Moving Company Intake Forms & Client Questionnaires

Origin, Destination, and Move Type Classification

Every move estimate starts with three things: where is the stuff now, where is it going, and how far apart are those two points? A structured moving company intake form captures origin and destination addresses, dwelling types at both ends (apartment, house, condo, townhouse, office, storage unit), floor levels, and whether there are elevators or only stairs. The distance between origin and destination determines whether this is a local move (same metro area, hourly rate), an intrastate long-distance move, an interstate move (regulated by FMCSA, requires a USDOT number), or an international relocation (customs, freight forwarding, entirely different pricing model). Each category has different regulatory requirements, insurance structures, and pricing approaches. The intake also captures the number of bedrooms as a rough volume proxy — a studio apartment is 1,500-2,000 pounds and fits in a 10-foot truck, while a 4-bedroom house with a full basement and garage averages 8,000-10,000 pounds and needs a 26-foot truck or a tractor-trailer for long distance. Getting this wrong means sending a truck that's too small and having to make two trips, which destroys your margin.

Inventory, Specialty Items, and the Things Nobody Mentions

The moving client questionnaire walks through a room-by-room inventory that prompts clients to account for items they otherwise forget until the crew shows up. Standard furniture — beds, dressers, sofas, dining tables — is expected. What isn't expected is the baby grand piano in the living room, the 400-pound gun safe bolted to the basement floor, the hot tub on the deck that needs a crane, the pool table that requires disassembly by a certified installer, or the wine collection that needs climate-controlled transport. Antiques, fine art, and heirlooms require specialty crating and often carry separate insurance riders. The intake captures each major item: approximate weight, dimensions, whether it disassembles, whether the client will disassemble it or needs the crew to do it, and any items requiring special handling. It also asks about items movers won't transport — hazardous materials, propane tanks, ammunition, perishable food, live plants (which most interstate carriers refuse) — so the client can make alternative arrangements before moving day, not discover restrictions on the truck ramp.

Packing Services, Materials, and Storage Needs

Packing is where moving companies either add significant revenue or lose significant time to client confusion. The intake distinguishes between full-pack service (crew packs everything), partial pack (crew handles fragile items, client handles clothes and linens), and self-pack (client does all packing, crew loads and transports only). For full or partial pack, the form captures the approximate number of rooms, whether there are fragile or high-value items requiring specialty packing materials (dish packs, wardrobe boxes, mirror and picture cartons, custom crating), and whether the client wants unpacking service at the destination. Packing material costs are separate from labor on most estimates, and clients who self-pack need to know box sizes and quantities in advance — a typical 3-bedroom house uses 40-60 medium boxes, 20-30 large boxes, 10-15 wardrobe boxes, and 5-10 dish-pack boxes. Storage is another critical question: does the client need short-term storage between move-out and move-in dates, long-distance storage in transit (SIT), or long-term warehouse storage? The intake captures storage duration, temperature-sensitivity requirements, and access frequency needs so the estimator can quote the right facility and pricing structure.

Access Challenges, Building Requirements, and Scheduling

The logistics at both ends of a move generate more surprises and cost overruns than any other variable. The intake documents the access situation at origin and destination: are there stairs, and how many flights? Is there an elevator, and does it require reservation or have size limitations? Is there a loading dock, and what are the hours? Does the building require a certificate of insurance (COI) naming the building management as additional insured — common in NYC, Chicago, and most urban high-rises? Are there parking restrictions that require a temporary no-parking permit for the truck? Is the driveway long enough for a 53-foot trailer, or will the crew need to shuttle from a smaller truck? The family moving from a fourth-floor walkup in Brooklyn to a suburban house in New Jersey has completely different crew and time requirements than a ground-floor-to-ground-floor local move. Scheduling captures the preferred move date, flexibility (weekday vs. weekend, peak vs. off-peak season), the move-out deadline at origin, and the earliest move-in date at destination. For commercial moves — an office relocation that has to happen over a weekend with IT equipment disconnected Friday night and operational Monday morning — the intake adds questions about server racks, cubicle disassembly, and phased-move timelines.

Insurance, Valuation, and Liability Protection

Valuation coverage is the part of the moving process most clients don't understand until something breaks. The intake explains and captures the client's coverage choice: basic released value protection (included at no additional cost, covers items at $0.60 per pound — meaning a 50-pound flat-screen TV is worth $30 if it breaks), full replacement value protection (the carrier is liable for the current replacement cost of damaged items, with a deductible), or third-party moving insurance purchased separately. For interstate moves, carriers are required by federal law to offer both options, and the client must sign a written acknowledgment of their choice. The intake documents this election along with a declared value for any high-value items (individual items worth over $100 per pound, like jewelry or electronics, which must be separately declared to be fully covered). It also captures whether the client's homeowner's or renter's insurance covers goods in transit — most policies have limited coverage for moves and none for professional movers' negligence. The junk removal intake form is a useful companion for clients who want to downsize before the move, and the cleaning services intake form pairs with move-out cleaning arrangements.

The complete moving company intake form set is available for $12.99 as an instant-download fillable PDF. The intake form alone is $9.99 and the client questionnaire is $6.99. Built for residential and commercial movers who need accurate information at first contact to produce reliable estimates and avoid moving-day surprises.