How to avoid property damage when moving out?
You may feel sad to say goodbye to the place you called home. Packing all your stuff in boxes may seem tedious, especially if those boxes contain all the memories tying you to that home. However, if you are moving out, that means you will get a chance to call a new place your home. But before you do that, you need to make sure to avoid property damage when moving out. This moving guide will help you in doing that and make your whole move much more manageable.
Finding reliable movers
Finding reliable movers is the most crucial part of any move. Especially if you need to be more careful to avoid property damages when moving. To find the best furniture movers near me you will need a lot of patience and even more knowledge. Professional movers have experience moving heavy furniture, and you should get all the help you need. If you feel lost when moving and don’t know where to start, you should start by asking for professional help. However, if you are short on time or don’t have the budget to hire professionals, we can help you with the details of protecting your home from any sort of damage during moving.
Get moving insurance
Whether your move is short or long distance, you need moving insurance. A lot of things can go wrong during the moving day especially if you are in a hurry to hire last minute movers. Most people do not realize that their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance doesn’t cover losses or damages when their belongings are in transit. There are three basic types of moving insurance, two of which are mandatory by federal law.
- Basic carrier liability – the lowest type of insurance coverage from $0.30 in case of intrastate moves or $0.60 (interstate) per pound per article. This insurance is free of charge and mandatory for all moves
- Declared value protection – which medium level coverage and is based on the depreciated value of your damaged or lost item
- Full replacement liability – the last type of insurance cover the full cash amount for any items that get damaged or lost
If you have enough time to go through each of these insurance you should. However, if you are in a hurry, finding all last minute moving tips will help you in deciding what type of insurance you will need. Of course, specialty items are insured separately. Those items include computer equipment and cameras, artwork, antiques, and valuables like jewelry and precious stones.
Packing can help you avoid property damage
You know what movers say; the move only goes as well as the packing does. Even if you are in a hurry, you must be careful when packing. You can hire movers for packing and even unpacking too. But if you are on a budget, you can get cheap moving boxes and pack everything yourself like a pro with our tips. You might also need a dolly if you are moving heavy furniture to avoid scratching and damaging your floors.
The first thing you need to do is prepare all that packing material, the boxes, the tape, bubble wrap, and everything else. Go one step at a time, and label everything. When packing, you shouldn’t pack your items too tight because that may damage them. However, you shouldn’t leave too much space either. Too much empty space means wasted space, which won’t help you avoid property damage when moving out.
Avoid property damage when moving out
When you are relocating, packing well is not the only thing you should do to avoid property damage. You should protect your doorways, hallways, and the floors. The points in your home are one of the most frequently damaged when you start loading all your boxes on a truck. To protect your doorways, you need a measuring and packing, thick material like blankets or thick cardboard, and corner guards to protect your walls. You can secure almost anything from damage with some strong packing tape and softer materials.
To ensure all your belongings will fit through your doors, you should measure them. And definitely measure them twice. Once you get your measurements, you will know what items will fit through the door and what you need to disassemble first. This is a must-do step. You don’t want to be trying to fit something and damage your door in the process. Another thing you should do is to secure your door in place. Moving doors can damage your property in more than one way, so be sure you get a door stopper.
What to do if you damage your property when moving
Accidents do happen. That is why we have insurance. Some type of insurance does cover property damages when moving, so be sure to ask your movers about the insurance they offer. However, that won’t help you get your deposit back if you are renting. If all else fails and you manage to get a scratch or two or even break something, there are plenty of ways of fixing that. If you have enough time, you can leave an extra day to go over every room and corner of your home to make sure you didn’t damage anything in the process. That extra day will help you fix anything if you end up damaging your home when moving out.
Final thoughts and additional tips
We went over the details you need to know if you want to avoid property damage when moving out. However, planning and doing are two different things. Either way, we are sure you can handle it. If you are a renter, make sure you get that deposit back by following our tips. Remember to enlist all the help you need, whether professional or friends.