Moving Insurance,
With Real Math

Movers don’t technically sell “insurance”. They offer valuation: the level of liability the company accepts for your goods. Every legitimate move includes a basic level at no charge, and the gap between that basic level and your stuff’s actual value is the single most misunderstood money question in moving. Here it is with real numbers.

Full value protection

The mover repairs, replaces with like kind, or pays current replacement value, up to your declared amount (with any deductible you choose). Costs more; means something. For households with normal-to-high value contents, this is usually the rational choice.

Third-party transit insurance

Independent policies covering your goods in transit: worth pricing for high-value households, and sometimes already partially provided by homeowner’s or renter’s policies. Ask your agent the specific question: “are my goods covered in a professional move?”

High-value and fragile items

Art, instruments, and heirlooms deserve packing that prevents claims instead of funding them, that’s our custom crating service. And pianos ride with our piano crew, boards and straps included.

What the California Contract Asks You to Choose

On a move that stays inside California, the coverage decision is made on the Agreement for Moving Services, in a section titled Consumer Protections and/or Waivers. The Bureau of Household Goods and Services, which licenses California movers, explains that you must declare the value of your shipment there and choose a level of protection. That signature is the moment the arithmetic on this page stops being theoretical. Read the section before moving day, not while the crew is standing in the driveway, and ask the estimator to walk you through each line.

If you leave that section blank, the state does not drop you to 60 cents per pound. According to the BHGS, goods are automatically protected for actual cash value up to $20,000 when no choice is made. The mover may charge for that protection at the rate stated on the Agreement for each $100 of declared value, or fraction of $100. Actual cash value is depreciated value: the BHGS says it is determined by the item's cost when new, its age, its condition when the mover received it, and the value you declare.

The BHGS describes the basic 60-cents-per-pound coverage in the table above in the same terms as the federal rule: recovery is 60 cents multiplied by the weight of the item, or of the carton it was packed in. The BHGS notes that this basic protection is already included in the carrier's rates. That is why it costs nothing to select, and why it should be a deliberate selection rather than a default you arrive at by skipping a paragraph on the contract.

California Claim Deadlines the Mover Must Meet

For a move that stays inside California, the response deadlines come from Maximum Rate Tariff 4, the BHGS tariff for household moves within California. Under the tariff, a mover that receives a written claim for loss or damage must acknowledge it in writing within 30 days. Within 60 days of receiving the claim, the mover must, in writing, pay it, decline to pay it, or make a firm compromise settlement offer. If the mover declines or offers less than you asked for, the tariff requires a written statement of the basis for the denial or reduction.

Those deadlines only start when the claim is in writing. The BHGS states that claims for loss and damage must be filed in writing with the mover, so a phone call to the office does not begin the count. Put the date of delivery, the inventory numbers of the affected items, the amount you are asking for, and your photos into one email or letter, and keep a copy. If the response never arrives or you disagree with it, the BHGS complaint form can be downloaded and mailed, or submitted online, at bhgs.dca.ca.gov.

Behind the valuation choice sits the carrier's own insurance, which the state requires household movers to maintain. The BHGS lists a minimum cargo insurance requirement of $20,000 per shipment for household movers. It also lists liability minimums of $250,000 for injury or death of one person, $500,000 for more than one person, and $100,000 for damage to property other than the goods being moved, or a combined single limit of at least $600,000. That cargo policy belongs to the mover and does not replace the choice you make on the Agreement, which is where the BHGS says you declare value and pick a protection level.