Moving insurance and liability cover deserve the same attention as the transport price. Whether you are moving across town, between provinces or overseas, check which protection you have selected, what value you have declared and what happens if something is lost or damaged.
Execu-Move’s documents describe All Risk Liability Cover and Total Loss Liability Cover. Neither means that every item is covered for every event, or that a damaged item will automatically be replaced with a new one. Your accepted quotation, value declaration and applicable cover terms need to be read together.
Moving insurance, liability cover and your quotation
A removal charge is not confirmation that you have selected additional protection. Execu-Move’s Standard Trading Conditions distinguish the carrier’s limited liability from the optional liability cover described in the quotation. Before accepting a quote, ask which option is included, what it costs and what you must complete to put it in place.
Execu-Move’s Summary of Liability Cover identifies HW Brokers (Pty) Ltd, FSP 7694, as the broker. A broker and an insurer perform different roles. Ask your consultant for the applicable policy wording and confirmation of the insurer, cover selected and any extensions for your booking.
All Risk cover versus Total Loss cover
All Risk Liability Cover provides broader protection for declared goods, subject to the terms, exclusions and excesses. The summary includes events such as loading and unloading incidents, accidents involving the conveying vehicle and specified theft or hijacking losses. The name does not remove the exclusions.
Total Loss Liability Cover is narrower. The applicable summary requires the total loss of the entire shipment from a specified event. It is not cover for an individual broken chair, a missing carton or partial damage to your belongings.
For example, if one dining chair is damaged but the rest of your shipment arrives, Total Loss cover should not be treated as protection for that chair. With All Risk cover, the circumstances, declared value, exclusions and excess still determine whether a claim can be considered.
Check the requirements for a local or international move
For local and long-distance removals within South Africa, confirm the collection and delivery addresses, packing arrangements and any storage period. Do not assume your household contents policy covers the journey: ask your own insurer what transit protection, if any, it provides.
For international relocations, also check the destination arrangements, appointed moving agent, any interim storage and the valuation requirements. Execu-Move’s May 2025 summary requires household goods to be valued at replacement cost in the destination country, converted to rand.
Vehicles require separate arrangements and are not automatically included with household effects. Their valuation and inspection requirements must be confirmed specifically; do not apply the household replacement-value rule to a vehicle.
Declare your belongings accurately
Your value declaration is separate from a simple list of items to transport. For All Risk cover, the May 2025 summary requires a full, detailed value declaration at least one week before packing begins. Confirm the required documents and submission date with your consultant when booking.
- List the items being moved and give the requested values.
- Identify high-value articles individually rather than hiding them within a room total.
- Separate items of different values, even if they form part of the same furniture set.
- Arrange any required professional valuations before the move.
- Keep a copy of your completed, signed declaration and confirmation of cover.
The cover Q&A warns that items not declared and valued are not covered. It also explains that under-valuation can reduce a settlement through the application of average. Declaring an accurate value does not override an exclusion or guarantee a full replacement payment.
Understand exclusions, excesses and settlement
Ask for the exclusions that apply to your chosen moving insurance or liability cover. Important areas in Execu-Move’s documents include:
- Owner-packed goods: damage to items you pack yourself and missing contents from owner-packed cartons are excluded under the cover Q&A. Discuss the arrangements before deciding who packs.
- Pairs and sets: the standard clause considers the affected item or part, not the undamaged remainder of a matching set. A damaged dining chair does not automatically entitle you to a new dining suite.
- Electrical or mechanical faults: a device that stops working without external evidence of damage may fall outside the cover. Ask whether an agreed extension applies.
- Humidity, mould and consequential loss: the Q&A excludes atmospheric or climatic damage and consequential losses arising from delay, damage or non-delivery.
- Excluded valuables: the summary lists items such as jewellery, watches, cameras, mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Tell your consultant about these before finalising the inventory.
An excess is the amount you must bear on a valid claim. Check whether yours is a percentage of the claim or of the declared shipment value, and whether a minimum applies. The basis can differ by cover and type of loss, so ask for the amount applicable to your booking in writing.
For a valid claim, the applicable terms may allow the underwriters to pay, repair or replace the affected item. Replacement value is a valuation basis, not a promise that every damaged article will be exchanged for a new one.
Inspect on delivery and report problems immediately
Check your belongings with the delivery team, note visible damage or shortages on the delivery document and take clear photographs. Keep the packaging and damaged items until you receive instructions about the claim. Do not assume that writing “subject to unpacking” on a receipt extends a notification deadline.
Different documents contain different notification requirements. The Standard Trading Conditions require written notification of damage to delivered goods within seven days. The separate liability cover Q&A describes notification within 30 days after delivery, or the scheduled delivery date in a qualifying Total Loss case, followed by a further period for supporting documents. These are different requirements, not interchangeable deadlines.
Report a problem to Execu-Move in writing as soon as you discover it. Ask for the process and deadlines applicable to your specific claim, including any shorter carrier or third-party requirements. Do not wait for the end of a stated period before making contact.
Confirm storage protection separately
The May 2025 summary describes conditional storage extensions during transit: up to 120 days in South Africa and, where required, 30 days at an appointed professional moving agent’s facility internationally. This refers to cover, not free warehouse rental. Further cover must be arranged before the included period expires; the summary requests this at least 14 days beforehand.
Tell your consultant about storage when requesting your quote, and confirm the approved facility, dates and charges in writing.
Questions to ask before accepting your quote
- Which cover option have I selected and what is its declared value?
- Are all my items eligible, including valuables, vehicles and owner-packed cartons?
- Which excesses and limits apply?
- Is storage included in the protection, and for which dates?
- When are the value declaration and payment required?
- Who should receive a claim notification, and what are the deadlines?
Request a moving quote and ask your consultant to explain the protection for your local, long-distance or international move before you accept it.
Frequently asked questions
Is moving insurance automatically included in the transport price?
Do not assume it is. Check your accepted quote for the liability cover option, charge and value declaration requirements. The carrier’s standard liability is different from additional cover.
Will a claim replace my entire matching furniture set?
Not under the standard pairs-and-sets clause described in the Q&A. It considers the lost or damaged item or part. Ask about any available extension before the move and obtain written confirmation if one is agreed.
Can I pack my own boxes?
You can discuss this with the moving team, but owner packing affects the protection available. Read the exclusions before deciding, and ask for packing and materials to be itemised in your quotation.
Where can I get the full cover terms?
Ask Execu-Move for the documents applicable to your booking, including the Summary of Liability Cover, cover Q&A and full policy wording. Your consultant can provide the broker’s details for questions about the cover.
Document basis: Execu-Move Summary of Liability Cover, revised 16 May 2025; cover Q&A; Total Loss explanation; and Standard Trading Conditions. This article is a practical summary. The accepted quotation and applicable cover documents determine the terms for your move.
