Do we need moving insurance?

[22go]

We are moving from New York to Virginia. Moving insurance is going to cost about $500 with a $500 deductible. $570 with a $250 deductible and $660 with no deductible. First, do we need insurance and if yes which is recommended? We are considering going without insurance but would love to hear from those who have moved from state to state.

 

[KCI]

We've moved a bunch and if I remember the last time (3 yrs ago) some level of insurance came with the move. We generally have only had minor damage if any. A couple glasses broken, a scratch here and there. Not worth the $500 for the insurance. So we have been lucky, but we had friends that moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City and just as the moving van crossed over the border from CA to AZ the rear brakes caught fire and the driver stopped. He opened the rear door. The fire had gotten inside and the contents were now burning. People stopped to help, but it was beyond putting out and they went to the first town in CA to summon help (before cell phones). The CA fire department stopped at the border as they could not go into AZ to fight the fire. The driver by now had unloaded a bunch of the stuff outside the truck, and would you believe, people were stopping and stealing the furniture. The goods that remained were ultimately put on the front lawn of their new home and the insurance nightmare started. So do you need insurance, only you can decide.
One tip, be very careful that all boxes and loose items are clearly marked on the manifest. The packers will mark the condition of each item, make them show you where any damage is that they mark down. Otherwise it's hard to claim anything later on.
Good luck with your move
KCI's Wingman

 

[Lawlar]

You Need Insurance!

This question brings back memories. One of my first cases when I was a pup lawyer was to represent a family that moved from Oregon to California. The forms and Federal law provide that the carrier (mover) is responsible for only a few cents a pound for your items. We tried to get around that by claiming fraud and gross negligence (hey, you do what you can).

The truck tiped over and spilled my clients furniture all over the freeway. Their personal possessions were totally destroyed.

Its been so long ago that I don't remember all the details, but we had to settle cheap because the law and contracts so strongly favored the carrier.

Call you regular insurance agent and see if she can get you a quote for insurance. Otherwise, you need to realize that if there is a loss you will not be able to recover it from the movers.

 

[Gramma5]

Get insurance

We have moved 11 times in the last 39 yrs. Most of our moves were just fine but we have had several claims over the years. We have always bought replacement insurance and taken pictures of our furnishings and gotten appraisals of our antiques. We have had movers steal a TV, musical instruments, silver coin collection (that was when we were young and naive and had them pack it and carry it on the truck......the interesting things was, they only took about 1/2 of the coins and it was 2 months before we noticed it and couldn't claim it then.) We also had them put a CANOE ON TOP of a Queen Anne highboy!!!!!! Needless to say we had a major claim that move!
I learned that it is very important to make sure you note that every box is on the inventory and that all the damage that note on your furniture is accurate. A small scratch on a wood piece can be made to sound like it is falling apart!
If you are not having the moving company pack your items, then it maybe more difficult to insure them.
Be sure to label each box with the room that you want it in in the new house. Makes it much easier to unpack.
Hope that helps some..........

 

[dougp26364]

Just for the piece of mind, if your furnishings are of any value I'd take out the insurance. While I haven't moved around a lot my parents did. There was ALWAYS some items damaged from badly scratched bedroom furniture to broken china.

One option you might consider is contacting you homeowners insurance company to see if they provide coverage under you homeowners policy (assuming you might be able to extend the coverage date) or if they offer a coverage for your contents while they are in transit from one location to another. The worst they could say is they don't offer that sort of coverage and in a best case scenario they might be able to get you coverage at a better price.

 

[22go]

Thanks everyone for your help. We are in the process of trying to see if our new homeowner's insurance will cover the move. We are only moving furniture - all the breakables will be transported by us. I don't know if that helps.

 

[dougp26364]

Thanks everyone for your help. We are in the process of trying to see if our new homeowner's insurance will cover the move. We are only moving furniture - all the breakables will be transported by us. I don't know if that helps.

I guess it just depends on the quality of your furniture and how much you value it. If it were our furniture, there are some pieces it wouldn't break my heart if they were damaged but others that would be rather costly, if not impossible, to replace.

 

[BSQ]

Thanks everyone for your help. We are in the process of trying to see if our new homeowner's insurance will cover the move. We are only moving furniture - all the breakables will be transported by us. I don't know if that helps.

I've moved because a companies have paid to relocate me, they have covered the max insurance available I've always used that. I don't care how much paper, bubble wrap and moving pads they use. Sometimes things you don't consider "breakables" get destroyed in moves or small parts get removed, put in a safe place so they won't get misplaced, but come unpacking time those safely stowed parts never make it to your new house.