Olympia Moving Releases Guide on Long Distance Moving Liability

Olympia Moving & Storage, a Boston moving company, has released a comprehensive guide explaining how liability coverage works when hiring long distance movers and what happens if an item arrives damaged. The guide, announced on September 22, 2026, from the company’s Watertown, MA headquarters, aims to demystify a process that most customers never learn about until they need it. It covers the critical difference between valuation and insurance, the two coverage levels every interstate mover is required to offer, and the federal deadlines that govern how a claim gets filed and resolved.

Under federal law, moving companies must offer two levels of liability coverage: Released Value Protection, which carries no additional cost but pays only 60 cents per pound per article (for example, a 25-pound television that cost $800 would settle at just $15), and Full Value Protection, which obligates the mover to repair, replace, or offer a cash settlement based on current market value. Customers choose between the two during the estimate, often in under five minutes and sometimes without anyone walking them through what the difference actually means. “Most customers assume they are covered the way their homeowners policy covers them, and that is not how this works,” said Piet Gauchat, president of Olympia Moving & Storage. “We would rather have the slightly awkward ten minute conversation during the estimate than a frustrating one after delivery.” The guide also outlines federal deadlines: a customer has nine months from the delivery date to file a written claim, and the mover then has 30 days to acknowledge it and 120 days to pay, deny, or offer a settlement.

Olympia emphasizes proactive documentation to reduce risk, noting existing wear on high-value pieces, photographing items, and flagging what needs custom crating. For commercial projects run through Scope360, which may include lab equipment, medical devices, and IT infrastructure, the team builds that documentation into the plan from the first walkthrough. The guide closes with practical steps for any mover: declare items of extraordinary value in writing and report visible damage at delivery. “Nobody wants to talk about damage before a move,” Gauchat said. “But the customer who understands the coverage they picked is the customer who never gets blindsided.” Olympia Moving & Storage handles long distance residential moves and commercial relocations across Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Austin, and Tampa. For more information or to schedule an estimate, call 888-976-9991 or visit olympiamoving.com.