Your Rights and Responsibilities

Choosing professional moving labor services from a company like Elite Moving LaborTM is only half the battle when it comes to ensuring that your items arrive safe and without damage. Just like a plumber or other skilled trade professional, having the proper equipment can make all the difference when it comes to getting the job done right.

Because moving labor is only one aspect of your self move, we can only provide some of the required equipment, like hand trucks, dollies and tools. Items required to make the trip with you, such as furniture pads, cannot be provided by moving labor companies because we would ultimately not get them back. Almost every major transportation provider from truck rental companies to mobile storage companies offer an affordable rental option for furniture pads. Considering that they are a major factor in a successful move, we highly recommend that you always arrange for furniture pad rental from your transportation company.

Table of Contents

Your Rights

  • You have the right to request a copy of our insurance certificate. This is available to customers with a booked move. If you would like to be listed as "Additional Insured" on the policy we require at least five days notice. Please review our insurance certificate request policy for more information.
  • To receive an experienced moving team, as selected during your reservation, to complete your move.
  • To view your completed load prior to the movers departing the site.
  • To list any items damaged on site on the work order for a damage claim.
  • To have a competent and knowledgeable crew, experienced in loading, unloading and packing.
  • To have our mandatory equipment (one hand truck, one floor dolly and standard tools) provided on every site.
  • To request a claim form and create a claim for items damaged on site that are not excluded as listed below.

Your Responsibilities

With proper preparation you can avoid damaged items and ensure that if an item is damaged, it will be covered under the provided valuation. One key to being prepared for your move is having the necessary tools and equipment available that moving labor companies do not provide. As mentioned earlier, these include:

  • Furniture Pads: Always have furniture pads available for your load. A general estimate is one dozen pads per 5' of space. However, this estimate should be adjusted to fit your needs. If your entire rental truck will be filled with furniture you should likely double the amount of pads normally required. For more information review our moving guide topic: How Important are Furniture Pads?
  • Appropriate Amount of Space: Moving labor companies do not provide on-site visual survey estimates like a full service moving company. We base our estimates and crew sizes on other factors, notably the amount of space we have to work with. Because we do not provide weight assessments and we do not determine the space needed to complete your move, it is the customers responsibility to ensure that enough space is available to complete their load.
  • Rope & Tie Downs: While many of our crews carry rope as a normal inventory item, not all do. Rope and tie downs are not part of our mandatory equipment and the customer should always have them available just in case. For more information read, "What Supplies Should I Provide for my Self Move?"
  • 28' You Load, We Drive Trailers: If you are using an ABF U-Pack trailer or a freight company that provides a 28' trailer you should always provide e-trac straps for the loading moving crew. 28' freight trailers provide minimal protection to your goods due to their spring ride suspension and tend to result in shifting. We recommend that you review our moving guide discussions on ABF U-Pack trailers.
  • Proper Packaging: While we recommend the use of used moving supplies as a green initiative, there is a point when boxes become overused. This is apparent when the structure of the box is worn to the point where it doesn't provide a sufficient foundation. Additionally, TV's and other specialty care items should be properly prepared. Your safest solution is to crate them, however this is also the most expensive option. Alternatively you can also use the original box as long as the cushion padding is still in the box. More Information: How to Find Affordable Packing Supplies | How to Prepare Flat Screen TV's
  • Access Conditions: Customers who require service in a large metropolitan area, apartment complexes, high rises or similar locations should be knowledgeable about the site conditions. This includes looking into the requirements for parking permits, reserved elevators and approval from HOA's and managers. By reviewing any potential moving day issues ahead of time you will allow our movers to complete your load or unload in a timely manner without delays.
  • Household Preparations: It is the customers responsibility to make arrangements for the protection of wood floors, carpet, walls, doorways, doors and similar property. Although every precaution possible will be taken to avoid damaging any household property, the responsibility for providing the necessary materials lies with the customer. Protective materials such as floor runners and carpet masks can be obtained from a local moving supply store or from an online retailer.

Licensing

Elite Moving Labor is classified as a moving labor services company. This means that we provide packing, loading, unloading and furniture movement services but do not provide transportation services. As such, Elite Moving Labor is not licensed like a typical full service moving company, which are usually licensed and regulated by a state department as well as the Department of Transportation (DOT). This is because the the term 'moving company' is typically defined as a company that provides transportation services in addition to the physical moving. Because no license exists specifically for moving labor companies, Elite Moving Labor recognizes the term 'licensed' as a legal established entity with the authority to conduct business in a state, county or jurisdiction. Accordingly, all of our movers, including internal, brand license and suppliers, are required to maintain the legal authority to conduct business in every state nationwide.

Notice of Limited Liability

Moving labor companies are required, along with full service moving companies, to provide Released Valuation coverage on all moves. This is a federally mandated default coverage of $0.60 per pound damage payout. It is not value based and has many exclusions which are listed in "Exclusions" below. As we will discuss more in depth in a moment, moving labor companies do not maintain possession of your items and and our liability for damages is limited to our time on site. Once we depart your location we no longer maintain any liability for damages.

Additional Insurance Options

Full service movers (moving companies that also transport) are required by the Department of Transportation to provide customers with the ability to purchase additional insurance coverages. Because moving labor companies do not provide transportation we cannot provide additional coverage options. However, there are several types of insurance that may be available to you for your self move:

  1. Homeowners and Renters Insurance - These coverages (notably homeowners) typically will cover damage that occurs during transit. It is recommended that you speak with your insurer to confirm the details of coverage.
  2. Third Party Insurers - There are insurance companies that will sell a policy specifically to cover household goods during a move. It is important to note that these policies tend to have a lot of exclusions and should be thoroughly reviewed before purchasing.
  3. Insurance from Truck Rental/POD Companies - Most truck rental, POD and self move transportation companies will provide insurance options for your items. These insurance coverages typically insure your household goods against loss due to fire and other natural events. Review the details of each insurance option directly with your transportation company before purchasing.

Moving Labor Insurance Vs. Full Service Moving Insurance

There are five segments to every move: Packing, Loading, Transport, Unloading and Unpacking. Full service moving companies can provide a wide range of insurance options because they generally handle all five segments, ensuring that each item is inventoried and handled directly by their crew. Moving labor differs because we generally oversee one or two of the segments (usually loading and unloading) and because we do not provide transportation, we can never oversee all aspects. It is this major difference that creates the difference in insurance options available from the two types of moving companies.

Insurance ExclusionsWhat Is Not Covered: Exclusions

Understanding the exclusions list will help you prepare better for your move. In addition to the list, we have also provided additional information for each item to help you understand why the items are excluded.

Any item not recorded on our work order before we depart your location.
Why: Because we do not transport any items, once the shipment leaves our possession we cannot be liable for any damages. You have the right to inspect all items prior to the departure of our moving labor crews. Any damaged items that are not excluded from coverage must be noted on the work order to be considered claimable.

Similar to traditional moving companies, any items that were packaged by the customer and not by our movers cannot be covered.
Why: We cannot be sure how the box, crate or bin was packed and if it was packed correctly. Further, many boxes are used several times and their structure may not be adequate to prevent damage.

Household property such as wood floors, carpet, walls, doors and similar.
Why: As discussed in "Your Responsibilities" above, the customer is required to prepare and prep these items against damage.

Particle board furniture, notably bookcases and "Ikea" style furniture.
Why: Generally cheaper items, particle board is prone to damage when moved. These items are not covered because of the poor quality of the material and the likelihood that damage will occur even when properly handled.

Any furniture items when no furniture pads are provided.
Why: As explained above, hiring professional movers is only half the battle. Furniture pads are  extremely important in ensuring that your items are packed safely for transport. If you fail to provide furniture pads it is very likely that some of your items will be damaged during the move. If an adequate amount of pads are not provided by the customer during the load we will not be responsible for any damage, even while on site.

Special care items or high value items without proper packaging and preparation.
Why: The best example of these items are flat screen TVs. Traditional moving companies will require you to crate these items before shipment to remove their liability. We will move these items without packaging or crating at the customers request, however we will not insure any of these items unless they are packed and/or crated appropriately.

Pool tables, pianos, tanning beds and high value items.
Why: Pool tables and pianos should be crated before any move. We will move most pianos and pool tables assuming we have the correct number of movers on site, however we are not liable for any damages if they have not been properly prepared for shipment.

Items the customer assists with.
Why: If the customer has ordered a 2-Man moving team but has a 3-Man item and wishes to assist in the movement of the item they can. However, any item that the customer moves, even in conjunction with out movers is not insurable.

Furniture which cannot be moved safely or without damage to the home.
Why: From time to time we will be asked to move furniture in/out of a home that is too large to fit. At the customers discretion, with approval from the supervisor, we will attempt to move the item despite the size. This typically will result in damage to the home and/or furniture item and is explicitly excluded from any coverage because the potential for damage was apparent.

Items that we assemble or dis-assemble.
Why: Our movers provide standard assembly/dis-assembly services for common household items (beds, mirrors, etc). These items are considered common and necessary throughout a normal move and do not require advanced knowledge or specialty skills. While most items will be taken apart or put back together without issues, we cannot assume responsibility for a service that we provide as a courtesy.

Electronics such as gaming consoles, computers, stereos, tablets, etc.
Why: Most of these items will typically be packed by the customer which is excluded from coverage. Further, we do not assess the status of electronics (e.g. working or not working) before moving them. Therefore we cannot know for certain whether or not the item was in working condition prior to the move.

What Is Covered

Despite the long list of exclusions and limitations, we do provide coverage for items that we knowingly or without dispute damage. Released Valuation coverage will be provided to all items dropped or damaged on site while in the possession of our movers, assuming they do not meet any of the exclusions above.

How To Make A Claim

There are three steps to creating a claim:

  1. Make sure that the broken or damaged item is recorded on your work order prior to the movers departing the site. This is necessary for all claims.
  2. Contact Elite Moving Labor toll free or by email for a secure document password. Once you have the password you may download our claim form. The form will not open without the password.
  3. Complete and return the claim form with as much information as possible, including model numbers, serial numbers or other unique identifiers.

Claim Remedies

Assuming the steps above were followed correctly and the damaged item(s) are not excluded, Elite Moving Labor will have the option to repair the damaged item if it is a viable option. If the item is beyond repair, a payout based on Released Valuation coverage of $0.60/lb will be made for the published weight of the item. Once a claim form is submitted, Elite Moving Labor and it's insurer's will have up to thirty days to notify you of their decision to repair the item or make a payout.