It is very important to prepare for your next relocation properly. You will have to transport your entire household either across the street, state, or even a continent. For this reason, you need to make sure they are in good and capable hands. This means hiring professional movers. They are supposed to know how to move everything in a safe and secure way while minimizing potential problems. However, moving is not simple as only hiring the relocation company Hong Kong, and be done with it. Just on the contrary, you need to know your rights and responsibilities when moving. You should know what is expected from you but at the same time, you should know what things you have the right to ask for.
Your rights and responsibilities when moving about estimates
Let’s start from the beginning. You are looking for a moving company to move to one of the most livable cities in China. Everything is set up, you have found your new place, let everyone know you are moving to China, and so on. Now, you only need to organize your relocation. Since you are moving internationally, you should find a moving company. You can start by finding and contacting at least three to five moving companies. When you contact them, you have the right to ask for an estimate. Usually, you can even ask for an in-house estimate but this depends on a moving company. In any case, movers have to make an estimate and give you one in the written form. Do not accept estimates if they are not in writing since movers then can change the amount quite easily.
More about estimates
As you can see, it is your right to ask for a written estimate. However, you also have one responsibility when it comes to estimates. You need to show everything to movers so they can do a proper estimate. There is no point in hiding any pieces of furniture or items. Later, if you add more items that your movers have not estimated at the beginning, they can refuse to move your items. For this reason, make sure to show almost everything that you plan to move. This means preparing for estimates even before you find the movers. You can do this by separating your items or at least labeling them. For example, make labels for short term storage Hong Kong, selling, donation, etc. You probably will not move all of your items, so make sure to label those or at least point them out to movers.
Your rights and responsibilities when moving about a moving contract
Before you make a moving contract, movers have to give you either a binding estimate or a non-binding estimate. Just as the name suggests, a binding estimate means that movers cannot change your original estimate. This can be good for you because you will know how much money you will have to spend. However, if your final shipment weighs less than the original, you will still have to pay the same price. On the other hand, a non-binding estimate means that movers will only take the last weight of your shipment into consideration. You can pay either less or more depending on the final weight. For this reason, before signing your contract, make sure that this piece of paper contains all relevant shipping information. Do not sign a contract that is not completely filled with all the necessary information.
Packing your items for the pickup
Now, it is time to decide whether you are going to pack your items or you will hire professional parking services. Depending on this decision, your rights and responsibilities might differ. First of all, if you plan to pack everything alone, it is your responsibility to pack everything properly. If something happens due to your poor packing skills, your movers will not be held liable for the damage. on the other hand, if movers will do all the packing, you can either choose to be with them or leave everything to movers. In addition to this, you have to think about packing supplies. You can gather everything on your own or you can get them from your movers. If movers will use packing supplies that you gathered, it is your responsibility to find packing supplies in perfect condition. Lastly, it is your right to be there for a pickup.
Your rights and responsibilities when moving in case of damage or loss
You should also know what to do in case your items get damaged or lost during transit. For this reason, it is extremely important to find out all the details before your actual move. Why is this important? First of all, if something happens to your items because of your movers’ mistake, you need to contact your movers immediately. It is your right to demand an explanation. However, it is also your responsibility to check your items once they are delivered to you. Usually, you have nine months to complain about any possible damages or lost items. Movers will have usually 30 days to respond to your complaint. Additionally, make sure to understand the difference between valuation and actual insurance. If you are moving extremely valuable items, you need to get separate moving insurance. The general moving insurance offered by your moving company will not be enough.
More points to know
As you can see, these would be some of your rights and responsibilities when moving. However, there are more which you should know before moving.
- You can ask for your movers’ availability of guaranteed pickup and delivery dates
- Be present every time movers weigh your shipment
- You can request a re-weigh of your shipment
- It is your responsibility to prepare your items before movers’ arrival
The most important thing when moving would be to have a good working relationship with your movers. If you are not sure about certain aspects of your move, make sure to ask your movers.
