What to Do If Movers Break or Lose Your Belongings

Your 50-pound TV is worth $1,500. A mover drops it. Under the default coverage that almost every consumer unknowingly accepts, the mover owes you $15. Not $15 toward repairs. $15, total, final, done.

This is not a loophole. It is the law, specifically 49 CFR 375.701, which governs household goods liability for interstate moves. The moving industry's default coverage tier, called Released Value Protection, sets liability at $0.60 per pound per article. A 50-pound TV at $0.60 per pound is $30. A 40-pound laptop at $0.60 per pound is $24. A 200-pound dining table at $0.60 per pound is $120, regardless of what you paid for it.

The claims process exists, and you should use it. But you need to understand why it is structurally broken before you can navigate it effectively.

Every interstate mover is required by federal law to offer two coverage options. Most consumers never know a choice exists.

Released Value Protection is what nearly every mover applies as a business practice default, though the regulatory default under federal law is actually replacement value. It costs nothing, and it covers almost nothing. Liability is capped at $0.60 per pound per article (49 CFR 375.701(a)). If you do not explicitly request higher coverage in writing, this is what you get.

Full Value Protection is the alternative. Under this option, the mover is liable for the current market value of the item, repair cost, or replacement cost, whichever is lowest. This is real coverage. It also costs money, typically between 0.5% and 1% of your declared shipment value, or a flat rate with a deductible. Expect to pay $100 to $400 for a typical household move.

To illustrate the gap:

- A 50-pound flatscreen TV worth $1,500: Released Value pays $30. Full Value pays up to $1,500. - A 30-pound desktop computer worth $2,200: Released Value pays $18. Full Value pays up to $2,200. - A 150-pound upright piano worth $4,000: Released Value pays $90. Full Value pays up to $4,000.

One important limitation applies even under Full Value Protection: movers can limit their liability for items of extraordinary value, which the industry defines as articles worth more than $100 per pound. Jewelry, art, antiques, and certain electronics fall into this category. If these items are not listed separately on a High-Value Inventory form before the move, the mover can cap its liability regardless of what Full Value Protection says.

A note on third-party moving insurance: your homeowners or renters policy may cover moving damage, but most standard policies exclude items damaged while in the care of a third party. Verify your coverage before moving day. Dedicated moving insurance from a third-party provider is the most complete option.

The most important window for protecting a damage claim is the moment the truck arrives, not after. Once you sign the delivery receipt without noting exceptions, you have weakened your claim significantly.

Inspect every item as it comes off the truck. Do not let the crew rush you. Do not let them stack boxes before you check them. If you see damage, write it on the delivery receipt in specific terms. Not "some damage" but "right rear leg of dining table cracked, approximately 6-inch split." Be specific. Be legible.

If you note exceptions on the delivery receipt, you preserve your right to file a claim even for damage you discover after the crew leaves. If you sign without exceptions and later find a broken item, you can still file, but the mover will argue the damage happened after delivery. That argument is hard to overcome.

For items in boxes, write on the receipt: "Contents not inspected. Exceptions reserved." This is accepted practice and preserves your right to file within nine months.

Take photos before you sign. Time-stamped photos of damaged items, ideally alongside the mover's sticker or inventory number, are your best evidence.

Once you have damage to report, federal regulations govern the timeline. These rules apply to all interstate moves.

You have nine months from the delivery date to file a written claim (49 CFR 370.3(a)). This is a hard deadline. Miss it and you forfeit your right to any compensation under the bill of lading.

Once you file, the mover has 30 days to acknowledge receipt of your claim in writing (49 CFR 370.9(a)).

The mover then has 120 days from the date you filed to either pay the claim, make a firm settlement offer, or provide a written reason for declining (49 CFR 370.9(b)). If the mover cannot resolve the claim within 120 days, they must notify you in writing of the status and the reason for the delay, and continue doing so every 60 days.

In practice, many movers ignore these timelines entirely. If a mover fails to acknowledge or respond within the required periods, document every attempt at contact. That documentation becomes critical if you pursue the claim through arbitration, small claims court, or a credit card dispute.

To file a claim: send a written letter by certified mail to the mover's claims department. Include the date of delivery, your bill of lading number, a list of damaged or missing items with descriptions, your estimated value of each item, and copies of any photos or receipts. Keep the originals.

If you paid any portion of the move by credit card, a chargeback is often faster and more effective than the formal claims process.

Credit card chargebacks work under two categories: non-delivery (the service was not performed as agreed) or dispute of charges (you were billed an amount you did not authorize). For moving disputes, the most common basis is that the service was not performed as promised, which encompasses damage, missing items, and delivery failures.

You typically have 60 to 120 days from the statement date to file a chargeback, depending on your card issuer. This is a shorter window than the nine-month claim deadline, so act early.

Chargebacks are most effective when the amount in dispute is modest, when the mover is unresponsive, or when you believe the mover is operating fraudulently. A bank dispute resolution process is faster than litigation and puts the burden on the merchant to prove the charge was legitimate.

Important limitation: you can only dispute the amount charged to the card. If you paid a large cash deposit and a small card balance, your chargeback is limited to the card portion. This is one of the strongest reasons to pay as much of any move as possible by credit card and avoid cash, Venmo, Zelle, or wire transfers.

Small claims court is the right path when the mover has denied your claim, offered an inadequate settlement, or stopped responding, and the amount in dispute is within your state's small claims limit, which ranges from $5,000 to $25,000 depending on the state.

You do not need a lawyer for small claims. You file in the court of the county where the mover's principal place of business is located or where the move originated, depending on your state's rules.

Your evidence should include the bill of lading, the inventory sheet, the delivery receipt with your noted exceptions, time-stamped photos of damage, your written claim and all correspondence with the mover, and any repair or replacement estimates from third-party vendors.

Movers who lose small claims judgments are required to pay. A judgment also creates a public record that Trunk and other consumer databases can report. If you win and the mover refuses to pay, you can pursue wage garnishment or bank levy in most states.

For larger claims or when the mover is in a different state, federal district court under 49 U.S.C. 14706 (the Carmack Amendment) may be the appropriate venue. Carmack governs interstate household goods liability and preempts most state law claims. An attorney familiar with transportation law is advisable for Carmack cases.

Movers with annual gross revenue over $2 million are required by federal law to offer a neutral arbitration program for unresolved loss and damage claims (49 CFR 375.211). Smaller movers may offer it voluntarily.

Arbitration is faster than litigation, typically resolving in 60 to 90 days. Filing fees are capped at $150 for consumer claimants under federal rules. The arbitrator's decision is binding on the mover; it may or may not be binding on you, depending on the program's rules.

The results are mixed. Arbitrators are often industry professionals who understand mover liability law, which can work for or against you depending on the facts. Arbitration does not allow the full discovery process of litigation, so if the mover is hiding records, you may not surface them.

Use arbitration when: the claims amount is between $500 and $10,000, the mover has a formal arbitration program, and you want a faster resolution than court. Skip arbitration and go to small claims when: the amount is within your state's limit, the mover is non-responsive, or you believe the mover acted fraudulently.

Before accepting any settlement offer from a mover, read the language carefully. Many settlement agreements require you to sign a release of all claims. Once you sign, you cannot pursue additional recovery even if more damage surfaces later. Get any settlement offer in writing and confirm it represents full compensation before accepting.