What is the difference between a binding and a non-binding moving estimate?

A binding estimate fixes the price for the belongings and services it lists. If you add items or ask for extra services, the mover can revise it, but it cannot simply charge more for the same job. A non-binding estimate is the mover’s best guess, and the final bill follows the actual weight and services, so it can go up. For interstate moves in the US, federal rules limit how much of an overrun the mover can demand at delivery, with the remainder billed later. Either way, the estimate should be in writing and based on a survey of your home, in person or by video.

How do I check that a moving company is legitimate?

In the United States, ask for the USDOT number and look it up yourself on the FMCSA website; an interstate household goods mover must be registered, and the record shows whether you are dealing with the mover or a broker. For a move within one state, check with the state agency that regulates movers. In the United Kingdom, check any claimed trade association membership, such as the British Association of Removers, on the association’s own website. Everywhere, look for a physical address, the company’s name on the vehicle, a written estimate or quote after a survey, and reviews that name the actual company rather than a generic brand.

Can I hire movers without a truck?

Yes. Many people rent a truck or van themselves and hire labour for loading and unloading, which suits a local or medium-sized move when you are happy to drive. Agree in advance what the helpers will do, how many will come and for how long, and who pays if something is dropped. Check what the rental company’s cover includes for the vehicle and its contents. This is where a free Hirovo post fits well: describe the load, the floors and the day, then choose from the people who reply. The checks are yours to make, so ask about experience and agree the terms in writing.

Does the mover’s insurance cover boxes I packed myself?

Often not fully. In the UK, a removal firm’s goods-in-transit cover commonly excludes items the customer packed, or covers them on narrower terms, because the firm cannot judge how well they were packed. In the US, an interstate mover’s valuation terms can also treat owner-packed boxes differently. Read the exclusions before moving day. If certain boxes matter, such as glassware, pictures or electronics, let the company pack them, or check whether your home contents, homeowner’s or renter’s policy covers belongings during a move. Whatever you decide, keep irreplaceable items and documents with you.

What should I do if something arrives damaged or missing?

Check your belongings against the inventory before the crew leaves. Write any damage or missing items on the delivery receipt or inventory rather than signing that everything arrived in good condition, and photograph the damage and the packaging. Then make a written claim to the company as soon as you can. For interstate moves in the US, you have at least nine months from delivery to file a claim, and the mover must acknowledge and deal with it under federal rules. In the UK, the deadline is set in the firm’s terms and conditions and may be short, so check it on the day.

Do I need a parking permit for the moving van?

Sometimes. In the UK, some councils require a parking suspension or dispensation for a removal van to stop on the street, and arranging it can take time, so ask your council well before the move and ask the removal firm whether they apply for it. Some US cities also require a permit to reserve street space for a moving truck, so check with your city. In apartment buildings and blocks of flats, book the lift and any loading bay with the building management or managing agent. Blocked access on the day usually means waiting time, and waiting time is usually charged.

How to Hire Movers: Estimates, Licences, Insurance and Scams to Avoid

Moving is one of the few jobs where you hand everything you own to strangers and watch them drive away. Knowing how to hire movers well comes down to a few checks made before you pay anything: who will actually do the move, what the estimate or quote commits them to, how your belongings are protected, and what happens if something arrives broken.

This guide covers the United States and the United Kingdom in the words each uses: movers in the US, removals in the UK. It starts with what kind of help your move needs, then the checks in each country, the price, the scams and moving day.

How to hire movers: first decide what kind of help you need

Not every move needs a moving company, and not every moving company wants a small job. There are four common ways to do it, and they differ mainly in who carries the risk.

The larger and longer the move, the more you want a registered company bound by a written estimate or quote.
Option	When it fits	What to check
Full-service movers or removal company	Large homes, long distances, interstate moves, or when you want the packing done for you.	US interstate: a USDOT number and a written estimate after a survey. UK: a written quote after a survey, goods-in-transit insurance, trade body membership if claimed.
Rental truck plus hired labour (“movers without truck”)	You are happy to drive, the distance is manageable, and you need strong hands to load and unload.	What the helpers will do, who pays for damage while loading, and what the rental cover includes.
Man with a van	A studio or small flat, a few large items, a short local move.	Goods-in-transit and public liability insurance, the rate agreed in writing, and whether one or two people will come.
A Hirovo post for moving help	Extra hands for a small local move, a few pieces of furniture, or loading a truck you rented.	You choose and check the person yourself. Not a substitute for a registered mover on an interstate or large move.

The honest dividing line: for a long-distance or large move, and certainly an interstate one in the US, use a registered moving company and get everything in writing. For a small local move, people to carry and load are often all you need, and that is where posting a job fits.

Hiring movers in the United States: registration, estimates and valuation

In the US, the rules depend first on whether the move crosses a state line.

Interstate moves: look up the USDOT number

A company that moves household goods between states must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and have a USDOT number. Ask for it, then look it up yourself on the FMCSA website rather than trusting a number on a flyer. The record shows whether the company is authorised to move household goods and whether it is a mover or a broker. Brokers arrange moves but do not run the trucks, and they must say so. You should still know who will turn up and who is responsible.

An interstate mover must also provide the FMCSA booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, on paper or as a link. It explains estimates, valuation, the paperwork and claims; read it before you sign anything.

Binding and non-binding estimates

A written estimate should follow a survey of your belongings, in your home or by video. A binding estimate fixes the price for the goods and services it lists; add items or services and it can be revised. A non-binding estimate is the mover’s best guess, and the final bill follows the actual weight and services. Federal rules limit how much of an overrun the mover can demand at delivery, with the rest billed afterwards, but a low non-binding estimate is still the usual route to a nasty surprise. Compare estimates on the same inventory, and be wary of one far below the rest.

Valuation is not insurance

Interstate movers must offer liability options, called valuation. The basic released-value option costs nothing extra but pays very little, because it is calculated by weight rather than by what an item is worth. Full-value protection costs extra and makes the mover responsible for repairing, replacing or paying for a lost or damaged item, under the terms you sign. Read what is excluded, and check whether your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance covers belongings in transit.

Moves within one state

Intrastate moves are regulated by the state, and the rules vary widely: some states license movers, others do very little. Check with the agency that regulates movers in your state, and keep the same habits anyway: a written estimate, a physical address and a clear statement of liability.

Hiring a removal company in the United Kingdom

In the UK, the checks are yours to make:

Trade body membership. Many established firms belong to a trade association such as the British Association of Removers (BAR). Membership means the firm has agreed to the association’s standards; check it on the association’s own website rather than trusting a logo on a van.
A survey and a written quote. Ask for a survey, in person or by video, and a quote that lists what is included: packing, materials, dismantling and reassembling furniture, and what happens if completion is delayed and the van has to wait or your belongings go into storage.
Goods-in-transit insurance and its exclusions. The exclusion that catches people out is items you packed yourself: they are often excluded or covered on narrower terms, because the firm cannot tell how well they were packed. If a box matters, let the firm pack it, or check whether your home contents insurance covers a move.
Parking. Some councils require a parking suspension or dispensation for a removal van to stop on the street, and it can take time to arrange. Ask your council early, and ask the firm whether they apply for it. In a block of flats, book the lift and loading bay with the managing agent.

If something goes wrong, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is your starting point: a service must be carried out with reasonable care and skill.

Need extra hands for a small move?

Post a free job on Hirovo: the neighbourhood, how much there is to carry, stairs or lift, and the day. People nearby who do this kind of work can apply or message you, and you decide who to hire.

Post a free job →

What sets the price of a move

Any figure you read online is somebody else’s move. Yours depends on:

Volume and weight, which is why the inventory and survey matter.
Distance, and whether a long move is priced by weight, by volume or as a fixed quote.
Access: stairs, lifts, a long carry from the door to the vehicle, narrow streets, parking.
Packing and materials: boxes, wrapping, dismantling and reassembling furniture.
The date: weekends, month-ends and summer are the busiest times.
Special items such as pianos, safes, antiques and large appliances.
Waiting time and storage when a closing or key handover is delayed.
The level of protection you choose beyond the basic option.

Moving scams to avoid when you hire movers

Most moving scams follow a pattern. Walk away from any company that shows these signs:

A demand for a large deposit up front, especially in cash.
An estimate given over the phone or by email without anyone seeing your belongings.
No physical address, or a company name that changes between calls and websites.
An unmarked truck or van, or in the US a vehicle without the company’s name and USDOT number.
Blank or incomplete paperwork you are asked to sign before loading.
Hostage loads: the crew loads your belongings, then demands more money before delivering them.

If a mover holds your belongings to demand more money, in the US file a complaint with the FMCSA; in the UK, contact the police and Citizens Advice.

Before and on moving day

Inventory and photos. List what is moving, room by room, and photograph furniture and valuable items, including existing marks. Check the mover’s inventory against yours before you sign it.
Keep valuables with you. Passports, deeds and other documents, jewellery, cash, laptops, prescription medicines and keys travel with you, not in the truck.
Pack fragile items properly. Wrap each piece, fill the gaps so nothing shifts, use small boxes for heavy things, and mark boxes “fragile” with the room they go to.
Book access. Reserve the lift and confirm where the vehicle can stop with the building management, landlord or HOA.
Check at delivery. Before the crew leaves, check items against the inventory and open any box that looks damaged. Note damage or missing items on the delivery receipt rather than signing that all arrived in good condition, photograph it, and claim in writing promptly.

Hiring moving help through a Hirovo post

If what you need is people to carry, a Hirovo post is a simple way to find them, and posting is free. Your post appears in the job listings for your country and region, such as the jobs in the United States or the jobs in the United Kingdom, where people nearby who are looking for work, including those who do moving jobs, can see it, apply or message you in the app. You read the replies and decide.

Be clear about what that is. Hirovo does not vet applicants or check licences and insurance; it is not a moving company or a broker, and the checks in this guide are yours to make. That makes a post a good fit for a small local move, a few pieces of furniture or loading a truck you rented, and the wrong tool for an interstate or large move, where a registered company with a written estimate protects you far better.

In the post, give the neighbourhood rather than the street address, how much there is to carry, the floors and whether there is a lift. Do not publish your full address together with the date and time of the move; that tells anyone reading when a home will stand empty. Share the address by message once you have chosen someone. For the wording, see how to write a job post; for checks on anyone you hire to work at home, see how to hire a contractor.

Five checks before you pay: who will actually do the move (and, in the US, their USDOT number); a written estimate or quote after a survey; what the valuation or insurance excludes, especially for boxes you pack yourself; valuables, documents and medicines travelling with you; and damage noted on the delivery paperwork before the crew leaves.

In short

Size the job first. A long-distance or interstate move calls for a registered moving company (a removal company in the UK), a written estimate after a survey and a deliberate choice of valuation or insurance; a small local move may need only a few strong people and a rented truck. Either way, check who you are dealing with, keep valuables with you, keep an inventory and note damage before anyone leaves.