Ask almost any removalist whether they are insured and the answer will be yes. The useful question is: insured for what? On an interstate move, when your belongings spend days on the road between Adelaide and another city, the difference between the kinds of cover matters. This article explains the two you will hear about, public liability and transit insurance, and what to ask before you book.
Public liability: damage around the job
Public liability insurance covers a business for damage it causes to other people or their property while it works. For a removalist, think of a doorframe gouged by a wardrobe, a floor scratched by a trolley, or a neighbour’s fence struck by a truck. It protects against that kind of harm around the job.
Moveall holds $20 million public liability cover. What public liability does not do is insure the contents of your home as goods in transit. That is a separate kind of cover.
Transit insurance: your belongings on the road
Transit insurance covers your own belongings while they are being moved. It is the cover that answers the question most people really mean: what happens if something of mine is damaged or lost between the two homes? Policies differ in what they cover (for example, whether they cover only certain events, or items you packed yourself), what they leave out, how claims work, and the excess.
Ask us about transit insurance for your belongings when you get your quote, and read what any policy covers before the truck leaves.
Check your home contents policy too
Some home contents policies say something about belongings while they are being moved. Read yours, or ask your insurer, before you decide what cover you need for the move.
Why the two get mixed up
The confusion is understandable. A removalist’s website or quote may mention insurance in one line, and a customer reads it as cover for everything in the truck. The two kinds of cover answer different questions. Public liability answers: what if the move damages someone else’s property, or injures someone? Transit insurance answers: what if my own things are damaged or lost on the way? An interstate move raises both questions, and the second matters more the longer your belongings are on the road. A move from Adelaide to Perth is about 2,700 km of road; even Melbourne is 726 km. That is a lot of handling, loading and travel for a home’s contents, which is why it is worth settling the transit question in writing before the truck is booked, not after.
Five questions to ask before you book
- What public liability cover do you hold? Moveall’s answer: $20 million.
- What insurance is available for my belongings in transit? Get the details in writing.
- What does it cover, and what does it leave out? Look for events covered, items packed by you versus the removalist, fragile and high-value items, and the excess.
- How is the value of my belongings set? Know whether you declare a value, and keep your inventory with the policy.
- How do I make a claim, and by when? Time limits and photos matter.
What protects your belongings before any insurance
Insurance pays after something goes wrong. Most of what keeps a move safe happens before the truck leaves Adelaide:
- An accurate inventory. Moveall’s terms say a fixed-price quote relies on the inventory list from the quote. It is also your record of what went on the truck.
- Good packing. Strong cartons filled so they cannot crush, fragile pieces wrapped one by one. Moveall’s Wrap & Pack service supplies purpose-made boxes and wrapping for clothes, books, heavy items, fragile items, TVs and artwork.
- Empty furniture. Moveall’s terms ask that furniture is emptied of loose items and loose items are packed in cartons.
- Careful loading. Furniture wrapped in moving blankets and loaded to Moveall’s strict handling and packaging procedures.
- Valuables with you. Jewellery, documents, cash and anything irreplaceable should travel in your bag, not the truck.
- Photos. Photograph valuable pieces before packing, and keep the photos with your inventory.
On delivery day
Check furniture and cartons as they come off the truck and tick off the inventory. Note anything that needs a second look while the crew is there, and keep your copy of the paperwork. If you have transit insurance, follow its claim steps and time limits, and keep any damaged item and its packing until the claim is settled.
The rest of the move
Insurance is one line of the plan. For the rest, read how Moveall’s interstate removalists in Adelaide plan a move from quote to delivery, and the interstate moving checklist. Each route has its own page, starting with Adelaide to Melbourne removalists and Adelaide to Perth removalists.
Questions about cover for your interstate move? Call Moveall before you book.
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