Does Homeowners or Renters Insurance Cover Moving Damages?
Moving comes with a whole sequence of stressors. From time constraints to anxiety about leaving your old home and neighborhood, common worries can take their toll. On top of it all, it’s important to note that not all homeowners insurance and renters insurance policies may cover damages from moving. The team at Go Store It—with self storage units in North Carolina, South Carolina, and several other U.S. states—offers these moving tips to help protect your possessions.
Coverage You Can’t Count on while Moving
Whether you’ve been reading moving tips to prepare or prefer to do things on the fly, you may have missed crucial info on insurance coverage. Although we’d all like to think the movers we hire will protect our belongings as if they were their own, the reality is that accidents happen. And, unfortunately, many of those mishaps aren’t covered by your renters insurance or homeowners insurance policy.
Here’s what your insurer most likely won’t cover:
- Damage occurring in transit
- Damage occurring while moving out
- Damage occurring while moving into your new home
Of course, every policy is different; check with your insurer to see if these conditions are insurable.
More Commonly Covered Situations
As opposed to hazards involving transporting or moving items on and off a rented truck, the following types of circumstances are covered more often:
- Theft of items on a moving truck
- Damage from an accident involving a moving truck
- Damage to the home that requires a temporary move
Coverage for theft or damage in these situations often carries strict dollar limits. In the last instance (known as “loss of use” coverage), the insurer may also reimburse policyholders for the cost of self storage units needed to temporarily store belongings.
When moving your belongings across state lines, moving companies are required to offer two types of liability insurance. Some companies also offer these policies for moves within the state. They can include:
- Full value protection (provides replacement value)
- Released value protection (very limited protection that may be offered free of charge)
- Separate liability policies to supplement released value protection
Expensive items like furs and fine jewelry may be excluded from coverage. You might be better off finding a specialty moving company to handle these valuables.
Protect Your Self Storage Unit with Tenant Insurance
Moral of the story: There are some things you can’t afford to risk. Before moving, ask your insurer and your moving company about fees, coverage limits, and your deductible so you know what to expect.
Need storage space before, after, or during your move? Go Store It offers self storage units in multiple regions of the country. Plus, the Go Store It Protection Plan—our tenant insurance program—is an amenity available to all customers to help safeguard your stored items. Reserve your unit online today, or contact us for assistance.