Review desk · CLAIMS 11
Loss, damage, and arbitration: preserve the file the mover must answer
Prepare an interstate household-goods loss-or-damage claim: nine-month filing, 30- and 120-day mover deadlines, delivery receipts, and the required arbitration program.
Review standard
Federal record + written contract
Updated
Bottom line
FMCSA does not pay your claim or force a settlement. Your leverage is a complete written file, the valuation you actually signed, and the mover's mandatory arbitration program for loss, damage, and extra charges collected after delivery.
- File by
- 9 months from delivery
- Mover must acknowledge
- 30 days
- Mover must decide
- 120 days
- Arbitration
- Binding at $10,000 or less if you request it
Build the claim file before anything is missing
You have nine months from the date of delivery, or from the date the shipment should have been delivered if the entire load is lost, to file a written loss-or-damage claim with the mover. The mover has 30 days to acknowledge the claim and 120 days to decide whether to offer a settlement. Those clocks do not start on a phone complaint.
Photograph origin rooms, high-value articles, and delivery exceptions. Keep the estimate, bill of lading, inventory, valuation election, and any warehouse receipt. Do not sign a delivery receipt that releases the mover from liability. Note damage or shortage on the shipping documents before the crew leaves. A clean signature with later photos is weaker than exceptions recorded at the door.
File against the transporting company, using the valuation you signed
A claim for loss or damage is a civil matter between you and the mover. FMCSA does not have authority to force the mover to pay or to act as your advocate. Released value pays 60 cents per pound per article; full value uses replacement, repair, or cash settlement under the tariff. Third-party insurance claims follow that policy, not the FMCSA arbitration track.
Name the legal company on the bill of lading. If a broker sold the move, still identify the carrier that had custody. Ask for the mover's claim form, attach inventories and photographs, and send the package in a way you can prove. Keep a copy. If the company stalls, the dated filing is what starts the 30- and 120-day duties.
Evidence to retain
- Written claim sent within nine months of delivery.
- Valuation election attached.
- Inventory, photos, and exception notes attached.
- Arbitration program summary requested in writing.
Compare the route before the sales calls
See a modeled cost range first, then use this review file on every company you interview.
- No email required to see your route's cost range
- Verify every provider's USDOT number before hiring
- Your estimate is yours to keep either way
Prefer to talk it through? Call (561) 220-0117, free, no obligation.
Use arbitration as a contract tool, not a loyalty test
Interstate household-goods movers must have an arbitration program for property loss and damage and for disputes about carrier charges collected in addition to those taken at delivery. The mover must give you a concise summary. It may not require you to agree to arbitration before a dispute arises.
If you request arbitration, it is binding for claims of $10,000 or less. For larger claims it is binding only if you request it and the carrier agrees. Ask for the program before you hire so you know the forum. Refusing to describe the program is a pre-hire defect, not a post-claim surprise.
Keep extra-charge disputes on the same desk
Arbitration also covers disputes about charges billed in addition to what was collected at delivery. That is the path for leftover freight above the 110 percent non-binding cap, disputed impracticable-operations invoices, and add-ons that never appeared as listed extras. Do not treat an extra invoice as a separate universe from a damage claim; both belong in the same evidence file.
If the mover and you cannot agree, your options include arbitration or a civil action. Choose based on the amount, the documents you kept, and the program summary. The company-check question at hiring is simpler: can this company show the claim address, the arbitration summary, and the valuation election on the same day it takes a deposit?
Questions on this check
Frequently asked questions
No. FMCSA does not force movers to pay loss-or-damage settlements or act as your lawyer. File a written claim with the mover and use the mover's required arbitration program or the courts.
Primary sources
Federal guidance can change. Open the current source before making a hiring or dispute decision.
Price the move, then audit the company
Start with your route and home size. Contact details remain optional until you request quotes.
Or call Call (561) 220-0117, no email required to see your number.