If you don’t move often we suppose you’re not quite familiar with the most common moving terms. Therefore, knowing and understanding the moving glossary is essential for professional movers and the whole moving industry. That includes estate moving companies, real estate agents, etc. So, this is important, especially when answering your clients’ questions and needs. You’ll find all the critical moving terms you should know in the following moving glossary. Therefore, keep our moving glossary nearby at all times.
Moving terms: A
Access
Access is the accessibility of the property or house where the moving company should pick up or deliver the items. Various factors influence accessibility. The location of the place, the infrastructure surrounding it, the number of stairs, the presence of the elevator, etc.
Accessorial Charges
Accessorial (Additional) charges are the fees for additional services, such as packing, unpacking, etc. These rates do not include basic services like moving.
Actual Charges
The total cost of moving from start to finish. Local and long-distance moving costs can vary significantly.
Agent
A certified employee or a representative moving company that acts on behalf of the mother company. The agents primarily handle booking, discounts and answer the client’s questions.
A.D.D and A.P.D
A.D.D ( Agreed Delivery Date) stands for two (or more) dates coincided between the client and the courier for the delivery.
A.P.D ( Agreed Pickup Date) stands for the precise time of the arrival of the shipment.
Adjustor
An individual employee that handles claims and appeals towards the moving company mostly for damage or loss of the items during packing, unpacking, transport, or even injuries.
AMSA
The American Moving and Storage Association is a renowned organization of moving and storage companies oriented towards improving and expanding the entire moving and storage industry while raising the quality of the offered services.
Moving terms: B
Bill of Landing
The lawful contract between the movers and the customer to transport the desired goods where the customer’s given signature grants the service. It also acts like a receipt containing the date, services, and absolute charge. Therefore, keep it close since it can serve as a tax deduction at the end of the year.
Binding/Non-Binding Estimate
A binding estimate: The offer in which the moving company states the complete charges of the relocation, based on the services you’ve chosen and the amount of inventory the company is obliged to move. Since the binding estimate ensures the final cost of the move, it can only be given after a visual survey of the items that need to be moved while agreeing to additional services you might need.
However, if by any chance the weight of the items you agreed on moving exceeds the binding estimate, an additional fee will be charged.
A non-binding estimate represents an approximation of the cost provided by the carrier based on the weight of the items and the desired services. A non-binding estimate is not precise, meaning that the price will range according to the exact weight of the items and chosen services.
Bulky Items
Bulky items include larger and oddly shaped objects that won’t fit in standard moving boxes and will probably require exceptional safety and individual parking spots. These are pianos, pool tables, large kitchenware devices, extensive electronics, musical instruments, campers, hot tubs, etc.
Special compensation is required for the transport of bulky items, which will not be included in the standard fee. The extra charge will vary depending on the exact weight and dimensions of the object.
Moving terms: C
Cancellation Fee
If the move is already confirmed and the customer cancels, the company will charge a cancellation fee.
Carrier
Properly licensed moving service that will transport your belongings.
Comments
Some additional information about the company.
Claim
A statement about loss, damage, or even delay of the goods that require transportation while in the responsibility of the carrier or an affiliated company.
Moving terms: D
Delivery
The actual act of transporting the desired goods to the agreed location, unloading, and handing them to the customer.
Deposit
A deposit is a specific amount of money ( usually 10-15% of the total amount) you need to pay before the fulfillment of the services.
Damage
When the item arrives at the property in a different state than when it was primarily shipped.
Moving terms: E
Estimate
An approximate evaluation of the value, cost, size, weight of the transportation service. Most certified estimates are free of charge.
Moving terms: F
Free-time
A specific period of time determined by the carrier in which no fee will be charged.
Full-Service Move
A service that contains all the tasks from start to finish, including packing, unpacking, loading, unloading, transportation, and clean up, is charged under the same fee.
Moving terms: H
High-Value Article
High-value articles include items that are of great value, mostly exceeding one hundred to two hundred dollars.
Moving terms: P
Packing Supplies
Packing supplies or packing materials include cardboard boxes, wrapping materials(bubble wrap), packing paper, packing peanuts, cushioning, packing tape, any other material used for packing services.
Moving terms: R
Refund
Refund-return of excess costs.
Moving terms: L
Local Move
Includes a move that will happen inside one state, mainly in a radius of forty miles or less.
Moving terms: M
Moving Company
It is a certified and reliable business offering a particular moving program and services while being in charge of the transport of your items.
Moving terms: P
Price
The price is a definite cost of the moving program you’ve chosen while not including charges of extra services you might want to include.
Paperwork
All forms, receipts, documents related to the moving process.
Packers
Professionals that offer various packing and unpacking services in order to prepare the items toward transportation for a certain fee.
Moving terms: T
Tariff
Includes the movers published prices, rates, charges, extra fees of the aforementioned services.
Moving terms: U
Unpacking
The entire process of unloading the goods while taking them out of their containers (mostly boxes) with the included disposal of the used packing materials. Unpacking services also include absolute unpacking of the transported items and placing them in a spot preferred by the customer.
Summary
We pointed out a universal moving glossary you should know prior to the move. Knowing these terms will help you to compare local movers. Don’t forget about the important questions to ask before hiring a moving company. Remember, if you are moving soon, explore all the available options and choose only a certified and reliable moving company that accentuates the client’s needs. Here, at Dorothy And Martha Moving, we have the answers to your questions.
