Are you planning a house move sometime soon?
Whether you decide to hire the services of a moving company in NYC or go it alone, there is always that slim chance that things could turn pear-shaped. That’s just the law of probability, and nothing is exempt.
In the case of moving, items getting damaged during the moving process is not new. Loss or theft of possessions is not an unheard occurrence, either.
The whole process of moving can be an involved one that needs no telling. Some things are bound to get damaged during handling or while in transit. When these mishaps happen, you don’t want the items in question to be your most cherished pieces.
Things like art and antiques are priceless and call for extra caution when moving them. You have probably invested a lot over the years into acquiring these items and building your collection.
Not that your other possessions are unimportant, but normal, fragile items like wine glasses can always be replaced. Paintings, artwork, antiques, sculptures—that’s going to be hard.
This is why moving insurance makes sense when moving home décor items.
If you are reluctant to get moving insurance for your other belongings, expensive décor items are not something you want to gamble with. You only need to ask yourself what recourse you would pursue if one of your artworks got lost in transit. Or ripped on the stairway.
Looking for professional moving companies in Wisconsin? Stop the search – compare and find the perfect Wisconsin movers for you and your move at MoversRun.
Essential Things To Keep In Mind
When it comes to home décor items, it is essential to let the moving company handle everything, including the packing. And we’ll tell you why.
For one, these are professionals well-versed in packing sensitive items like art and paintings. If a full-service move is not an option due to budgetary constraints, consider leaving the specific items of concern to the moving team.
Not only will the items be packed better, minimizing the probability of damage during transit, but also an important aspect lost on most people is that the items are only insured in cases where the mover does the packing themselves.
What this means is that in the event your expensive antique collection gets damaged on the mover’s truck during transit, you will not be liable for compensation if you did the packing yourself.
So, if you must do the packing, pack everything and leave your sensitive décor pieces to the mover.
Speaking of insurance!
Types Of Coverage
Typically, moving insurance comes in three forms. It is essential to understand each one and be liable in each situation before you opt for the most cost-affordable option.
The first one is the basic coverage the mover provides, which is better known as the released value. This is the minimum amount of protection required by law and is offered by every moving company by default. That means you do not have to pay anything extra for it—it comes for free.
However, released value coverage is virtually useless if you are serious about insuring your belongings, let alone high-worth items like décor.
The second type of coverage offered by movers is full-value protection. This is an upgrade on the basic cover and will require you to fork out a premium upfront if you want this coverage.
Unfortunately, full value protection does not cover extraordinary value items such as couture clothing or, more specific to our article, antiques, artwork, and other prized décor items.
To insure these fragile pieces, you will need to opt for third-party insurance for the third type of cover.
Third-party insurance coverage is not offered by the mover directly. Instead, it is secured from the insurance companies either independently or through the moving company you have signed up with.
Due Diligence Called For
Do your homework regarding the best cover for the particular items you want to be insured.
You will find plenty of policies on the market, including, for example, specific coverage such as fine art insurance, which covers (you guessed it!) your fine art collection.
Before you sign up on the dotted line, we cannot overemphasize the importance of reading through the fine print.
For starters, you want to not doubt that the moving insurance legally covers what you’re told it is going to. As you know too well, word of mouth is entirely different from a legally binding document.
It is also important to remember that all policies are not equal. Some art policies, for instance, will not cover restoration. This means (if we can use the example of wine again), in the unfortunate event that red wine splatters on a canvas, the repair costs will be on you.
That’s not the kind of cover you want.
Moving can be difficult, and it gets even trickier when moving pricey possessions like home décor items. So, make sure you do proper research months in advance to understand the process better and establish the best option for you.
