What to Do if Movers Steal from You
Report it to the moving company and police first. Your home policy may cover what's left through personal property coverage.
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Personal property coverage applies
Your home policy's personal property coverage follows your belongings even when they're not in the house, including items in a mover's truck. Check your declarations page for the coverage amount and whether it pays replacement cost or actual cash value, since that changes what you collect.
Special limits on valuables
Jewelry, cash, and collectibles usually have a separate, much lower cap inside your personal property coverage, often a small fraction of the total. If the stolen items were high-value, this limit may matter more than the overall coverage amount, so check your policy for the exact figures.
Proving what you owned
You'll need to show what was taken and what it was worth. Photos, receipts, the moving company's inventory list, and any appraisal documents all help. Without proof, the insurer may pay less than the items were actually worth or question the claim.
Scheduling items beforehand
Scheduling a valuable item, meaning you list it separately with an appraisal before anything happens, raises or removes the special limit for that item. If the stolen property wasn't scheduled, you're likely capped at whatever limit applies to its category.
If the special limit cuts your payout well below what the jewelry or collectibles were worth, that gap doesn't go away on its own. Some policies raise those limits or let you schedule valuables for a lot less than you'd expect, and the only way to know is to see what another policy offers against what you have now. A quote shows whether better terms exist for what you're already paying.
Does the moving company's insurance pay anything too
Movers carry their own liability for your belongings, and federal rules require two options on interstate moves. Released value coverage is the default if you don't choose otherwise, and it pays by weight, something like 60 cents per pound regardless of what the item actually cost. A stolen laptop weighing three pounds gets you less than two dollars. Full value protection costs more but pays closer to the item's actual value, and you have to request it in writing before the move.
Check the paperwork you signed before the move started. If you paid extra for full value protection, file with the moving company first since that coverage was built for exactly this. If you went with the default released value option, the payout will likely be small enough that your home policy's personal property coverage matters more. Either way, filing with both isn't double-dipping. The mover pays what their coverage owes, and your home insurer pays what's left after that, up to your policy limits.
Tell your home insurer about the mover's payout when you file. Insurers ask what other recovery you've received or expect, and leaving it out can complicate the claim later even if it doesn't change what you're owed. The moving company's claim form and any settlement letter are worth keeping alongside your own documentation.
Filing with the mover also starts a clock. Interstate movers are required to acknowledge claims and respond within set timeframes, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration oversees how those claims should work if a mover doesn't respond. That timeline runs separately from your home insurer's claims process, so starting both soon after the theft keeps either one from stalling while you wait on the other.
What about theft at home or on the road
A break-in at the house works the same way as any other burglary claim. Personal property coverage pays out, special limits on jewelry and valuables still apply, and the proof you gather matters just as much as it would for a moving claim. Photos, receipts, and a police report all help. The difference is there's no second party to file against. Your home insurer is the only claim you're making.
Theft from a car is usually covered too, since personal property coverage typically follows your belongings wherever they are, not just inside the house. A laptop stolen from a parked car or a bike taken off a rack falls under the same coverage and the same special limits as anything else. Car insurance doesn't pay for stolen personal items unless the car itself was damaged in the theft, like a broken window. In that case auto insurance might cover the glass while home insurance covers what was taken.
Theft while traveling, from a hotel room or a rental, generally falls under the same personal property coverage as well. Some policies limit how much they'll pay for theft away from home to a percentage of the total coverage amount, often around half. A loss that would be fully covered at the house might not be fully covered on a trip. The declarations page or policy booklet will say whether that kind of limit applies.
Reporting matters regardless of where the theft happened. A police report establishes a timeline and an official record, which insurers generally ask for before paying a theft claim. Filing promptly also matters because most policies set a window for reporting a loss. Waiting too long can give the insurer grounds to question the claim even when the loss itself isn't in doubt. The steps stay the same whether the theft happened in a moving truck, a parked car, a hotel room, or the house itself. Report it, document what's gone, and let personal property coverage do what it's there for, within whatever limits apply.
Before you file
Pull your declarations page and find the personal property limit and any special limits for jewelry or valuables. That number, compared to what was stolen, decides whether a quote for higher limits is worth getting.
