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Should I Purchase Moving Insurance Before Moving?

Moving insurance can give you peace of mind and provide coverage for your belongings during a move.
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Should I Purchase Moving Insurance Before Moving?

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If you are planning to hire a mover, purchasing moving insurance has probably crossed your mind. Moving your furniture and other belongings puts them at risk of being damaged. Even when your items are moved by caring professionals, accidents can still happen. Factors beyond the control of your movers, like poor weather, traffic accidents, or human error, can result in damaged property.

To give you peace of mind from possible mishaps and prepare yourself in case something wrong happens, it is wise to get insurance before moving. We've put together a simple guide to help you understand how moving insurance works.

What is moving insurance?

Moving insurance provides financial coverage for your belongings in case any damage or loss is incurred during transit.

You can purchase transit insurance as a standalone product from insurance providers, home movers or moving companies.

What is the coverage of moving insurance?

There are different kinds of coverage depending on the policy of each insurance provider. Moving insurance generally covers the following:

  • Loss or damage to your goods during packing and unpacking

  • Loss or damage to your goods while being loaded or unloaded

  • Loss or damage to your goods while in transit (e.g. caused by road accidents, fires, derailment, theft, impact or malicious damage. Also the grounding of vessels, crashes and forced landings for aircraft)

  • Damage or loss to your goods caused by mishandling by removalists

What about contents insurance?

Just like moving insurance, contents insurance differs from one policy to another. If you have an existing contents insurance policy, it may include cover for your belongings while in transit. But that’s not often the case. Generally, most contents insurance policies don’t cover your belongings while in transit. You should contact your insurer to know exactly what your current policy covers.

How to get insurance for moving home in NZ?

Your moving company’s insurance

Moving companies are not legally required to provide insurance covering their customers' belongings during a move. However, most reputable moving companies will have insurance that protects your items. Before you book with a mover, enquire about their insurance coverage and what it covers. Carefully research your options before you choose a mover, and don’t forget to ask for recommendations from family, friends and colleagues.

Standalone transit or moving insurance

If your chosen moving company’s insurance coverage is not high enough to cover your belongings, then purchasing your own insurance is recommended. Start by asking your existing insurance provider for a quote. You may benefit from an existing customer discount. It is still advisable to shop around for the best deal.

The insurance policy price will depend on factors such as the value of your belongings and the circumstances you want your belongings to be covered. To fully understand the coverage, read the fine print or talk to the provider directly.

Any other tips for protecting my move?

  • Take photos of your belongings before your home movers collect them on your moving day. This way, you have proof to show your item’s condition before it was moved.

  • Pack your items properly and carefully to reduce the odds of them getting damaged during loading/unloading and in transit. Secure sturdy moving boxes for your items and use protective materials such as moving blankets, pads, bubble wraps, etc.

  • Hire trusted NZ movers to help you out with your move. Check reviews of previous customers so you will know the quality of service they provide to their customers. If you need help looking for a trusted home mover, submit a listing through Wise Move. We make it easy to get quotes from New Zealand's most trusted moving companies nationwide.

Moving companies services at low-cost

(All Covered. No Hassle.) Budget-friendly moving service trusted by thousands of customers across NZ.
What are you moving?
Newshub Stuff SCOOP Yahoo!

What do our customers say?

Read reviews of Wise Move to learn stories from our customers.
$365
Auckland, Mount Roskill
Auckland, Glen Innes
10
Moana
Reviewed 1 hour ago
Exceptional service - right from booking all the way up to completion of delivery. And at such a competitive price! So grateful to Galilee Relocations as we had some last minute changes from our new house and kept having to delay delivery date and they were so accomodating. Thank you so much Galilee Relocations team - it’s no wonder their ratings are so high and rightfully so!
$2,200
Twizel, Canterbury
Christchurch, Westmorland
10
E
Reviewed 3 hours ago
The fantastic moving team were friendly, accommodating and very hard working at both the pick up and delivery locations. We enjoyed working with them and would definitely recommend to others.
$175
Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty
Carterton, Wellington
10
Marieke
Reviewed 4 hours ago
Brilliant service, quick to respond, picked up and delivered my item exactly as planned. I'd definitely use them again. Thanks Phil
$2,600
2 bedroom house move
Auckland, Milford
Swannanoa, Canterbury
10
Pavel
Reviewed 12 hours ago
This was our first moving and it went extremely smooth thanks to Warren. We were moving from Auckland to Christchurch. Warren arrived for the pick up on time and loaded our pre-packed 2-bedroom house things just in about an hour. Then he arrived for drop off at Christchurch and unloaded everything on his own (we were just getting of a ferry at that time so we did not help with unloading). We were very pleasantly surprised to find all things distributed to their corresponding rooms and it was done very carefully with no damage to anything. Also Warren is just an amazing guy with very kind personality, he was very helpful and supportive to us. Totally recommend Warren for moving!
$550
Wardrobe
Christchurch, Riccarton
Auckland, Epsom
10
Kirsten
Reviewed 14 hours ago
The guys from Load Carriers who delivered our wardrobe were honestly amazing. So helpful and took a lot of care. The whole process was very easy to organise and very quick. Highly recommend.
$288
Auckland, Flat Bush
Auckland, Wattle Downs
9.0
Bo
Reviewed 16 hours ago
The men were great at calling and texting to confirm the job and help us with our move. Our move required a few challenging furniture but they were happy to assist and honest. Would recommend!

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