What to Do If Something Gets Damaged During a Move

Most moves go fine. Some don’t, and when something breaks, what you do in the first day decides how the claim goes. Here’s the whole process, including the parts movers don’t always volunteer.

The first 24 hours

1. Don’t throw it away. Keep the damaged item and its packaging until the claim is settled. A discarded item is an unprovable claim.
2. Photograph everything. The damage, the item as a whole, the box it came out of, the label. If the damage is to your home, the wall or floor gets the same treatment.
3. Note it on the paperwork. If you spot damage while the crew is still there, write it on the delivery documents before you sign. It’s the single most useful thing you can do.
4. Tell the mover in writing. A phone call starts the conversation; an email with photos starts the claim.

Check for hidden damage within days, not weeks

Not everything shows on delivery day. Open boxes, test electronics, and look under furniture within the first few days. Report anything you find right away; the longer the gap, the harder it is for anyone to connect the damage to the move.

Understand what coverage you chose

Every licensed California mover includes basic coverage by law: 60 cents per pound per item. That’s a small number on purpose; a 40-pound TV worth far more is covered for 24 dollars under basic. Before the move, you’re offered a fuller option, often called actual cash value or full value protection, that covers repair or replacement up to a declared value, usually for a fee. This choice is made in writing before loading, not after a break. If nobody explained it to you, that’s worth raising. And a note most people don’t know: your homeowners or renters policy typically doesn’t cover goods in transit.

What the mover is required to do

Under California’s household mover rules, once you file a claim the company has 30 days to acknowledge it in writing and up to 120 days to pay it, deny it, or make an offer. If they blow past those, the state’s household goods regulator takes complaints. Keep copies of everything and send anything important by email so there’s a timestamp.

What to put in the claim

• A list of each damaged item with a description and, if you have it, the original cost or a replacement price
• Your photos
• A repair quote from a furniture or electronics repair shop, if repair makes sense
• Your move date, the crew, and the paperwork

How a good claims process works (ours)

You report the problem by email or phone, with photos. A written claim is opened the same day, and a specific person on our claims team owns it from that point; you get their name, not a general inbox. They review the paperwork and the crew’s notes, decide repair or replacement, and stay in touch until it’s closed. We’d rather resolve a claim in a week than argue about it for three months, and our public reviews include people who had a problem with us and how it ended; read those on our reviews page before you decide what they mean.

How to avoid a claim in the first place

Declare high-value items in advance, in writing, so they’re planned for. Let the crew pack the fragile stuff; boxes you pack yourself carry limited liability with every mover, because nobody can vouch for what’s inside. Ask for the coverage options before the day, not after. And hire someone licensed: the CAL-T number on our site and every legitimate mover’s site can be checked with the state in two minutes, and it’s what makes the rules above enforceable.