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Removals and storage
Removals insurance is usually goods in transit for customers' household goods, plus public liability, employers' liability, hire and reward motor cover and, if you store goods, warehousekeepers' liability. Most disputes turn on the firm's conditions of carriage and what the policy actually covers.
Part of: Warehouse insurance
In short
A removals firm needs cover for the goods it moves, the people and property it could damage, its staff and its vehicles. Goods in transit covers the household goods, usually up to limits per item and per vehicle. Public liability covers damage to customers' homes and injury to third parties; employers' liability is compulsory for most employers. For domestic customers, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 stops a remover excluding liability for failing to use reasonable care and skill, so conditions of carriage and insurance limits need to work together.
Removals combine transport, handling and often storage, so the insurance usually has several parts.
| Cover | What it usually responds to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Goods in transit | Loss of or damage to customers' goods while loaded, carried and unloaded | Limits per vehicle and often per item; packing and fragile goods conditions |
| Public liability | Damage to customers' homes and buildings, and injury to third parties | Often a requirement of commercial clients and building managers |
| Employers' liability | Injury to staff, including manual handling injuries | Compulsory for most employers, minimum £5 million |
| Motor | Third-party liability for removal vehicles carrying goods for payment | Must include hire and reward use |
| Warehousekeepers' liability | Liability for customers' goods in your store | Needed if you store between moves |
Our goods in transit guide and short definition explain how load cover is usually written. If you store goods, see our guides to warehousekeepers' legal liability and warehouse insurance.
Motor insurance does not usually cover the load. Section 145(4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 allows motor policies to exclude damage to goods carried for hire or reward and to property in the policyholder's custody or control. Goods in transit is the cover for the furniture, boxes and belongings in the van.
Removals wordings vary, but they commonly:
Most removers use written conditions of carriage that set out what they will and will not be liable for, time limits for notifying claims and limits per item. For domestic customers these terms are subject to the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Section 49 implies a term that the service will be performed with reasonable care and skill, and section 57 says a term is not binding on the consumer to the extent that it would exclude that liability, or restrict it so that the consumer could not recover the price paid in an appropriate case. Part 2 of the Act also requires consumer terms to be fair.
For business moves, section 2(2) of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 allows a term limiting liability for negligence for loss other than personal injury only if it is reasonable. Our guide to conditions of carriage and haulier liability explains how limits are usually set. Insurers commonly expect your conditions to be issued to every customer before the move, and some make this a condition of cover.
Illustrative. A family's dining table is scratched and a box of glassware arrives broken. The firm's conditions say claims must be notified within a set number of days and limit liability per item unless higher values were declared.
Good paperwork decides most of these claims: a signed inventory, condition notes for high-value items and a clear record of the conditions the customer accepted.
Many removers store goods in containers or a warehouse between moves. Storage changes the risk: the firm usually holds the goods as a bailee and needs cover for its liability for them while stored, as well as cover for the building and containers. Our guide to who is liable for customers' goods in storage explains the law, including the power to sell uncollected goods under section 12 of the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977. Firms offering self-storage units rather than containerised storage should also read our self-storage insurance guide.
Removals is manual work with a real risk of lifting and handling injuries. HSE guidance says employers need at least £5 million of employers' liability cover and can be fined up to £2,500 for each day without it, and that casual or self-employed porters may count as employees depending on the real relationship. See our employers' liability guide and our public liability guide.
The goods vehicle operator licensing guide says an operator licence is usually needed for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight used for hire or reward or in connection with a business, which covers most larger removal vans. Insurers will usually ask about licences, vehicles and drivers; our commercial vehicle insurance guide covers motor cover.
Apex arranges removals, storage and warehousing cover, including goods in transit. A broker reads each enquiry and comes back with options, and there is no fee for a quote. Cover is always subject to the insurer's acceptance and the policy terms. To quote we need your business activities, turnover, location and claims history, plus the split between domestic and commercial moves, vehicles and weights, any storage you offer, your conditions of carriage and the highest value of a single load.
Usually goods in transit for customers' belongings, public liability for damage to homes and injury to others, employers' liability if it has staff, and motor cover that includes hire and reward use. If it stores goods between moves, it will usually also need warehousekeepers' legal liability and cover for the store.
Not usually. Removals wordings commonly limit cover per item and per vehicle, restrict goods packed by the customer and fragile items without external damage, and exclude or restrict valuables such as cash and jewellery. Read the wording against what you actually move.
Not fully for domestic customers. Under section 57 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a term cannot exclude liability for failing to use reasonable care and skill. Limits may be possible if they are fair and properly agreed. For business customers, the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 reasonableness test applies.
For most employers, yes. HSE guidance says cover must be at least £5 million and fines can reach £2,500 for each day without it. Casual porters and helpers may count as employees even if they are paid as self-employed, depending on the real working relationship.
GOV.UK guidance says an operator licence is usually needed for goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight used for hire or reward or in connection with a business. Many larger removal vans exceed that weight, so check your vehicles against the guidance.
Tell us what your business does, your turnover and any claims. A broker reads every enquiry and comes back with options. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start a commercial enquiry Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
