Planning and Managing Your Move
An Unpacking Plan
You’ve made the move to your new location, and now it’s time to unpack. All your boxes were identified and placed in corresponding rooms. So, all you have to do is start unpacking, right? Wrong. Here are some constructive ways from moving experts to approach this chore and achieve the best results. Just keep in mind that unpacking takes a lot of time.

Start with boxes containing any essential items, such as clothes, products and papers you’ll need for your first two weeks. This can include everyday items, such as dish soap, sponges, a jar of peanut butter, medication for family and pets, instant coffee, pet food, radio, knife, extra light bulbs, pair of scissors, garbage can and small emergency kit.

Next, you’ll want to unpack your kitchen items. By doing this, it will make you feel in control of one major aspect of daily living: eating. Even if you don’t have time to unpack all the boxes, go for the pots and pans, coffee machine, toaster and utensils you’ll need for cooking.

Prepare the bedrooms for a good first night’s sleep. Set up each of the beds and unpack the sheets for each bedroom. Try to make each of the bedrooms as cozy as possible.

Unpacking boxes for the bathroom is the next logical step. Here, it’s important to unpack and locate cosmetics, toiletries, Kleenex, toilet paper and small appliances you rely on, such as an electric toothbrush or a lighted mirror.

After the rooms above have been addressed, you can rearrange furniture already placed by the movers in the bedrooms, living room and dining room. If you need to assemble large pieces of furniture, do it only when you know where furniture will be placed. One good tip is to organize your closets before you unpack other boxes. This way, you can hang up your clothes and sort your shoes.

The last place in the home to consider unpacking is the garage. While items in the garage, such as lawn mowers, power tools and gardening equipment, can be bulky and heavy, they aren’t essential. It’s best to have garage shelving available so you can store boxes until they can be unpacked along with other nonessential items.

Claims
Best practices from the AMSA suggest that if any of your household goods are damaged or lost, report the facts promptly and in detail on the van driver’s copy (original) of the inventory sheet before you sign it. If you notice damage after unpacking, a claim must be filed within nine months of delivery; however, it is to your advantage to report damage as soon as possible. The mover must acknowledge receipt of your claim within 30 days and must deny or make an offer within 120 days of receipt of your claim.

When making a claim or considering a settlement offer, keep in mind the amount of liability that you declared on your shipment. For example, if the value declared on your shipment was $5,000, the mover’s maximum liability for loss or damage to the articles in your shipment is $5,000. Claims for more than this amount will be declined because they are in excess of the mover’s liability that you declared on your shipment.

Moving Insurance
You may assume that your goods are covered automatically by your transportation provider, whether it’s a moving, mobile storage or a rental truck company. The basic coverage a moving company is responsible for is 30 or 60 cents per pound per item if your goods are shipped within the state or across state lines, respectively. In the case of a mobile storage or rental truck company, this liability is set as low as 10 cents per pound per item.

Following is a summary of the types of insurance coverage provided by most moving companies. When interviewing potential moving companies, ask what coverage each provides.
  • Released Value is the basic insurance provided by most moving companies. The coverage of this insurance is 60 cents per pound for each one of your articles. For example, if you have a table that weighs 100 pounds, the insurance will cover the table up to $60.
  • Declared Value is the coverage of the declared-value insurance based on the total weight of your items times the amount paid per pound. Usually the coverage is $1.25 per pound. If the total weight of your items is 1,000 pounds, the insurance will cover you up to $1,250. In case of damage, the insurance will be based on the depreciated value of the damaged item up to the maximum value of all the items that you shipped.
  • Lump-Sum Value insurance provides you with the option to insure by the actual value of the items and not by the weight. You will need to declare a specific value for your items and write it down on the Bill of Lading.
  • Full-Value Protection covers all damaged or lost articles by replacing, repairing or by sending you cash back for the value of the damaged or lost articles.

Beyond these general coverages that moving companies provide, you may want to consider buying specific coverage from a company that specializes in moving insurance. An agent can review additional coverage options, including those noted below, to ensure that your household goods are protected during a move.

   
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