The valuation of goods being shipped in any relocation of a person, family, or business from Little Rock to another locale – or from anywhere to anywhere – is heavily regulated by the federal government.
Yes, in the main, your moving company is legally liable for any loss of or damage to your personal items during transport. It’s also liable for loss and damage while its crews are in direct contact with your household goods in satisfaction of any other Little Rock moving services you authorized. Such services should be described on the bill of lading: packing, unpacking, disassembly and reassembly, for example.
That said, there are limits to your moving company’s liability. Those limits are established by the federal Surface Transportation Board’s Released Rates Order. You can obtain a current copy of it here.
The important thing is, know what avenues you have for the safeguarding of your possessions. And know your Little Rock moving company. Just because a mover makes it known his firm is “fully insured and bonded” is no promise that your items themselves are automatically covered. Also, your local mover being in partnership with a leading national van line is no promise that you’re protected either. In both events, you might find it necessary to get get hold of additional third-party liability insurance. Your mover could offer to sell it to you, but he has no legal obligation to do so. Ask questions when you first talk in order to ferret out just what your course of action should be.
Keep this top-of-mind when you’re determining your choices here in Little Rock: Two different levels of moving-company liability are relevant to interstate moves – Full Replacement-Value Protection and Waiver of Full Replacement-Value Protection, or Released Value.
If you choose to go with a Waiver of Full Replacement-Value Protection, or Released Value, you will, of course, get minimal liability protection. But you won’t pay anything for it. What this level of protection does is limit your mover’s liability to no more than 60 cents per pound, per article. Obviously, that wouldn’t provide you with enough of a reimbursement to replace any piece valued higher than 60 cents per pound! Things like stereo equipment, gym equipment, computer hardware, and computer software are thus much more at risk. That’s something to ponder before you [[commit in writing to|contract with]150 any mover!
You may, though, have one additional option: your present homeowner’s policy. Go over it and get together with your insurance agent to see if there’s anything in it regarding coverage of belongings during a relocation. If that’s the case, you could find the minimum level of mover liability coverage – Released Value – appropriate enough.
Just make sure you’re onboard with what level of protection your moving company is including in his quote: Full Protection or Released Value. That way, there won’t be any surprises with your move – or at least no[[ne that you haven’t considered!
Request a free quote
