Your move is nearly over. You’re in the home stretch. As the moving truck pulls away, your next job begins: settling into a new home. The work you do now, unpacking, setting up house and meeting the neighbors, sets the stage for your new life.
Here’s an organized plan for unpacking and getting established while enjoying yourself from day one.
Establish a beachhead
After you’ve paid the movers and looked around, take stock.
By now, you probably know if any of your boxes are missing. Before the movers left, you:
- Checked every box against the inventory that you or the movers created as the boxes came off the truck. (If you didn’t use a mover, you didn’t need an inventory, since your stuff stayed with you.)
- Inspected each piece of furniture and the outside of each box for damage.
- Pointed out any problems to the driver and wrote a description of damage on the driver’s inventory sheet before signing it.
- Declined any offer from the mover to settle a claim right then and there. It’s better to get an estimate or appraisal first so you know the replacement or repair cost.
- Asked the driver for a form to use in making a claim against the insurance you bought from the mover.
Damage, too, may be evident right away (dinged or dropped containers are clues). But some damage may not show up until you unpack. If you discover later that something’s missing or broken, here’s how to proceed:
- Get a claim form from your moving company if you haven’t obtained one from the driver. You’ve got nine months from your delivery date to file it. The mover then has 30 days to reply and 120 days reject it or make an offer.
- When making a claim, give lots of detailed description. If you don’t know replacement values, do research to identify an item that’s similar.
- Keep pencil and paper handy as you unpack to record damaged items, including the inventory numbers of the boxes they were in.
- Photograph any breakage from several angles. Also, photograph the damaged box.
- Send the claim form by certified mail.
- Hold on to damaged boxes and packing material until your claim is resolved.
If a dispute arises with the moving company, whether over charges, a claim or another point of contention, there are several things you can do:
- Moving companies must provide neutral dispute resolution, says “Tips for a successful interstate move” by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The mover should have informed you about the service when you signed a contract.
- You can file a complaint against the mover online with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or call them at 888-368-7238, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern time).
- If you suspect fraud or violation in an out-of-state move , complain to the Department of Transportation’s hot line: hotline@oig.dot.gov, phone 800-424-9071, fax 540-373-2090 or write DOT Inspector General, P.O. Box 708, Fredericksburg, VA 22404.
- For moves within a state, contact your state’s attorney general (find your state’s AG in this National Association of Attorneys General directory).
- File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
About those boxes
Reassemble and place furniture where you want it and get everything out of boxes and into its new home. (First, take a look around to locate the electrical and cable outlets.)
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Unpacking will consume several days — at least. While you’re unpacking, your new life is beginning: New neighbors may show up to say hello, family members are beginning new jobs and new schools, and you’re getting to know your new community.
If you’ve packed well, the pressure’s off, because you have what you need close at hand, says Sandee Payne, author of “Move Your House: Plan It, Organize It & Decorate It” and “That Military House: Move It, Organize It & Decorate It.”
Payne is an interior decorator, a military wife and the mother of two. It’s tempting to call her a good sport — she moved seven times in her first 10 years of marriage — but she says moving is an adventure, and besides, it’s all part of the military life.
Read: Pack your house like a pro
The trick in unpacking, Payne says, is to have prepared a box of essentials for each room and open these boxes first so you can function out of them while assembling the rest of the house. It’s like camping out.
With no need to search for the toilet paper or a child’s favorite toy, Payne unpacks in a leisurely, systematic fashion, opening one box at a time, identifying and recording any damage.
“Try to stay focused,” she counsels. Get one room to completion before starting the next. Payne says she can unpack a four-bedroom house in about three days.
