How to document everything you own before a move

Moving companies break and lose things. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) receives around 6,700 complaints every year from people who trusted movers with their belongings. Documenting what you own—and its exact condition—before the boxes are packed is your only leverage when filing a moving insurance claim.

TL;DR Take clear, time-stamped photos of high-value items before packers arrive to prove their pre-move condition. Build a room-by-room moving inventory list to track exactly what goes onto the truck and what comes off. Understand your moving coverage: "Released Value" pays pennies per pound, while "Full Value Protection" covers repair or replacement. Compare delivered items against your pre-move inventory immediately so you can file damage claims within the required window.

The 'Before Photos' Strategy

When I moved a few years ago, the movers scratched a vintage table. Because I only had a paper checklist with a check mark next to 'table,' the claims adjuster denied it. I built Arclyst so that it never happens again.

When a mover damages your ,500 OLED TV or scratches a vintage dining table, their first defense is often that the item was already damaged. Without proof to the contrary, the claims adjuster will likely side with the moving company.

Taking "before photos" eliminates this loophole. You need to document the exact condition of your belongings right before the packers touch them.

Focus your camera on high-value, fragile, and easily scratched items. Take wide shots showing the entire piece, then move in for close-ups of the corners, screens, and surfaces. Turn on the device if it has a screen to prove it works. Ensure your photos are time-stamped—most smartphones do this automatically. If you hire professional packers, take these photos the night before they arrive.

How Pre-Move Inventory Protects Your Insurance Claim Moving companies are required by federal law to offer liability options, but these options are not traditional insurance. The type of coverage you select dictates how much you get paid if something breaks. Your packing inventory proves what you owned, but your coverage determines the payout.

If a mover drops a 50-pound flat-screen TV under Released Value Protection, you receive $30. If you have Full Value Protection, the mover must repair it, replace it with a similar TV, or pay you the current market replacement value.

To claim Full Value Protection effectively, you must have a documented moving inventory list. Movers will often require you to declare items of extraordinary value (usually defined as items worth more than 00 per pound) on the shipping documents. Your pre-move photos and inventory serve as the necessary proof of existence and condition for these declarations.

Digital vs. Pen-and-Paper Moving Inventories Using a clipboard and a legal pad is the traditional way to track a move, but it leaves you vulnerable. Paper lists get lost in the chaos of moving day, and written descriptions do not prove the physical condition of an item.

A digital packing inventory solves both problems. By storing your list in the cloud, you ensure it survives the move even if your physical bags are misplaced. Digital inventories also allow you to attach photos, receipts, and serial numbers directly to the item record. When the claims adjuster asks for proof of purchase for a damaged $2,000 mattress, you can email the exact file in seconds rather than digging through untracked boxes.

This is why Arclyst lets you snap photos as you pack. The AI automatically categorizes the item by room, so if Box 4 gets crushed, you already have a digital PDF of every item that was inside it.

Room-by-Room Pre-Move Documentation Checklist Creating a comprehensive packing inventory requires a systematic approach. Go room by room. Do not try to inventory the entire house at once.

The Living Room This room holds your primary electronics and large furniture. Photograph the front, back, and sides of all sofas and armchairs. Note any existing tears or stains. Take pictures of all electronics while powered on. Record the serial numbers on the back of TVs, receivers, and gaming consoles. Document the condition of wood furniture surfaces, specifically looking for pre-existing water rings or scratches. Roll up rugs and photograph the backing and the edges.

The Kitchen Kitchens contain hundreds of small, fragile items and expensive appliances. Group everyday dishes and glassware by set. Take a single wide photo of the set before boxing it. Photograph expensive small appliances like your $600 stand mixer or espresso machine, including the power cords. Photograph the open boxes before taping them shut to prove how well items were padded. If moving major appliances (refrigerator, stove), photograph the interior and exterior. Document that they are clean and in working order.

The Bedrooms Bedrooms house personal valuables, clothing, and bulky furniture. Photograph the bed frame and headboard before disassembly. Keep all hardware in a labeled bag and photograph the bag. Document high-value clothing, shoes, or designer bags individually. Take close-ups of mirrors and glass-front dressers to prove they are intact. Keep jewelry and small heirlooms out of the moving truck entirely. Pack these in your personal vehicle.

The Home Office Office equipment is highly susceptible to impact damage and static shock. Photograph your monitors while powered on. Document the exterior of your computer tower or laptop. Record serial numbers for all tech, including printers and expensive peripherals. Back up all physical hard drives to the cloud before the move. Your moving inventory list covers the hardware, but no insurance covers lost data.

For a more comprehensive breakdown, consult our home inventory checklist.

What to Do When Something Arrives Damaged The moving truck arrives, the boxes come off, and you spot a crushed carton. How you handle the delivery day directly impacts your moving insurance claim.

Note the damage on the inventory sheet before signing. The driver will hand you a bingo sheet (the mover's inventory). If a box is visibly crushed, wet, or missing, write that exact detail on the paperwork before you sign it. Take photos of the damaged box. Do not open it yet. Photograph the crushed corners or water damage exactly as the movers left it. Unpack and photograph the broken item. Open the box, photograph the packing materials, and photograph the damaged item. Compare against your pre-move inventory. Pull up the photos you took before the move. You now have definitive proof of the item's previous condition versus its current state. Keep the broken item. Do not throw away the damaged belongings. The moving company or its insurance adjuster has the right to inspect the damage in person before approving your claim. File the claim immediately. Federal regulations give you nine months to file a claim for an interstate move, but doing it within the first few days yields faster results. Submit your before photos, after photos, and your original purchase receipts.

For more details on dealing with adjusters, read our insurance claim guide.

FAQ

How detailed should my moving inventory list be? Detail matters most for high-value items. You do not need to photograph every single pair of socks. Group low-value items together (e.g., "Box 14: 30 paperback books") and document expensive items individually with serial numbers and condition photos.