Man and van hire is a flexible, convenient and affordable way to move stuff – whether you’re moving house or simply have a single large piece of furniture to shift across town.
Take a quick look online and you’ll find hundreds if not thousands of man and van services to choose from. But crucially – only a fraction of these services will have the right insurance. It’s so important to check out the insurance situation before trusting someone with your whole life’s worth of possessions or valuable goods. You, and your stuff, need to have full protection.
Why is insurance so important when using man and van services?
Unless you choose a reputable, trusted service – perhaps one recommended by a friend or which has verified customer reviews – you’ll always be taking a bit of a leap when you hire someone to help you move house.
They could be inexperienced, which could lead to your stuff being damaged. They may be unreliable, causing serious delays on moving day. In a worst-case scenario, they may even be a bit dodgy, leading to the mysterious disappearance of your possessions.
In most cases, none of the above happens. But this is why insurance is so important – it provides financial protection for all of your belongings, just in case. It offers peace of mind, and is the responsible way to use a moving service and protect your possessions.
What insurance do man and van services need?
When asking about man and van insurance, bear the following in mind:
- There may be a fixed or limited liability. As they don’t know the value of your goods, many removals companies will use industry standard cover. For example, £40 per damaged or lost item, £25 for broken glass covers on pictures.
- You can arrange additional cover for valuable or irreplaceable items – so make sure you tell your moving company about this before signing up. You can potentially get cover of up to £100,000 per moving truck if needed.
- Your removals company should have public liability insurance in place – this covers legal costs or claims if property or possessions are damaged during the move.
- Movers may also have goods in transit insurance – this is a policy which covers any damage to items when they’re inside the removals van.
Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. It’s important that you feel satisfied with the insurance cover on offer before going ahead.
Always use a trusted, insured man and van service
Look for customer reviews, trade association memberships, accreditation and other positive signs. Kiwi Movers, for example, has Which? Trusted Trader status, is an approved trader on Checkatrade.com and is a member of the Road Haulage Association.
Give the Kiwi Movers team a call on 020 8877 9682* to arrange your move, or to ask us any of your burning questions about removals insurance – we’re happy to help!
