When you hand your belongings over to a moving company, or load them into a rented truck yourself, a reasonable question comes up: what happens if something gets damaged or goes missing? The answer depends on what type of coverage you have in place, and the options are more varied than most people realize.
This guide covers everything you need to know about moving insurance in Canada: the difference between valuation coverage and actual insurance, what released value and full value protection mean in practice, whether your existing home or renters insurance covers your move, what third-party moving insurance offers, how much coverage costs, and how to decide which option makes sense for your situation.
Valuation Coverage vs. Moving Insurance: An Important Distinction
The first thing worth understanding is that what most moving companies offer is not insurance. It is valuation coverage, and the difference matters.
Valuation coverage defines how much a moving company is legally liable for if your belongings are damaged or lost while in their care. It is the moving company taking on a defined level of financial responsibility for your goods. It is not a separate insurance policy, it is not regulated by provincial insurance regulators, and it does not come with the same consumer protections that an actual insurance product does.
Moving insurance, on the other hand, is a product issued by a licensed insurance company. You pay a premium, and the insurer covers loss or damage up to the limits of your policy. It is a separate financial product with its own claims process, governed by provincial insurance law.
In practice, most people use the terms interchangeably, and most of the time the distinction does not matter. But when it comes to claims, understanding which type of coverage you have and who is responsible for paying it helps you navigate the process correctly.
Short version: the coverage your moving company provides is valuation coverage (their legal liability for your goods). Actual moving insurance comes from a licensed insurer and is a separate purchase.
Types of Coverage: What Your Options Actually Are
Released Value Protection (Basic Valuation)
Released value protection is the default coverage that every professional moving company in Canada is required to include at no additional charge. It is also the most minimal form of protection available.
Under released value, the mover is liable for a maximum of $0.60 per pound per article. That figure sounds reasonable until you think through what it means for actual belongings. A laptop weighing three pounds has a released value protection payout of $1.80. A large flat-screen television weighing 30 pounds pays out $18. A high-end camera body weighing two pounds pays out $1.20. For any item that is valuable relative to its weight (which describes most electronics, jewellery, art, and instruments), released value protection provides almost no meaningful financial protection.
Despite that limitation, released value is what most moves proceed with by default, largely because it is free and because most moves arrive without damage. For a household of average belongings moving a moderate distance with a reputable mover, released value may be a reasonable choice. For anyone with high-value items, it is worth considering the alternatives.
Full Value Protection (Enhanced Valuation)
Full value protection is the higher tier of valuation coverage offered by moving companies. Under this option, if an item is lost or damaged during the move, the mover is responsible for repairing it, replacing it with a comparable item, or paying you its current market value at the time of the loss.
This is a significantly more meaningful level of protection than released value, and it is how most people intuitively expect moving coverage to work. The laptop that gets cracked during the move is replaced. The antique lamp that arrives broken is assessed at fair market value and compensated accordingly.
Full value protection comes at a cost. Most moving companies charge approximately 1 to 2 percent of the declared value of your shipment. For a household with $50,000 worth of belongings, that works out to $500 to $1,000 added to your moving cost. The premium varies by company and by the deductible structure you select (a higher deductible lowers the premium).
Important caveat: most full value protection policies have exclusions. Items that were packed by the owner rather than the moving company are often excluded from damage claims, or covered only for total loss (not damage). High-value items (typically defined as anything exceeding $100 per pound in value) may need to be declared separately and may not be fully covered without a specific high-value rider. Read the terms carefully before assuming full value protection covers everything in your shipment.
| Coverage Type | Cost | Payout Basis | Best For |
| Released Value Protection | Free (included) | $0.60 per pound per item | Moves with low-value or heavy items where cost of loss is low |
| Full Value Protection | 1 to 2% of declared shipment value | Repair, replace, or current market value | Most households, recommended for anyone with valuable belongings |
| Third-Party Transit Insurance | Approx. $1.25 per pound or premium-based | Full replacement value up to policy limits | High-value collections, art, jewellery, antiques, long-distance international moves |
| Homeowners or Renters Insurance Extension | Free or small endorsement fee | Named perils only (fire, theft, collision), typically 10% of personal property limit | Supplement to valuation coverage for catastrophic loss, not for damage during handling |
Does Renters Insurance or Homeowners Insurance Cover Your Move?
This is one of the most common questions about moving insurance, and the answer is: partly, with significant limitations.
Most Canadian homeowners and renters insurance policies include what is called off-premises coverage (sometimes called contents away from home). This extends your personal property coverage to your belongings when they are not in your home, including during a move. However, there are two important constraints.
First, off-premises coverage under most Canadian policies typically covers named perils only. That means it covers damage caused by specific listed events, such as fire, theft, vandalism, or a vehicle collision. It does not cover the day-to-day handling damage that is the most common source of moving losses: a dropped television, cracked dishes, a scratched dining table, furniture damaged during loading. For everyday moving damage, your home policy is unlikely to help.
Second, off-premises coverage is usually capped at a percentage of your total personal property limit, often around 10 percent. If your policy covers $100,000 worth of contents, your off-premises coverage might be limited to $10,000. For a large household move, this limit may not be adequate.
The practical takeaway: your home or renters insurance is a useful backstop for catastrophic events during a move (a fire at the storage facility, the moving truck being stolen). It is not a substitute for valuation coverage or transit insurance for the ordinary damage risks of a move. Call your insurance provider before your move to confirm what your specific policy covers and whether a temporary endorsement is available to extend coverage for the transit period.
Always call your insurance provider before your move. Ask specifically: does my policy cover contents in transit during a move, what perils are covered, is there an off-premises cap, and is there a temporary endorsement I can add for the move period?
Third-Party Moving Insurance
Third-party transit insurance is a standalone policy purchased from a licensed insurance company (rather than from your moving company). It covers your belongings during the move against a broader range of risks than your home policy’s off-premises coverage, and it can be structured to provide full replacement value rather than actual cash value or per-pound payouts.
Third-party insurance is particularly worth considering in the following situations:
- You have high-value items such as art, antiques, jewellery, musical instruments, or collectibles that exceed the per-pound limits of your moving company’s full value protection.
- You are moving internationally, where multiple transit points (truck, port, ship, customs storage, delivery truck) create more opportunities for damage or loss than a domestic move.
- Your items are being stored for a period during the move, and you want coverage during the storage period in addition to the transit period.
- You have packed your own belongings and are concerned that the moving company’s full value protection excludes owner-packed items.
Third-party transit insurance is generally more expensive than moving company full value protection. Rates typically run approximately $1.25 per pound of shipment, though premium-based structures tied to declared value are also available. Get a specific quote before assuming the cost is prohibitive, because for a household with genuinely high-value items, the premium may be very reasonable relative to the exposure.
One important note for Canadians: the term moving insurance is used loosely, and some products marketed as moving insurance are actually valuation products (the moving company’s liability) presented as if they are separate insurance. A genuine third-party insurance product will come with a policy number, an insurance company name that you can verify as a licensed Canadian insurer, and a separate claims process that does not go through the moving company. If the product you are being sold comes only from the mover and has no separate insurer behind it, it is valuation coverage, not insurance.
Moving Insurance for DIY Moves
Does my auto insurance cover a rental moving truck?
No, in most cases. Personal auto insurance policies in Canada cover the vehicles listed on the policy. A rented moving truck is a commercial vehicle, and most personal auto policies specifically exclude coverage for commercial vehicles or large trucks above a certain weight threshold.
When you rent a moving truck in Canada, the rental company will offer a collision damage waiver (CDW) and sometimes supplemental liability coverage. These are not insurance products in the traditional sense (a CDW is a waiver of the rental company’s right to charge you for damage to the truck), but they provide meaningful financial protection if the truck is damaged in an accident.
Check with your personal auto insurance provider before your rental to confirm exactly what is and is not covered. Some credit cards also provide rental vehicle coverage that may extend to moving trucks, though most have weight or commercial vehicle exclusions. Do not assume coverage exists without confirming it specifically for the vehicle type you are renting.
Coverage for your belongings in a rental truck
If you are renting a truck and moving yourself, your belongings are not covered by the truck rental company’s insurance. Their coverage relates to the vehicle only.
For your belongings during a DIY move, your options are: rely on your homeowners or renters insurance off-premises coverage (with the limitations described above), purchase a standalone transit insurance policy, or self-insure and accept the risk.
If you are moving a household with significant value, calling your home insurance provider before the move to confirm your coverage and consider a temporary endorsement is worth the 15-minute phone call. The cost of extending your coverage for the move period is typically low. The cost of replacing a valuable item without coverage is not.
Does renters insurance cover moving?
Renters insurance (called tenant insurance in Canada) covers your personal belongings against named perils while they are in your home. The off-premises provision in most Canadian renters policies extends this coverage to your belongings while they are elsewhere, including during a move. The same limitations apply as with homeowners insurance: named perils only, typically fire, theft, and vehicle collision, and a cap (usually 10 percent of your contents limit) on off-premises claims.
So the short answer is: renters insurance provides limited coverage during a move for specific catastrophic events, but not for the dropping, scratching, and handling damage that causes most moving losses. It is a starting point, not a complete solution.
Who Insures Your Valuables During a Move?
The question of who is responsible for your valuables during a move is worth thinking through explicitly, because the answer is different depending on what type of coverage you have in place and what type of damage occurs.
Under released value protection: the moving company is responsible for up to $0.60 per pound per item, regardless of actual value. For a valuable item that is lightweight, this is close to no protection at all.
Under full value protection: the moving company is responsible for repair, replacement, or current market value. But items packed by the owner may be excluded, and items exceeding the per-pound value threshold may require a separate declaration and may not be fully covered.
Under a third-party transit policy: the insurance company is responsible up to your policy limits, subject to the policy’s terms and exclusions.
Under your homeowners or renters policy: your insurer is responsible for covered perils (fire, theft, vehicle collision) up to your off-premises cap.
For genuinely high-value items including jewellery, art, instruments, and antiques, the safest approach is a combination: declare high-value items specifically when purchasing full value protection (most movers have a process for this), or purchase a third-party policy that specifically covers the items in question. For irreplaceable items with sentimental rather than monetary value, transport them yourself rather than putting them on the truck.
Items that cannot be replaced, including family heirlooms, irreplaceable photographs, and sentimental objects, should travel with you, not in the moving truck. No insurance product compensates for irreplaceability.
What Moving Insurance Does Not Cover
Understanding exclusions is as important as understanding what is covered. Across all types of moving coverage, the following items and situations are commonly excluded:
- Items packed by owner (PBO): Most moving company valuation policies exclude damage claims for items the owner packed themselves. If the box was packed by you and arrives damaged, the mover can argue the damage resulted from improper packing. Items you want covered by full value protection should generally be packed by the moving company.
- High-value items not declared: Full value protection typically has a per-pound value threshold (often $100 per pound). A camera body worth $3,000 and weighing two pounds exceeds this threshold. Items in this category need to be declared on a high-value inventory and may require an additional premium to be fully covered.
- Jewellery, cash, and documents: Almost all moving coverage excludes cash, financial instruments, passports, legal documents, and jewellery. These should travel with you personally.
- Plants and perishable food: Not covered under any moving policy.
- Pre-existing damage: Damage that existed before the move is not covered. A moving company will note pre-existing damage on the condition report at pickup. Review this carefully and add anything that is missing before signing.
- Mechanical or electrical failure: If an appliance stops working after the move but there is no visible physical damage, most policies will not cover it as a moving claim. The presumption is that the item was not physically damaged during transit.
- Normal wear and tear: Settling, minor scuffs, and normal deterioration during transit are generally excluded.
How Much Does Moving Insurance Cost?
Moving insurance cost in Canada varies based on the type of coverage, the declared value of your shipment, the distance of the move, and the deductible you select.
Released value protection is free. It is included by default in every professional move and costs nothing extra.
Full value protection typically costs 1 to 2 percent of your declared shipment value. For a household declaring $40,000 of belongings, expect to pay roughly $400 to $800. Choosing a higher deductible (for example, $500 or $1,000 rather than $250) reduces the premium. Most moving companies offer a range of deductible options.
Third-party transit insurance pricing varies more widely. Some policies are structured on a per-pound basis (approximately $1.25 per pound of shipment weight). Others are premium-based on declared value, similar to full value protection. For a large or high-value shipment, get a specific quote from a transit insurance provider before assuming the cost is prohibitive.
For context: a household with $60,000 of declared belongings buying full value protection at 1.5 percent would pay $900 for the coverage. That is roughly the value of a single mid-range laptop. For most households, the question is not whether full value protection is worth the cost, but whether the lower-cost protection adequately covers the specific risks in their move.
How to Choose the Right Moving Insurance
The right coverage for your move depends on four things: the value of what you are moving, the distance of the move, who is doing the packing, and what existing coverage you already have.
Step 1: Take a basic inventory of high-value items
You do not need a formal appraisal for everything, but spend 20 minutes identifying the items in your home that would cost the most to replace. Electronics, instruments, art, jewellery, antiques, and specialty equipment are the usual candidates. Estimate the replacement value of each. This gives you a working sense of your total exposure and which items need specific attention in the coverage conversation with your mover.
Step 2: Call your home or renters insurance provider
Before your move, call your insurance provider and ask: what does my current policy cover for my belongings during a move, what perils are included, is there an off-premises cap, and can I add a temporary endorsement for the transit period? This takes 15 minutes and may reveal that you already have more coverage than you assumed, or clarify the specific gaps you need to fill.
Step 3: Ask your moving company about their full value protection terms
Get the full terms of the moving company’s full value protection in writing before you sign anything. Specifically ask: what is excluded (particularly owner-packed items), what is the per-pound high-value threshold, how are high-value items declared, what is the deductible structure, and what is the claims process if something is damaged? A reputable mover will answer all of these clearly.
Step 4: Consider third-party insurance for specific high-value items
If you have items that exceed the value thresholds of your moving company’s full value protection, or if you want coverage for owner-packed items, or if you are moving internationally, get a quote from a third-party transit insurer. Compare the cost against what the moving company’s full value protection would provide for those specific items, and choose the option that gives you adequate coverage at a reasonable premium.
Step 5: Document everything before the move
Regardless of what coverage you choose, photograph or video every high-value item before it is packed. Note any pre-existing damage. Keep receipts or valuations for expensive items. This documentation is what makes a claim successful. Without it, a claim dispute comes down to your word against the mover’s, and that is a difficult position to be in.
Choosing a mover you can trust matters as much as the coverage you buy. Read our guide to choosing a moving company, covers CAM membership, BBB checks, insurance certificates, and the questions to ask before you book.
How to File a Moving Damage Claim
If something is damaged or missing when your delivery arrives, here is the correct process:
Note all damage on the delivery receipt before you sign it. This is critical. Once you sign a clean delivery receipt, it becomes much harder to make a successful damage claim. Walk through every room and examine every item, or at minimum every fragile item and every piece of furniture, before signing. Note damage in writing on the receipt, get the delivery driver to acknowledge the notation, and keep a copy.
Photograph all damaged items immediately, with the packaging materials still present if possible. Photographs of the damage and of the packaging condition (for example, a clearly crushed corner on a box) support the claim.
Contact the moving company (or your third-party insurer if you purchased a separate policy) as soon as possible after delivery. Most moving company valuation policies have a claim filing window, often between 30 days and 9 months after the move. Filing promptly protects your ability to make a claim. Do not discard damaged items or packaging materials until the claim is resolved.
Submit the claim with supporting documentation: your inventory list, photographs, original receipts or estimates of value for damaged items, and the annotated delivery receipt. The more documentation you provide, the faster and more clearly the claim is resolved.
Never sign a clean delivery receipt if anything is damaged or missing. Once you have signed, you have acknowledged that goods were received in the stated condition.
Planning a long-distance move and want to understand your coverage options? Get a free estimate from Great Canadian Van Lines and ask our team about full value protection and our service assurance process.
Moving Insurance FAQ
Is moving insurance legally required in Canada?
No. Moving insurance is not legally required for domestic moves in Canada. However, every professional moving company is legally required to offer released value protection (basic valuation coverage) at no charge, and must offer full value protection as an option. Whether you purchase additional coverage beyond the basic valuation is your choice.
Does renters insurance cover moving?
Most Canadian tenant insurance policies include off-premises coverage that extends to your belongings during a move, but only for named perils such as fire, theft, and vehicle collision. Everyday handling damage (dropping, scratching, breakage during loading) is typically not covered. Off-premises coverage is also usually capped at around 10 percent of your personal property limit. Call your insurer before your move to confirm your specific policy’s terms.
What is full value protection in moving?
Full value protection is the higher tier of valuation coverage offered by moving companies. Under this option, if your item is lost or damaged, the mover must repair it, replace it with a comparable item, or pay you its current market value. It is more meaningful protection than released value (which pays only $0.60 per pound), and it costs approximately 1 to 2 percent of your declared shipment value.
Who insures my valuables during a move?
The answer depends on what coverage you have in place. Under released value, the moving company is responsible for $0.60 per pound per item. Under full value protection, the moving company is responsible for repair, replacement, or current market value (with exclusions for owner-packed items and items exceeding the per-pound value threshold). Under a third-party transit policy, the insurance company is responsible up to your policy limits. For genuinely irreplaceable or extremely high-value items, transport them yourself rather than putting them on the truck.
What does moving insurance not cover?
Common exclusions across moving coverage include: items packed by the owner (in most valuation policies), jewellery, cash, and financial documents, high-value items not declared on a separate high-value inventory, pre-existing damage noted on the pickup condition report, plants and perishables, mechanical or electrical failure without physical damage, and normal wear and tear.
How much does moving insurance cost?
Released value protection is free. Full value protection from the moving company typically costs 1 to 2 percent of your declared shipment value (so approximately $400 to $800 for a $40,000 shipment, depending on the deductible). Third-party transit insurance rates vary by provider and coverage structure, but a common benchmark is approximately $1.25 per pound of shipment weight.
Can I get moving insurance for a DIY move?
Yes. If you are renting a truck and moving yourself, you can purchase third-party transit insurance for your belongings. Your home or renters insurance may also provide off-premises coverage for named perils during the move. Note that the truck rental company’s insurance covers the vehicle only, not your belongings. Your personal auto insurance typically does not cover a rented moving truck. The rental company will offer a collision damage waiver for the vehicle itself.
How long do I have to file a moving damage claim?
The filing window varies by moving company and by the terms of any third-party policy. Most moving company valuation policies allow between 30 days and 9 months to file after delivery. Some third-party policies have shorter windows. Check your specific coverage terms before your move so you know the deadline, and file as soon as you identify damage rather than waiting.
