Question of the day: Does renters insurance cover moving?

My best advice? Call your insurance agent and ask. Unfortunately there isn't a general answer for this question since it depends on the parameters of your renters insurance policy.

Normally, if you are moving in-state, you can simply contact your renters insurance agent and submit a change of address, with no lapse in coverage. However, if you are moving out of state, the insurance company may not be able to provide coverage at your new location. Also, the personal property coverage provided by many renters' insurance policies applies only if the property is inside the primary residence – personal property away from the residence may be covered only at a percentage of the primary residence coverage.

• Here are questions you might consider asking your insurance agent to figure out if your renters insurance policy covers moving:
• Is my personal property covered while I am moving out of state?
• Does insurance coverage apply while my belongings are moving, or only once the belongings are inside the residence?
• What amount of personal property coverage do I have while my belongings are being moved (and they are away from my primary residence)?
• What losses are covered while my personal property is away from my primary residence?
• Where in my renters insurance policy does it refer coverage while moving?

Moving everything you own is a big deal. Checking out the coverage your renters insurance policy provides is a very proactive way to start the process. If you haven't already, your next step should be to research and choose movers with an excellent reputation and an impressive safety rating. ABF U-Pack Moving is one of those companies. ABF has been the winner of the ATA Excellence in Security Award an unprecedented five times and prides ourselves in having one of the best claim ratios in the industry.

Even with a reputable moving service and sufficient renters insurance coverage on your goods, with self moving we recommend that you take the necessary steps to help your belongings travel safely. You can do this by using sturdy moving boxes, wrapping furniture in moving blankets, using plastic mattress covers, wrapping fragile items in bubble wrap and securing your items tightly with tie down straps. It's also important to eliminate space in the trailer or ReloCube where items can move around in transit – using trash bags filled with linens as space fillers is an excellent solution.

If you need more helpful information to make your move as safe as possible, check out the packing tips at upack.com.