Most customers assume their belongings are protected as soon as they leave a removalist’s truck. In most cases, they are not.
The misunderstanding is understandable. Providers on the Urgent Pro network carry insurance. But what that insurance actually protects, and what it leaves entirely unprotected, is very different from what most customers expect. Getting this wrong before your move means no options when something goes wrong after it.
The Urgent Pro network facilitates thousands of house moves across Australia every year. The damage claims that typically fail are not because the service provider is uninsured. More often than not, they fail because a type of cover was assumed to be in place that was never arranged. Before you book a removalist through Urgent Pro, understanding what each type of cover actually provides is the one step that can protect everything else during the move.
The Three Types of Cover on Any House Move
Understanding removalist insurance means separating three distinct types of cover that most customers treat as one:
- Public liability insurance
- Goods-in-transit (GIT) insurance
- The Urgent Pro Service Warranty
The Australian Furniture Removers Association (AFRA) sets the benchmark the industry operates to. Public liability covers damage your provider causes to the property of a third party. If a removalist scrapes a wall while manoeuvring a wardrobe, marks a lobby in an apartment building, or cracks a door frame during loading, public liability is the cover that responds.
Public liability will not cover your items. Items damaged during transport, such as a couch damaged in the truck or a TV cracked during loading, are not public liability events. That is an important distinction, and one that catches a lot of people off guard after the fact.
GIT insurance is a separate policy that covers the items being transported and responds to loss or damage from a number of causes, including accidents, fire, and certain events outside the provider’s control. It is a financial product, and only removalists that hold an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL), or operate as an authorised representative of an AFSL holder, can arrange GIT insurance for their customers. Not every removalist is licensed to sell it. If your provider cannot arrange GIT insurance, they should refer you to a licensed broker before the move date.
The Urgent Pro Service Warranty covers negligence by the provider during loading, transit, and unloading. This warranty covers items damaged during the move due to inadequate padding, securing, or handling by the crew. It works together with GIT. If a loss event is covered by both, GIT pays first, and the warranty backstop covers the remaining gap.
The Australian Consumer Law operates above all three layers and cannot be excluded by any of them.
What Public Liability Actually Covers
Public liability insurance covers accidental damage to third-party property and injury to persons in the course of the move. In a house move, that means walls, floors, door frames, stairwells, balustrades, lift lobbies, and building facades at both the origin and destination addresses. It also covers accidental injury to third parties during the move.
In practice, this is the cover that matters when a removalist drags a piece of furniture across hard floors, or when a fridge trolley marks a freshly painted skirting board. It also applies where a large item forces a door frame out of alignment.
This cover applies to accidents involving the property itself. It is not cover for damage to the items being moved, or for loss of items.
When customers ask “are the removalists insured?”, they are asking the wrong question. The right question is: “Does this provider carry goods-in-transit insurance for this job, and will my items be covered if something goes wrong?” That question is one part of choosing house movers with the right cover.
Goods-in-Transit Insurance: What It Covers and What Voids a Claim
GIT insurance protects your goods against loss or damage from specified events during transit. Standard GIT cover typically includes vehicle accidents and rollovers, fire, theft, and certain severe weather events during transport.
There are, however, several common exclusions that typically catch people by surprise.
Owner-packed boxes. This is the largest exclusion, and the most misunderstood. If a box is packed by the removalist, the provider can verify how it was packed and secured. If it is owner-packed, they cannot. Most GIT policies exclude damage to the contents of cartons packed by the owner, unless the customer can prove the damage was caused by an external impact to the box. Urgent Pro’s claims experience bears this out: the claims that fail most often involve owner-packed cartons where the contents were not photographed before the truck left.
Damage that occurred before the removal. Items that were already damaged before the move are not covered by a GIT policy or the Service Warranty. Documenting the condition of goods before the removal is the only way to confirm what the provider is responsible for.
Mechanical or electrical failure not caused by impact. If an appliance breaks down after the move and there is no external damage, most GIT policies will exclude coverage for that item.
One exception applies to white goods. Refrigerators and washing machines must be transported upright. A compressor in a fridge can be damaged by tilting, so keep the fridge as upright as possible and check the manufacturer’s manual for any limit on tilting. Washing machines must have transit bolts fitted before loading. If a provider fails to follow these requirements, the Service Warranty applies because the cause is provider negligence, not mechanical failure.
Undisclosed specialist items. Pianos, pool tables, large mirrors, and antique furniture may require specialist handling and a specialist crew. If these items are not disclosed at booking and something goes wrong, both the GIT claim and the Service Warranty claim may be affected. A specialist item included in a standard job without prior notice creates a complicated claim pathway on both sides.
Urgent Pro recommends GIT cover for all interstate moves, and particularly for high-value or sentimental goods. To confirm whether your provider holds an AFSL or is an authorised representative licensed to arrange GIT cover, ask them directly at the time of booking.
Does Your Home Contents Policy Cover a Move?
Many home and contents insurance policies include a goods-in-transit clause that applies when a licensed professional removalist is used. Before arranging a separate GIT policy, check your existing policy for this provision.
Owner-packed boxes are typically treated under the same exclusion as standalone GIT policies. The policy wording determines this, not the general category of cover.
High-value items such as electronics, jewellery, and artwork often carry sub-limits. Even where a transit clause is included, these items may be substantially underinsured.
Your home and contents policy may also only provide cover for the period goods are actually in transit, not during loading, unloading, or any storage gaps between properties.
If your policy includes transit cover, read the Product Disclosure Statement before relying on it. A transit clause and a transit claim paying out are two different things. Check your policy terms before the move is confirmed.
What to Ask Before You Book
Before the move date is locked in, these four questions establish the cover position clearly.
Does the provider hold GIT insurance, and are they licensed to arrange it for customers? A provider must hold an AFSL or be an authorised representative to offer GIT as a financial product. If they are not licensed, arrange cover independently through a specialist broker before the move. The provider can usually refer you to one.
Does the GIT cover include loading and unloading, or only the transport leg? Most physical damage occurs during loading and unloading, not in transit itself. Confirm whether the policy covers the full job.
What conditions apply to owner-packed boxes being covered? If you are packing cartons yourself, understand the exclusion before the move rather than after something breaks.
What is the notification window if damage is discovered? Through Urgent Pro, the standard window is 48 hours for a visual inspection and 7 days for a written claim. If there is a reason you cannot meet those timeframes, such as illness or an interstate move, contact Urgent Pro on 1300 105 453 as soon as possible. Extensions are available at Urgent Pro’s discretion.
The Pre-Move Inventory: The Most Practical Step
The most important thing you can do to protect yourself during a move is take a pre-move inventory. Describe all high-value items with any pre-existing conditions, photograph each with enough context to identify the item and its condition, and do your best to capture that condition with EXIF data intact.
High-value items are subjective, so have both parties review the inventory before signing. Make a note on the inventory of anything already in poor condition before the move begins. A signed delivery inventory with no damage noted is taken as confirmation that all items arrived in good condition.
Photograph any damage discovered at delivery before the item is moved. The position of the item and the nature of the damage both carry evidential weight.
When you pack boxes yourself, photograph the contents before sealing. That one step is what can turn a contestable owner-packed claim into a demonstrable negligent-handling one, if the box shows clear evidence of external impact.
Those planning a more complex relocation will find the full pre-move planning checklist helpful in pulling all of this together before the move date.
How Packing Method Affects Your Transit Claim
The way items are packed directly determines what the Service Warranty and GIT will cover. This is not a hypothetical question.
When a provider packs a box, the Service Warranty applies if that box is mishandled by the crew during loading, transit, or unloading. The responsibility for how the box was packed rests with the provider.
When you pack a box, damage to the contents is presumed to have been caused by the way the box was packed, unless the damage shows evidence of external handling. Impact points, crush marks, or tears on the outside of the box help support the argument that external handling caused the damage. Damage where there are no visible external marks almost certainly cannot be attributed to the crew.
The protection standards Urgent Pro’s providers apply when packing, including room-by-room methods for fragile and heavy items, are covered in how packing method affects your transit claim.
Cover Comparison
| Public Liability | Goods-in-Transit (GIT) | Urgent Pro Service Warranty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Damage to third-party property and building structures | Loss or damage to goods during transit | Damage to goods caused by provider negligence during loading, transit, or unloading |
| Payout trigger | Provider damages walls, floors, door frames, or building fabric | Vehicle accident, fire, theft, force majeure | Provider negligence in loading, securing, or handling |
| Owner-packed boxes | Not applicable | Generally excluded unless external cause is proven | Excluded for packing failures; coverage may apply if the crew mishandled the carton |
| High-value items | Not applicable | May require a separate declaration at booking; sub-limits may apply | Covered where negligence is established; specialist items require prior disclosure |
| How to activate | Claim through the provider; PL insurer assesses | Confirm GIT at booking; notify provider and Urgent Pro within 48 hours of delivery | Notify Urgent Pro within 48 hours; submit written claim within 7 days |
Making a Claim for Damage Through Urgent Pro
If something is damaged during your move:
Photograph the damage immediately, at the point of delivery, before items are moved from where they were placed.
Note the damage on the delivery inventory before the crew leaves. Signing the inventory without noting damage makes a subsequent claim harder.
Contact Urgent Pro within 48 hours of delivery: phone 1300 105 453 or email support@urgentpro.com.au.
Submit a written claim within 7 days. Include before-and-after photographs, your signed inventory, a description of the damage, and when and how it was discovered.
Urgent Pro’s standard remedies are repair, replacement, or compensation, with the appropriate option selected to best address the loss. Repair by the provider or a substitute trade is the first step where the item can be reasonably restored. If repair is not possible, replacement or compensation follows. Standard remedies are scheduled within 14 days of claim acceptance.
Items that fall outside standard transit cover, including specialist equipment, certain antiques, and items not disclosed at booking, are covered separately in what falls outside the standard removalist agreement.
For the full scope of what the Removalists Service Warranty covers and how the Australian Consumer Law protects your rights during a move, see the service warranty and what it covers.
FAQs
Are my belongings insured during a house move in Australia?
Not automatically. Your belongings are covered against damage caused by provider negligence through the Urgent Pro Service Warranty, and against third-party property damage through the provider’s public liability insurance. Loss or damage from non-negligent transit events, such as a vehicle accident or fire, requires a separate goods-in-transit policy. Confirm at booking whether your provider can arrange GIT, and check your existing home and contents policy for any transit clause before the move.
What does removalist transit cover actually include?
GIT insurance generally covers vehicle accidents, fire, theft, and certain severe weather events during transport. It will not generally cover damage inside owner-packed boxes, pre-existing damage, or mechanical failure where there is no external evidence of impact. Coverage scope varies between policies. Confirm the specific inclusions and exclusions with the provider before the move, not after.
Will my home insurance protect my move?
Some home and contents policies include a transit clause that applies when a licensed professional removalist is used. However, conditions apply. Owner-packed boxes may be excluded, high-value items often carry sub-limits, and you may need to notify your insurer before the move date. Read your Product Disclosure Statement and speak with your insurer to confirm what applies to your specific situation before the move.
What happens if a removalist damages my furniture?
If the damage was caused by the provider’s negligence during packing, loading, transport, or unloading, the Urgent Pro Service Warranty applies. Photograph the damage before anything is moved at the delivery point, note it on the inventory before the crew leaves, and contact Urgent Pro within 48 hours on 1300 105 453. Submit a written claim within 7 days. Standard remedy is repair, replacement, or compensation, scheduled within 14 days of claim acceptance.
How do I make a claim if something is damaged during a move?
Photograph the damage at delivery before items are moved. Note it on the inventory before signing. Contact Urgent Pro within 48 hours on 1300 105 453 or at support@urgentpro.com.au. Submit a written claim within 7 days, including your inventory, photographs, and a description of the damage and how it was discovered. If there is a genuine reason you cannot inspect within 48 hours, such as an interstate move, contact Urgent Pro as soon as possible to discuss a discretionary extension.