Booking a mover this week? The wrong company can hold everything you own to a price you never agreed to. The right one just has to pass a few checks — if you know which checks to run.
The Moving Company Vetting Checklist is a 10-page system that filters the scammers before you sign: license checks, insurance checks, review detective work, and the written-estimate rules that keep your price from changing on moving day. The feeling it is built to give you is confidence — book a mover you can trust, with proof, not hope.
What it is
This is a printable checklist, a fillable phone version, and a scoring spreadsheet that work together as one vetting sequence. You run the same seven steps, in the same order, for every company you consider:
- The 7-Step Vetting Sequence — shortlist, license, insurance, reviews, written estimate, interview, book — in order
- License & Registration Check — the legal-name test, how to verify the number with the office that issued it, and what to write down
- Insurance Check — what to ask, how to read a certificate of insurance for the name and expiry date, and the damage-process questions
- Reviews & Reputation Check — how to read for patterns instead of scores, spot vague review bursts, and run a reference call that tells you something real
- Get a Written Estimate — a real survey first, in-home or video, binding versus non-binding explained, and every extra priced in writing
- Red Flags Walk-Away List — 12 scam patterns to check off per company, from blank paperwork and huge cash deposits to name mismatches and pressure tactics
- The Interview Script — the same 12 questions, in the same order, for every mover, with answer-scoring guidance
- Mover Profile Sheet — one per company: checks done, deal offered, and your gut check
- Side-by-Side Comparison — three movers, 12 criteria, one page
- Book With Confidence — final pre-signing checks, a booking confirmation record, and the day-before confirmation list
The fillable PDF has 136 tap-type fields, so you can complete it on your phone during calls. No printing is required unless you want a paper file.
The Mover Comparison Scoring Spreadsheet (.xlsx, for Excel and Google Sheets) scores three movers from 1 to 5 across 11 criteria. License and insurance count double on purpose, weighted totals and score percentages calculate automatically, and a verdict row helps you name the mover to book. It also includes a pass-fail vetting log and an estimate comparison that adds every extra charge, so the true total — not the teaser quote — is the number you compare. Demo data with three example movers shows the scoring working in about a minute.
Why it was created
Most people choose a mover from reviews and a phone quote, then discover the real terms when their furniture is already on a truck. At that point there is no easy walk-away. This checklist was created to move the decision earlier, while you still have choices. It turns vague worries — Is this company real? Is this price real? What happens if something breaks? — into documents you ask for, numbers you check, and answers you write down.
Who it’s for
- Anyone hiring a mover for a home, apartment, or relocation and comparing more than one quote
- First-time movers who do not know what a legitimate estimate should include
- Families moving valuable, fragile, or hard-to-replace belongings
- Anyone who has heard a moving-scam story and wants proof before handing over a deposit
How to use it
Start on page one and do not skip ahead. Shortlist three companies, then run the license and insurance checks for each one before you discuss price in detail. Read reviews for patterns, get a written estimate based on a real survey, and ask every company the same interview questions. Score them in the spreadsheet, check the walk-away list one last time, and only then book — using the confirmation record on the final page.
This checklist is an organizational tool, not legal advice. Mover licensing, registration, and consumer-protection requirements vary by state and by whether a move stays within one state or crosses state lines. Confirm the specifics for your move with the relevant office, ask for each document, check it against the source that issued it, and get it in writing.
Related: for software, devices and tools that work with this kit, see Moving Company Vetting Checklist: Software, Devices and Tools That Work With It.
Get the kit
CONFIDENCE: BOOK A MOVER YOU CAN TRUST, WITH PROOF. Get the Moving Company Vetting Checklist for $12.95, or find DealShore on Etsy.
Get free sample pages + new kit alerts — email contact@dealshore.com