7 Vital Questions to Ask Moving Companies Before Hiring

There are several important questions to ask moving companies before hiring. If you would like to learn more, you should click here.

According to the U.S. Census Burea, in 2018, about 40 million people in the United States decided to move.

If you are about to be one of those 40 million people, you may want to consider hiring a moving company. However, if you’ve never done that before, you may be wondering what questions you should ask them.

There are several important questions to ask moving companies before hiring. If you would like to learn more, keep reading to make sure you choose the best moving company for you!

1. Are You Licensed?
   
   One of the most important questions you should ask a moving company is if they are licensed. To make sure you avoid scams or movers who will never deliver your stuff, make sure that they have all of the proper licensures.

   The United States Department of Transportation should issue a license number to each moving company in the US. You should make sure that you can check that license number and see if there are any complaints against them.

   However, some local moving companies may have a license with their local government. But they should still have a state license. Each state has different requirements, so check your state to see what they require.

2. What Liability Coverage Do You Offer?
   
   You should also figure out what kind of liability coverage the moving company offers.

   In case something happens during the moves, you want to make sure that all of your belongings are insured. You will need money to replace all of them after all.

   Your moving company should offer more than the basic liability protection. That type of protection barely offers any money to replace the lost or damaged items. This type of insurance will normally pay you money based off the weight of the items and not what they’re actually worth.

   You want to make sure your company offers full value protection. You may have to pay an extra fee for it, but it will be worth it in case something happens to your valuables. It’s always good to know if your moving company is going to offer this protection or not. If they don’t, you can always buy insurance from an outside company as well.

3. Can You Provide a Binding Quote?
   
   Before you hire a moving company, you should always make sure that you ask them for a quote. You don’t want to sign a contract with them and then realize they will charge you more than what you can afford.

   A reputable moving company should send out a representative to your house or apartment and look over everything that you have. They should then be able to offer you an estimate of how much it will cost.

   Make sure that they have someone come out and look at everything. Don’t let them just offer you a quote over the phone.

   Once they do give you an estimate, make sure that you have it written down on some kind of binding form. You need to make sure they won’t try and charge you more afterward.

   Most companies who move you across the country will provide a rate per pound rather than how much space it will take up on their truck.

   Try and give the representative as much information as possible so that you can ensure that the quote is accurate. 

4. How Do You Decide the Cost of the Move?
   
   When they come out for a quote, you should also ask them how they are going to determine how much the move will cost.

   Ask them how they calculate the final cost and what their pricing structure is.

   Like we mentioned before, some companies who move you across the country base it off of how much weight is loaded onto the moving truck. Sometimes they will also calculate it by distance.

   Other moving companies will charge by how many hours it takes and how many people they have to hire. Sometimes it will be a combination of these two.

   No matter which one they use, it’s important for you to know. You could end up finding a cheaper deal with a different company that calculates it in a different way.

5. Are There Any Extra Fees?
   
   In addition to finding out how much the movie will cost, you should also figure out if there are any hidden fees.

   Sometimes moving companies will try and hit you with extra charges, so make sure you ask them if there are any before you sign any paperwork.

   Sometimes they will try and charge you an extra fee for things like carrying items up and downstairs, using elevators, or long distance moves.

6. How Long Will the Move Take?
   
   Before you book a move with them, you should also figure out how long the move will take.

   Will they be able to do everything in one day? Will it take them multiple days to pack and load everything? Will you get charged more if the job takes longer than anticipated?

   Moving can be a logistical nightmare, so figuring out how long it will take on their end will help you to plan everything a little bit easier.

7. Do You Have References?
   
   Lastly, you should ask the moving company if they have any references.

   Before you trust all of your belongings to a new company, you should see how well other people liked (or didn’t like) their services.

   If you ask a moving company for references, they should be able to provide you with all the information and contacts that you will need.If they don’t have any references or don’t want to give them to you, this should be a giant red flag.

Discover More Questions to Ask Moving Companies

These are only a few of the questions to ask moving companies to make sure you hire a good one, but there are so many more to ask.

Moving is a big task, and you want to make sure you hire just the right company to do it.

If you are getting ready to move, make sure you contact us today!