Knowing Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move

Whether it is cross-country or across town, moving is a hard enough task for anyone. Understanding your rights and responsibilities when you move is essential. Consider that you are hire a moving company control the transportation of all of your belongings, and this main idea becomes more and more essential as you plan your move. The main anxiety for your safety comes with the choice you make in selecting a highly regarded household goods carrier, understanding the terms and conditions in your moving contract, and being responsive of the remedies that are available to you in the event that problems occur during your move.

Before moving your belongings, movers are necessary to give you a brochure entitled Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. This provides basic information that will help you know each file that a moving company will ask that you sign. The booklet also explains your privileges if your household goods are lost or damaged. Keep in mind that the policy listed in this brochure only apply when the mover is transporting your goods from one state to another. While basic guidelines clearly apply in single commercial zone moves, the purpose of this article is to make those who are moving a further distance or to another state aware of what their rights and responsibilities are throughout the time of their move.

What most people planning a move are troubled with is the potential that their belongings are lost or broken during the moving process. In general, your mover is legally responsible for any loss or damage that occurs during the shipping of household goods. All moving companies are required to assume legal responsibility for the value of the goods transported. However, there are different levels to this, and you should be aware of the quantity of protection available.

Full-value protection (FVP) offers the most protection coverage of the belongings you ship through the moving service. If any article is lost, destroyed, or damaged while in your mover's possession, your mover will either repair the article to restore it to the same condition as when it was first received, or replace the item with one of like kind. Other options include paying the owner for the cost of such necessary maintenance or the full payment for the replacement of the item. The cost of FVP is about $8.50 per each $1,000 of declared value to the property. 

Released value security is the most economical protection choice available; however, this no-cost option provides only minimal security of your goods. Under this option, the mover assumes liability for no more than 60 cents per pound, per article. Loss or damage claims are established based on the weight of the article multiplied by 60 cents per pound. There is no extra charge for this minimal safety, but you must sign a specific statement on the bill of lading agreeing to it.

Any liability insurance decided upon with your mover must be a documented policy or other written record added to the complete agreement made with the mover. You should be provided a copy of this policy or other document at the time of buy. If the moving company fails to comply with this necessity, they become fully liable for any claim for loss or damage attributed to its carelessness.