected, and is it ever added to the bill?
Why ask it
Tipping customs differ by country and by company, and nobody on the crew is going to raise it. Hearing the office's answer beforehand tells you whether to have cash ready, and it stops a gratuity line turning up on the invoice unannounced.
Do you collect the used boxes and packing paper afterward?
Why ask it
A whole house of flattened cardboard is more than a household recycling bin will take. Some movers include one pickup in the weeks after the move or buy boxes back, and it costs nothing to ask.
Home and admin
What are the loading dock and elevator rules at both addresses?
Why ask it
Many apartment buildings want the elevator booked in advance, allow moves only on certain days and expect the crew out by early evening. Missing one of these can stop a move dead, and each building has its own version.
Does either building need a certificate of insurance from the movers, and what must it say?
Why ask it
Management offices often want their own legal name and specific coverage amounts on the certificate, and a mover may need several days to issue one. Get the building's requirements in writing and forward them to the moving company exactly as they came.
What will not fit through the doors, stairs or elevator at the new address?
Why ask it
Measure the sofa, the bed base and the biggest wardrobe against the narrowest point on the way in. Tell the mover about a tight turn while the estimate is still open, since hoisting through a window is a specialist job with its own price.
What do I have to do to get my security deposit back, and when will you inspect?
Why ask it
Asking the landlord directly, and in writing, converts a vague standard into a list you can work through. It also fixes an inspection time while you are still there to discuss anything they flag.
Which meter readings and photos should I take before I hand back the keys?
Why ask it
A photo of each meter and of every emptied room, taken on the last day with the date showing, is the whole job. The readings keep the next occupant's first week off your bill, and the pictures answer most arguments about how the place was left.
When should I schedule the utilities to stop at the old place and start at the new one?
Why ask it
Overlapping by a day at both ends costs very little and prevents arriving to no power or water. Some providers need a week or more of notice and a few require an in-person appointment, which is worth finding out before the week of the move.
How do I get my mail forwarded, and from which date?
Why ask it
Forwarding is set up with the postal service, usually takes some days to begin and runs for a limited period, and what it costs and how long it lasts depend on the country. Start it before the move and use the weeks it lasts to change each address at the source.
What has my address on it, and which of those have deadlines?
Why ask it
A driver license, vehicle registration, voter registration and insurance often have to be updated within a set time after a move, and the limits differ by state and country. Sorting the list by deadline stops the ones with penalties from being forgotten.
Where will the children and pets be while the truck is loaded?
Why ask it
Front doors stand open for hours and people carry heavy things through them without a free hand. A day with a relative, a friend or a kennel is safer for a toddler or a cat than a closed bedroom, which the crew will need to empty anyway.
What is going in the box that travels with me rather than on the truck?
Why ask it
Documents, medication, chargers, tools, a change of clothes, keys, and anything irreplaceable. People assemble this box after the truck has left, which is exactly too late.
Booking and running a move
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Getting quotes you can compare
Insist on a survey, in person or by video
A quote given over the phone from a room count is a placeholder. Walk the surveyor through every closet, the garage, the loft and the shed, because anything they do not see is not in the price.
Get three quotes and read the estimate type first
Line up the three on the same basis: estimate type, what is excluded, valuation coverage, deposit. A quote that is far below the others is usually excluding something the others included.
Check the company, not just the quote
Look up the carrier's registration and complaint history, and search the exact company name with the word complaint. Note whether reviews mention the price changing on the day, which is the failure mode that matters most.
Put every verbal concession in the paperwork
Waived stair fees, a firm delivery date, free wardrobe boxes. If it is not on the estimate or the bill of lading, it does not exist once the crew arrives.
A rough timeline
Six to eight weeks out
- 1Book surveys with three movers and compare estimate types.
- 2Ask your building and the new building about elevator, dock and insurance rules.
- 3Start disposing of anything movers will not take.
Two to three weeks out
- 1Confirm dates in writing, along with the delivery window and any storage rate, and get a copy of the contract to read.
- 2Schedule utility stop and start dates with a day of overlap at each end.
- 3Work through the address change list, deadlines first.
The last week
- 1Agree the move-out inspection time with your landlord.
- 2Pack the box that travels with you and keep it out of the crew's way.
- 3Get the moving day contact name and number, and photograph anything valuable before it is loaded.
Where moves go wrong
Signing a blank or incomplete bill of lading
The bill of lading, or whatever the contract is called where you live, is the paper both sides will point to afterward. A spoken promise about price or dates that is not on it is hard to rely on, so read every line and have the blanks filled in before the crew starts loading.
Letting the crew leave before you look at the inventory
Damage and missing items are far easier to claim if they are noted on the paperwork at delivery. Check the high-value items and the box count while the crew is still there.
Underestimating the gap between arriving and functioning
Beds, a kettle, towels, tools and toilet paper on the first night matter more than any of the planning. Pack a first-night bag deliberately rather than digging through boxes at midnight.
Paying a large deposit to hold a date
A big deposit, above all one requested by wire or in cash, leaves you with no way back if the crew never turns up. Ask what a refundable card deposit would be instead, and treat a flat refusal as a reason to keep collecting estimates.