Insurance is one of the biggest differences between a professional removals company and a man and van found on a Facebook page.
You need the experience and knowledge of a professional firm to ensure your move goes smoothly. However, you also need the peace of mind of knowing that your possessions are safe and covered by the right insurance.
Despite the importance of insurance during house moves, a survey by Buzzmove in 2014 found that 33% of people don’t ask about insurance. If they do ask, they don’t tend to check what cover is in place.
More about removals insurance
There are a few different kinds of insurance that your removals company may have. There are also policies of your own that could cover your belongings. Here’s a quick look at each of them:
- Public liability insurance. This is a type of insurance policy that most businesses and tradespeople have in place. It is designed to cover any claims or legal costs if a business activity harms a member of the public or their property. In terms of removals companies, public liability insurance provides cover just in case property is damaged during the move. It also covers you and your family in case of unexpected accidents.
- Professional insurance for breakages. This is also known as Goods in Transit insurance and is designed to cover any damage to or loss of items in the removals van.
Removals companies will also have employers’ liability insurance for claims made by employees. Lastly, they’ll have vehicle insurance for removals vans and trucks.
The majority of people never need to claim, but it’s reassuring to know that insurance cover is in place. You never know what could happen, so it’s important to do things by the book.
Your household contents cover
It’s worth checking your home contents insurance policy ahead of the move. It could be the case that cover is provided for items in transit. You may have special arrangements in place for valuable or antique items, and this could extend to the removals process depending on the policy.
How much cover is provided by removals companies?
It’s important to remember that the insurance cover provided by removals firms isn’t limitless. At Kiwi Movers, we provide cover of £40 per damaged or lost item, at a maximum of £60 a box. This is in line with industry standards.
In most cases, this level of insurance cover is adequate for home movers. Setting cover at this level enables us to keep costs down for those who aren’t moving anything particularly valuable. However, if you do have valuables to move, you can add extra cover (at a competitive extra cost) up to £100,000 per truck. The cover can be arranged by the Kiwi Movers team on your behalf, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Please give us a call on 020 8877 9682* to discuss your move. We’ll be happy to advise on the insurance cover we can provide.
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[…] first and probably most important thing to check is if they have insurance for goods in transit, and at what level. It is crucial that you choose a removals company who has insurance, so you know you are covered if […]