Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move
Whether it is cross-country or across town, moving is a difficult enough task for anyone.
Knowing your rights and responsibilities when you move is important.
Consider that you are letting a moving company control the transportation of all of your belongings, and this principal idea becomes more and more essential as you plan your move.
The main concern for your protection comes with the choice you make in selecting a reputable household goods carrier, understanding the terms and conditions in your moving contract, and being aware of the remedies that are available to you in the event that problems occur during your move.
Before moving your belongings, movers are required to give you a brochure entitled Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.
This provides basic information that will help you understand each document that a moving company will ask that you sign.
The booklet also explains your rights if your household goods are lost or damaged.
Keep in mind that the regulations listed in this brochure only apply when the mover is transporting your goods from one state to another.
While basic guidelines obviously 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 during the time of their move.
What most people planning a move are concerned with is the potential that their belongings are lost or damaged during the moving process.
In general, your mover is legally responsible for any loss or damage that occurs during the transportation of household goods.
All moving companies are required to assume liability for the value of the goods transported.
However, there are different levels to this, and you should be aware of the amount 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 article with one of like kind.
Other options include paying the owner for the cost of such necessary repairs or the full payment for the replacement of the item.
The cost of FVP is approximately $8.
50 per each $1,000 of declared value to the property.
Released value protection is the most economical protection option available; however, this no-cost option provides only minimal protection 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 settled based on the weight of the article multiplied by 60 cents per pound.
There is no extra charge for this minimal protection, but you must sign a specific statement on the bill of lading agreeing to it.
Any liability insurance agreed 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 purchase.
If the moving company fails to comply with this requirement, they become fully liable for any claim for loss or damage attributed to its negligence.
Knowing your rights and responsibilities when you move is important.
Consider that you are letting a moving company control the transportation of all of your belongings, and this principal idea becomes more and more essential as you plan your move.
The main concern for your protection comes with the choice you make in selecting a reputable household goods carrier, understanding the terms and conditions in your moving contract, and being aware of the remedies that are available to you in the event that problems occur during your move.
Before moving your belongings, movers are required to give you a brochure entitled Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move.
This provides basic information that will help you understand each document that a moving company will ask that you sign.
The booklet also explains your rights if your household goods are lost or damaged.
Keep in mind that the regulations listed in this brochure only apply when the mover is transporting your goods from one state to another.
While basic guidelines obviously 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 during the time of their move.
What most people planning a move are concerned with is the potential that their belongings are lost or damaged during the moving process.
In general, your mover is legally responsible for any loss or damage that occurs during the transportation of household goods.
All moving companies are required to assume liability for the value of the goods transported.
However, there are different levels to this, and you should be aware of the amount 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 article with one of like kind.
Other options include paying the owner for the cost of such necessary repairs or the full payment for the replacement of the item.
The cost of FVP is approximately $8.
50 per each $1,000 of declared value to the property.
Released value protection is the most economical protection option available; however, this no-cost option provides only minimal protection 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 settled based on the weight of the article multiplied by 60 cents per pound.
There is no extra charge for this minimal protection, but you must sign a specific statement on the bill of lading agreeing to it.
Any liability insurance agreed 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 purchase.
If the moving company fails to comply with this requirement, they become fully liable for any claim for loss or damage attributed to its negligence.
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