By the Templateez Team · Licensed Attorney · June 2026

Intake Forms for Moving Companies and Relocation Services: Inventory, Liability, and Valuation Documentation

A moving company intake form is not a scheduling tool. It is a risk allocation document. Every line on it answers a version of the same question: when this person’s entire household is loaded onto a truck and driven across town or across the country, who is responsible for what?

The answer to that question depends on what was inventoried, what valuation coverage the customer selected, what condition the furniture and property were in before the crew touched anything, whether the customer packed the boxes themselves, and whether the access conditions at both locations were disclosed or discovered on arrival. A moving company that captures all of that at intake is protected. A moving company that captures an address and a date is exposed to every dispute that follows.

This is a breakdown of what a moving services intake form needs to cover and why each section exists as a risk management function, not just an operational convenience.

Pre-move inventory: the foundation of every estimate and every claim

The inventory is the single most important section on a moving intake form because it drives two things simultaneously: the accuracy of the estimate and the defensibility of the claim. An inventory that misses items means a quote that undershoots the actual cost. An inventory that is vague about condition means a damage dispute with no baseline. Both problems are expensive, and both are preventable.

Room-by-room documentation. Walk the client through every room in the home: living room, dining room, kitchen, each bedroom, bathrooms, home office, garage, basement, attic, outdoor areas, storage units, and any off-site storage. For each room, capture furniture pieces by type and quantity, estimated box count, and anything that needs special handling. A “two-bedroom apartment” where the client forgot to mention the fully loaded garage and the storage unit across town is a job that runs 40% over estimate.

High-value items require their own section. Electronics — large-screen televisions, desktop computers, home theater receivers, gaming consoles. Antiques — heirloom dining sets, vintage armoires, collectible furniture. Artwork — framed paintings, sculptures, gallery pieces that may require custom crating. Musical instruments — pianos, cellos, harps, drum kits. Safes — gun safes, fire safes, document safes that may weigh 500 to 1,200 pounds. For each high-value item, capture the declared replacement value. That number is the basis for the valuation conversation that follows and the ceiling on any future claim.

Items requiring special handling. Pianos require a piano board, strapping, and often a specialized crew. Pool tables require disassembly of the slate, which is fragile and extremely heavy. Hot tubs may require a crane or specialized rigging. Grandfather clocks need the pendulum and weights secured separately, and the case must travel upright. These items are not just expensive — they require equipment your crew may not carry on a standard truck. The intake form is where you identify them so you can plan, price, and staff accordingly.

Disassembly and reassembly. Platform beds, bunk beds, four-poster frames, sectional sofas, modular bookshelves, entertainment centers, dining tables with removable leaves, standing desks with motorized frames. Your crew needs to know what is coming apart and going back together so they bring the right tools, allocate the right time, and document the hardware. A king-sized bed frame with fourteen bolts and a headboard is an hour of combined labor that does not appear in any box count.

Valuation and liability coverage: the field that generates the most disputes

Insurance and valuation is where moving companies face more complaints, more regulatory scrutiny, and more small claims court appearances than any other area of their business. It is also the section most intake forms treat as a checkbox instead of a conversation. The intake form needs to explain the options, document the customer’s choice, and create a record that holds up if there is a dispute.

Released Value Protection — 60 cents per pound per article. For interstate moves, FMCSA requires every mover to offer this as the default, no-additional-cost option. It covers the customer’s belongings at $0.60 per pound per article. That means a 10-pound laptop worth $2,500 is covered for $6. A 50-pound flat-screen television worth $1,800 is covered for $30. Most customers do not understand this until something breaks, and when they discover the math, they are furious. The intake form is where you make the math explicit — not buried in paragraph 14 of a terms document, but stated plainly next to the selection checkbox.

Full Value Protection. The customer’s items are covered at their current replacement value, subject to a deductible the customer selects (typically $250, $500, or $1,000 — higher deductibles lower the premium). For interstate moves, FMCSA requires movers to offer this option and document the customer’s selection in writing. The intake form should capture the deductible amount chosen, the total declared value of the shipment, and the premium charged. If the customer declines Full Value Protection and selects Released Value instead, your intake form needs a clear, signed acknowledgment that the customer understood both options and made a deliberate choice. That acknowledgment is your defense when the damage claim arrives.

Third-party moving insurance. Some customers purchase separate coverage from a third-party insurer. Your intake should ask whether outside coverage exists and capture the provider name and policy number. This matters during claims adjudication — the adjuster needs to know every policy in play to determine coverage coordination.

High-value item declarations. Items exceeding $100 per pound in value — jewelry, fine electronics, artwork, collectibles — need individual written declarations with their specific value. Under FMCSA regulations, the mover’s liability for any single article defaults to the declared value unless the customer provides a specific written declaration of higher value. Missing this field means the mover’s exposure is undefined, which is bad for the mover and bad for the customer. The intake form is where you close that gap by documenting every field that creates liability exposure.

Pre-existing condition documentation: the evidence that prevents false claims

Before a single piece of furniture goes on the truck, the intake form should establish a pre-existing condition baseline for both the customer’s belongings and the properties involved.

Furniture and item condition. Scratches on the dining table. A chip in the dresser drawer. A tear in the sofa upholstery. A dent in the washing machine. If it exists before the move, it needs to be documented before the move. Your intake form should include a condition log where the estimator or crew chief can note visible damage to major items at the origin. Time-stamped photographs are even better, and the intake form should state that your crew will be photographing items as part of the pre-move process.

Property condition at origin. Scuff marks on hallway walls, scratches on hardwood floors, a cracked doorframe, a ding in the elevator interior. Your crew is going to be moving heavy objects through narrow spaces, and if the wall already has a gouge in it, you need a record that predates your work. The intake form should notify the customer that property condition will be documented before loading begins.

Property condition at destination. The same documentation process applies at the delivery end. Many buildings require movers to sign a property condition report before unloading. Your intake should tell the customer this will happen and encourage them to walk through the destination and photograph any existing damage before the crew arrives.

This is not paranoia. It is the difference between resolving a damage dispute with evidence and resolving it with your word against theirs. The intake form sets the expectation that documentation happens at every stage, so neither party is surprised.

Access and logistics: the details that determine whether move day runs or collapses

A moving crew that discovers on arrival that there is no elevator in a 10-story building, that the truck cannot park within 300 feet of the front door, and that the building requires a certificate of insurance that was never ordered is a crew that is standing idle while the office scrambles. Every one of those surprises is a field that should have been on the intake form.

• Elevator availability — does the building have one? Is it a freight elevator or a passenger elevator? What are the interior dimensions? Can a mattress fit standing upright? Does the elevator need to be reserved in advance, and if so, what is the lead time? Many buildings in major cities require a two-week advance reservation for move-day elevator access.
• Stairs — if no elevator, how many flights? Stair carries add time, labor, and risk. Most companies charge a per-flight surcharge. The intake is where you disclose and document that.
• Long carry distance — the distance from the truck to the front door. Anything over 75 feet is typically considered a long carry and triggers a surcharge. Gated communities where the truck parks at the gate and items are shuttled to the unit, high-rise buildings where the loading dock is a five-minute walk from the apartment, rural properties with long driveways — all of these need to be captured.
• Parking restrictions — can a full-size moving truck park in the driveway, on the street, in a loading zone? Does the location require a city parking permit, cones to reserve a space, or a commercial vehicle pass? In cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco, truck parking alone can take days to arrange through the permitting office.
• Building management requirements — certificate of insurance (COI) naming the building as additional insured, elevator reservation, loading dock scheduling, floor protection requirements, move-in/move-out windows (many buildings restrict moves to weekday business hours), refundable deposits. If any of these are required and not arranged in advance, the building can refuse entry and the entire move day is lost.
• Storage needs — does the customer need temporary storage between move-out and move-in? This adds a second handling to every item and should be quoted separately. Capture whether the storage is short-term (days to weeks, bridging a closing gap) or long-term (months, while a new home is built or renovated), whether climate control is required (for electronics, leather, artwork, wine, wooden instruments), and how frequently the customer will need access to the stored items.

Interstate vs. local moves: the regulatory divide

The distinction between an interstate move and a local move is not just geographic — it is regulatory. Interstate moves trigger federal oversight by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and your intake form needs to reflect that.

Interstate moves require: an active USDOT number and MC (Motor Carrier) number displayed on the estimate, Bill of Lading, and inventory; a written estimate (binding or non-binding) provided before the move; a Bill of Lading that serves as the contract of carriage; an inventory list completed at the origin and signed by both parties; valuation coverage options (Released Value and Full Value Protection) offered and documented; weight tickets if the move is priced by weight. Your intake form should capture the move as interstate from the first contact so your office knows the full documentation package is required.

Binding vs. non-binding estimates. A binding estimate guarantees the price will not exceed the quoted amount, even if actual weight or time exceeds the estimate. A non-binding estimate is the mover’s best projection, and the final bill can exceed it — but for interstate moves, FMCSA limits the amount due at delivery to 110% of the original estimate, with the balance payable within 30 days. Your intake should identify which type of estimate the customer is receiving and explain the difference. The estimate type is a trust-building conversation, not a footnote.

Local moves follow state regulations, which vary. Some states require written estimates for moves above a certain dollar threshold. Some require specific licensing. Some have their own valuation disclosure requirements. Your intake form should be built for the most demanding regulatory environment you serve, not the least.

Packing services: where liability shifts based on who packed the box

Packing is not an add-on service. It is a liability determination. Who packed the box determines who is responsible when the contents are damaged, and the intake form is where that determination is documented.

Full pack. The moving company packs everything — wrapping, boxing, crating. The company assumes responsibility for pack quality, which means the company is liable if items break due to inadequate packing.

Partial pack. The company packs specific categories — typically fragiles only (glassware, china, artwork, mirrors, electronics). The customer packs everything else. Liability splits: the company covers the items it packed, and the customer bears responsibility for items they packed themselves.

Client-packed items — the critical distinction. Most moving companies will not cover damage to items inside client-packed boxes (often called “PBO” — packed by owner). The rationale is straightforward: the crew has no way to verify that items in a sealed, client-packed box were properly wrapped and protected. If a box of wine glasses arrives shattered and the customer packed it with newspaper and no bubble wrap, the mover is not liable. But if the intake form does not document that the customer packed those boxes and does not disclose the liability exclusion, the dispute is ambiguous. Your intake should include a clear section identifying which items or rooms the customer is packing, a disclosure that PBO items are not covered under the mover’s valuation protection, and the customer’s acknowledgment.

Fragile-only pack. A middle option where the company handles only items that are genuinely fragile — crystal, mirrors, flat-screen TVs, framed artwork. The intake should list the specific items designated for professional packing so the crew arrives with the right materials.

Storage intake: a separate risk profile

When a customer needs storage between origin and destination — because closing dates do not align, a renovation is not finished, or a relocation timeline is uncertain — the intake form needs to capture a separate set of risk factors.

• Duration — short-term (days to weeks) or long-term (months). Duration affects pricing, insurance requirements, and the type of facility used.
• Climate control — required for electronics, wooden musical instruments, leather furniture, artwork, wine, photographs, and anything sensitive to temperature or humidity swings. A baby grand piano stored in a non-climate-controlled warehouse through a humid summer will not sound the same when it comes out.
• Access frequency — does the customer need to retrieve items from storage during the storage period? Some warehouse-style storage facilities seal items in vaults with no access. Others allow scheduled retrieval. This needs to be established at intake, not discovered when the customer calls needing their winter clothes.
• Insurance during storage — the mover’s valuation coverage may or may not extend to the storage period. If it does not, the customer needs to arrange separate storage insurance. The intake form should disclose whether coverage applies during storage and, if not, recommend the customer obtain third-party coverage before items enter the facility.
• Inventory at storage entry — a second inventory should be taken when items go into storage, documenting condition at that point. If items spend four months in a warehouse and emerge with damage, the question is whether the damage occurred during transport, during storage, or during the second handling. A storage-entry inventory helps answer that question.

Commercial and office moves: a different animal entirely

A commercial move is not a residential move with different furniture. It has its own logistics, its own liability profile, and its own intake requirements. If your company handles office relocations, your intake form needs a commercial section that captures what residential fields do not.

IT equipment handling. Servers, desktop workstations, monitors, network equipment, phone systems, printers, copiers. IT equipment is both high-value and operationally critical — a damaged server is not just a replacement cost, it is business downtime. Your intake should capture what IT equipment is moving, whether IT staff will disconnect and reconnect it, whether your crew is handling the physical transport only, and whether any equipment requires climate-controlled transport.

Employee desk assignments. In a large office move, every desk, chair, file cabinet, and personal box needs to arrive at the right workstation in the new space. Your intake should establish the labeling and mapping system — color-coded labels by department, numbered floor plans, employee assignment sheets. This is logistics, but it is logistics that fails catastrophically without documentation.

Confidential document handling. Law firms, medical offices, financial advisors, and accounting firms have legal obligations regarding the security of client records during transport. Your intake should capture whether any materials require chain-of-custody documentation, sealed containers, or supervised transport.

After-hours and phased scheduling. Most commercial moves happen on weekends or overnight to minimize business disruption. Some large relocations are phased over multiple weekends — one department per weekend. Your intake should capture the proposed schedule, building access hours, security requirements (key cards, escort policies), and any building rules about freight elevator usage, loading dock scheduling, or noise restrictions during off-hours. Understanding these constraints upfront is what separates a qualified commercial client from a project that derails on execution.

Timing, scheduling, and peak season pricing

Moving is intensely seasonal. June through August accounts for roughly 40% of annual volume. Weekends and month-end dates are disproportionately in demand because they align with lease cycles and school calendars. Your intake form should capture scheduling factors that affect both availability and pricing.

• Move date flexibility — can the customer move a day earlier or later? A weekday instead of Saturday? Flexibility is how you manage peak-season demand without turning away business.
• Delivery window for long-distance moves — long-distance moves do not typically deliver on a guaranteed date. They deliver within a window — often 7 to 14 business days. Your intake should state the delivery window so the customer can plan accordingly. If the customer needs a specific delivery date, capture that requirement — guaranteed delivery dates are available from most carriers at a premium.
• Peak vs. off-peak pricing — if your company charges higher rates during peak season (summer, month-end, weekends), the intake form is where that pricing differential is disclosed. A customer who booked in March for a July Saturday move should know the rate before the truck arrives.

The claims process: documented at intake, not discovered after damage

The worst time for a customer to learn how to file a damage claim is after their grandmother’s china cabinet arrives with a cracked door. The intake form should outline the claims process so the customer has the information before anything goes wrong.

Filing method. How does the customer submit a claim? Written letter? Online form? Email to a specific address? Capture the process and provide it at intake.

Filing deadline. For interstate moves, FMCSA regulations give the customer nine months from the date of delivery to file a written claim. The mover then has 30 days to acknowledge receipt and 120 days to pay, deny, or make a settlement offer. These deadlines are federal law, not company policy. Your intake form should reference them so the customer knows the timeline exists and the clock is running.

Documentation requirements. What does the customer need to include with a claim? Photographs of the damage, the original inventory with noted pre-existing conditions, the valuation selection form, receipts or appraisals for high-value items. The intake form should list these so the customer knows to preserve them, not discard them after unpacking.

Dispute resolution. For interstate moves, FMCSA requires movers to participate in an arbitration program and offer it to the shipper. Your intake should disclose whether your company uses arbitration, mediation, or another resolution mechanism, and identify the program by name. This is not optional for interstate carriers — it is a regulatory requirement.

The intake form as a risk allocation system

A moving company intake form that captures all of this — room-by-room inventory with declared values, valuation coverage selection with clear explanations, pre-existing condition documentation, access logistics at both ends, regulatory requirements for interstate moves, packing liability determinations, storage risk factors, commercial move specifications, scheduling constraints, and the claims process — is not just a form. It is the operating document for every job your company runs.

Your estimator uses it to price accurately. Your dispatcher uses it to staff and equip correctly. Your crew chief uses it to know what requires special handling before the truck is loaded. Your office uses it to resolve disputes with evidence instead of memory. And your customer uses it to understand what they are paying for, what is covered, what is not, and what happens when something goes wrong.

Moving is a trust business. The customer is handing over everything they own. The intake form is where you earn that trust by demonstrating you have thought through every scenario they are worried about — and a few they have not considered yet. The documentation standards that define a professional operation start with the first form the customer sees.