Should You Take Photos of Your Stuff Prior to Moving?

Moving is stressful enough without having to worry about your possessions getting dinged or damaged. But accidents do happen.

Say your antique vase gets cracked or you arrive at your new home only to find the flippers on your pinball table no longer flip.

Should you take photos of your valuables before you box them up?

To learn more, we spoke to Melissa Sullivan, Director of Marketing Communications at UniGroup, the parent company of Mayflower Transit and United Van Lines.

Moving inventory list

Sullivan explained that customers “are always welcome to take a photo inventory of their belongings if it gives them peace of mind.” Rather than photographing anything and everything, she suggested collaborating with your movers on the written inventory.

“The best thing for a customer to do is to carefully review the written inventory to ensure all of their items are properly documented,” Sullivan said. “In the unlikely event of a damaged item, that inventory will be referenced to find the original condition of the item.”

Leave it to the professional packers

Should you elect to hire movers to pack some of your possessions, she advised customers to leave the packing of breakable items to the pros: “This will help minimize the risk of damage to your belongings.”

Whether or not a photograph of an item’s pre-move condition can be used as proof in the event of damage will likely depend on the moving company. Your best bet is to ask the professionals to take extra precaution with items you are especially concerned about.

Use a packing guide

Atlas Van Lines provides an in-depth guide (complete with videos) on how to pack just about everything, from a dining room table to a waterbed. Because poorly packed items are more likely to be damaged in a move, Atlas “inspects items before they go onto the truck. We want to ensure everything has the proper protection for safe transport.”

The company’s official site also points out that there are certain items—keys, cash, photographs, legal documents and jewelry—customers always should transport themselves.

Moving insurance options

If you are worried that even with proper packing, your items might be damaged and want to avoid any haggling after the fact, consider buying moving insurance and be sure to look into your moving company’s liability coverage. Some moving companies offer liability coverage by the pound, while others do so by the value of the object.

Bottom line: Taking photos of your possessions can’t hurt (especially if you have insurance), but when it comes to moving, an ounce of prevention—in this case, packing properly—is usually worth a pound of cure.