Insurance

Insurance

Probably the most common question we are asked: are you insured? Do you provide insurance? Unfortunately, there is no simple answer for this question. Yes, we do provide insurance, but to a certain point. We will try to provide you with general insurance information and different types of coverage for you to have a general idea how insurance works during your move and what to expect in different unlikely situations. Please refer to the Government of Canada website for more information Moving advice (canada.ca).

General Business Liability Insurance up to $2 million

To begin with, the Canadian moving industry is not regulated. Any guy can buy/rent a truck and provide moving services, without even registering their business or having this type of insurance. So, the basic insurance moving company has to have is general liability insurance policy that typically covers consumers in case of bodily injuries and property damage resulting from moving services. Standard coverage is up to $2 million and applies when a moving company is taken to court for significant loss. For example, if our truck damaged your house or someone got injured during the move at our fault. Obviously, these events have never happened to us, but there is always a chance.  We can provide insurance documents to Real Estate Companies and Building Corporations which require these documents before any moving job can be started on the premises, if requested.

Cargo Insurance up to $50,000

This type of insurance is more important than general liability insurance since increased chances of happening. Cargo insurance covers your belongings inside our boxed trucks during transportation/in transit/overnight storage. For example, if our truck gets in a motor vehicle accident, your belongings inside our trucks are insured up to $50,000. This coverage may be sufficient for most moves but may not be enough for high value contents. Cargo insurance coverage has high premiums, and we are not able to increase it at this point as most customers are satisfied with it. This insurance is critical to have as standard vehicle insurance does not cover your belongings in transit.

Moving Protection Insurance

This insurance covers you in case of damage to your items. There are at least 2 common types:

  1. Released Value Protection $0.60 per pound

This considered to be moving industry standard insurance and is used by majority moving companies across Canada and US and is included in the cost of your move. However, coverage under this plan is minimal. For instance, a TV weighting 100 pounds that is damaged beyond repair will be settled at $60 (even if it worth $1000).

  • Replacement Value Protection up to $8 per pound

Basically, it means that if an item IS DAMAGED and can not be repaired – it will be replaced at current market price. If item is repairable – it will be restored to the same condition as before the move. This protection plan must be purchased in advance, as there is paperwork involved including inventory list and value description. Average cost of this protection – anywhere between $200-300 depending on the total value of your shipment.

Personal Home Insurance

Your home insurance might provide you with moving coverage. We strongly encourage everyone moving, to check with their current home insurance provider, as quite often this current coverage is included with your existing policy. Obviously each policy has its limitations and exclusions and it is important to check what actually is covered and what isn’t.