About to move and want to insure my possessions for the move

MrHeisenberg

Hi all,

I am about to move in a week or two. I am most worried about moving my TV, which I paid around £1400 for a few years ago. It is covered by AO Care insurance, but it seems that doesn't cover the transportation of the TV.

I am going to be using a 'man with a van', which I understand may cause problems insuring my possessions for the move.

Could anyone kindly provide any advice or suggestions?

Sincere thanks in advance.

twopenny

Are you moving a huge distance?

Could you not pack it really well yourself and take it in a taxi/ friends car ect?

Anything valuable to me travelled with me.

Woodstok2000

Use a proper removal company.

Your home contents insurance may cover your possessions in transit, ours does, but only if a licensed removal company is used. There may be policies which don't have such restrictions, but you'd need to search for them and check the policy details.

MrHeisenberg

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895187#Comment_81895187

I'm going to be moving around an hour away by car, so I suppose that's a bit risky.

Read the manual for my TV, and it seems it does not like to be jolted in any way. I aim to pack it very carefully, but the thought of moving it still makes me nervous, especially given what I paid for it. It needs to stay upright too.

I have a car, but I can't move it by myself, as it's a 55 inch TV, and the box I bought is very bulky, so I don't think it will fit. It also weighs 25 kg. I also have to get it up a single flight of stairs.

Seems Direct Line doesn't require a professional moving company when moving home, if one buys their accidental damage cover:

https://www.directline.com/assets/pdf/dl-home-insurance-policy-document-0925.pdf

"We’ll pay for loss of or damage to your contents while they’re being moved from your home to another home. We’ll do this if the loss or damage is due to a cause listed in your ‘Contents – core cover’ or accidental damage sections."

MrHeisenberg

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895195#Comment_81895195

I've partly paid for and booked the 'man with a van' people already. I remember being quoted around £1K last time I approached a professional moving company.

Okay, I need to have a look around. Direct Line has quoted my £80 for the year, which includes accidental damage cover.

MrHeisenberg

Direct Line doesn't cover you for the first two weeks, so that's no good. 😔

user1977

I've partly paid for and booked the 'man with a van' people already. I remember being quoted around £1K last time I approached a professional moving company.

Not sure there's any legal difference between a "man with a van" and a "professional moving company"? (no such thing as a "licensed" removal company)

They're both charging you money to shift your possessions, just operating on different scales. And both liable for damage caused by their own negligence.

But if moving the telly really isn't a one-person job, how were you planning to do it?

MrHeisenberg

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895286#Comment_81895286

True that.

Turns out the "man with the van" guys have goods in transit insurance, so hopefully that should be enough.

I am paying the company who helped me mount my TV to also help me dismount it, and put it in a box. The telly manual says it is a two man job.

The "man with a van" guys help with carrying items, and there are two of them. I used them when I moved last time. I agree - I can't see why, at the very least, why they can't be considered a "removal company".

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895286#Comment_81895286

There definitely is a difference if your insurance specifies you need to use a professional licensed removal company to be covered (as ours does). They confirmed we wouldn't be covered unless the company we used was a member of the British Association of Removers. A 'man with a van' wouldn't fit the bill, and while they may be liable for any damage, you might be in for a long fight trying to claim back £1400 for a tv if they drop it and then refuse to pay up.

user1977

 if your insurance specifies you need to use a professional licensed removal company to be covered (as ours does).

What sort of "licence" do they mean? (other than one to drive the van!)

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81895373#Comment_81895373

Sounds reasonable - just make sure you check the total cover and also the individual item limits, and any excess that might be applicable, so you know your tv is going to be covered along with everything else.