It’s essential to know how much your relocation will cost you in the very beginning of your moving preparations so that you can set up your moving budget accordingly and keep things under your constant financial supervision. And one good way to receive precise cost estimation for your move is to have a moving expert come over to your home and perform a careful survey of your entire household, including all the things you have for transportation.
If you’re moving to another state in the country, your interstate moving company is required by law to prepare a written estimate of the relocation costs. Do not agree to receive estimates over the phone or the Internet – they can never be as accurate as the ones issued after a detailed home survey. So, request an in-house inspection from your interstate mover and then ask for a written moving estimate.
Now, there are 2 types of moving estimates – binding and non-binding, and you must know the major differences between them in order to choose the best one for your residential move across the country.
Binding moving estimate
A binding moving estimate is a written agreement that includes the total relocation cost which has been estimated on the basis of the overall weight (or sometimes cubic feet) of the household items and the distance to the final destination point. Despite the fact that this type of estimate contains the word “binding”, note that the stated price is not guaranteed to be the final sum you will pay in the end. Interstate movers have the right to not honor their binding estimate, and revise it or turn it into a non-binding one if they assess that there are more items to pack and/or load than originally surveyed. In either way, you should pay close attention to any changes in the binding moving estimate and agree to the new conditions, if any, by signing it.
Also, despite the already issued binding moving estimate, if your intestate moving company had to do any additional services in order to complete the moving job, you will be asked to pay for these accessorial services upon delivery of the household items and prior to their unloading.
In most cases, moving companies charge for the issue of binding moving estimates.
Non-binding moving estimate
A non-binding moving estimate gives you a general idea of what the final relocation cost will be. Before your mover issues such a non-binding estimate, they are required to explain to you clearly and unambiguously that the actual moving costs may, and in most cases will, exceed the estimated price. And although there is a rule which forbids interstate movers to collect more than 110% of the price stated in their non-binding estimates, that same rule will not apply in the case when a moving company had to perform additional services to complete the move after the household items have been loaded.
Non-binding moving estimates are issued free of charge.
Which moving estimate should I choose?
Despite the fact that a written binding moving estimate will not usually be offered for free, this is the type of moving estimate that you should always request from your moving company simply because it will give you a much more precise idea of how much your interstate move will cost.
