Why do I need insurance for moving house?
You’ve chosen your new home, completed the surveys and conveyancing and finally completed on your property. You’re all packed up and ready to go but something happens during the move and your properties are damaged, destroyed or lost for good. You face thousands of pounds of losses with no way to retrieve them unless you’re covered by removals insurance.
Anticipating the worst-case scenario can be stressful for home movers, especially considering the plethora of things that can go wrong up until the point of exchange. However, considering the safety and protection of your belongings is something that should seriously be considered. Whether you’ve spent time and money collecting furniture and items to fill your home with, or want to protect treasured family heirlooms, there is plenty of motivation to ensure that you are fully covered during the removals process.
What is Goods In Transit Insurance?
Goods in transit insurance isn’t a policy that you’d have to take out yourself. It’s insurance coverage that protects removals companies. Many removals companies pay for and are covered by this type of insurance to protect themselves from claims made by their clients. The insurance will cover the cost of losses as a result of damage or loss of the client’s belongings during transportation.
Whilst it is not a legal requirement for professional removals companies to purchase this type of insurance, you will discover that many credible companies offer it as standard or an additional extra. Before committing to one company, it is worth shopping between credible removals companies to have this insurance included with your service, this will save you the additional cost.
How to make a claim:
Under the unfortunate circumstances that your items are lost or damaged during transportation, you should make your claim directly to the removals company. They will then contact the insurance provider who will process the claim under the terms of the policy.
In order to make a claim against a goods-in-transit insurance policy, it is vital that you had valued your belongings before handing the responsibility of their care to the removals team. Under-valuing your items could lead to scaled-down replacements or compensation.
What insurance should you get as a homeowner?
When moving house, it is a good idea to set up a home insurance policy before moving into the property. Some policies include house removals insurance which will provide added protection in conjunction with the removal companies’ insurance. Whilst this isn’t a default feature in all home insurance policies, it is worth shopping around for affordable options, rather than paying for the extra as an additional charge.
Whilst this type of contents insurance should protect your belongings in the case of theft or damages during transportation, there are some stringent exclusions to be aware of. This can include:
- Scratches and dents that weren’t present prior to transportation
- Financial documents
- Valuable items
- Money
- Belongings that were not packaged professionally
You should be cautious because some policies won’t cover uncertified removal companies or DIY removals such as a ‘man with a van.’ Claiming for damages or losses on removals that you have completed yourself or through uncertified companies could invalidate your insurance.
Is a removals service worth it?
Whilst understanding the technicalities of removals insurance can be complicated, their service is far more convenient than the alternative. After establishing the value of your belongings and ensuring they have been packaged professionally, the cost of your belongings should be covered in the event of theft or damages during transportation.
Alternatively, if you decided that this arrangement was too much hassle and completed the move in a DIY fashion, losses would not be covered by any insurance policy. Some costs might be covered by contents insurance that covers items temporarily outside the property. However, this is not a comprehensive cover for your entire collection of belongings.
Final Thoughts
Goods in transit insurance and home insurance policies are designed to protect your belongings whilst in the care of professional removals services. Not only will you experience a hassle-free moving day with no heavy-lifting or fragile items to be cautious of, but you’ll receive compensation for damages that may occur during the process.
For a stress-free moving day, get in touch with Moving Sorted’s partnered removals company. Our removals team are officially insured to cover the cost to have your items repaired or replaced in the event that contents are lost or destroyed during the transportation process.
