Moving Day Checklist: Walkthrough, Payment, Tips & Damage Notes

The Night Before: Set the Board

Moving day goes one of two ways: you direct it, or it happens to you. The difference is about 90 minutes of staging the night before.

• Finish every box. Crews charge by the hour locally, and "almost packed" is the most expensive phrase in moving. Seal, label, and number everything; keep extra tape and a marker accessible for the inevitable stragglers.
• Stage an "off-limits" zone — a closet or bathroom holding your essentials boxes, documents, valuables, and chargers. Tape a sign on the door: DO NOT LOAD.
• Reserve parking. A crew parking 200 feet away adds what the industry calls a long-carry situation, and on hourly moves you're paying for every one of those extra steps.
• Charge your phone, confirm the crew's arrival window in writing, and screenshot the dispatcher's number.

When the Crew Arrives: The First 20 Minutes

1. Verify the company. Check that the truck and paperwork match the company you booked — broker-arranged moves sometimes show up as an unfamiliar carrier, and you want that surprise at minute one, not at delivery.
2. Walk the foreman through the house. Point out what goes, what stays, the off-limits zone, and anything fragile, pre-damaged, or unusually heavy. This walkthrough sets expectations and is your chance to flag existing wall dings and floor scratches — phone-video the empty hallways and stairwells too, so "the movers gouged the banister" versus "that gouge was there" never becomes a memory contest.
3. Read the paperwork before signing anything. The bill of lading should match your quoted price, dates, and inventory. If a new, higher number appears on moving day, stop — that's the classic bait pattern, and you have more leverage before the truck is loaded than you ever will after.
4. Confirm protection measures. Good crews bring floor runners, door jamb protectors, and furniture pads by default. If they don't, having your own jamb protectors and furniture sliders on hand keeps the house — and your security deposit — intact.

During Loading: Your Actual Job

You have exactly two jobs while the crew works: answer questions, and watch the inventory.

• The foreman will tag items and log condition codes on the descriptive inventory. Spot-check it. If your unmarked dresser gets coded "scratched, dented," challenge it on the spot — those codes are the official pre-move condition your claim gets measured against.
• Keep mattresses in mattress bags and confirm upholstered pieces get padded or stretch-wrapped before they touch the truck.
• Offer water, stay reachable, and stay out of the carry path. Hovering slows crews; disappearing entirely invites shortcuts.

Payment and Tipping: The Norms

• Payment terms should never be a surprise. Local moves are typically paid on completion; interstate moves per the bill of lading. Treat large cash-only demands or day-of price increases as the red flags they are — federal rules limit how much an interstate mover can demand before releasing your goods, and "pay double or we keep the truck loaded" is a hostage-load pattern worth reporting to the FMCSA.
• Tipping bands: published consumer norms cluster around $5–$10 per mover per hour for local moves, or roughly 5–10% of the bill split across the crew for larger jobs — scaled up for stairs, heat, and heavy items, handed to each mover directly (cash tips routed through the foreman or the company don't reliably arrive).

The Final Walkthrough: Last Box, Last Look

Before the truck door closes:

• Walk every room, closet, cabinet, dishwasher, attic hatch, and crawlspace. Crews legitimately miss things, and so do you.
• Count boxes against your inventory log one final time.
• Get a copy of every signed document: bill of lading, descriptive inventory, and the order for service. Photograph them on the spot — paperwork that exists only in the truck has a way of changing.

At delivery, the protocol inverts: check off every numbered item as it comes off the truck, open the fragile boxes while the crew is present, and write any damage or missing items on the delivery paperwork before you sign. Interstate claims allow up to nine months to file, but a note made at delivery is worth ten made the following week.

A clean moving day starts weeks earlier with the right crew at the right price. If you're still choosing, compare written quotes from licensed movers and run your numbers through the moving cost calculator first so you recognize a fair bid when you see one.

FAQ

How much should I tip movers?

Published norms run $5–$10 per mover per hour for local moves, or about 5–10% of the total bill split across the crew for big jobs. Adjust up for flights of stairs, brutal weather, or pianos — and hand cash to each mover individually.

What do I do if the movers damage something on moving day?

Note it in writing on the delivery paperwork before signing, photograph it immediately, and file a written claim with the carrier. For interstate moves you have up to nine months to file, but same-day notations are dramatically stronger evidence.

Should I help the movers carry things?

No — and most crews' insurance prefers you don't. Your highest-value contributions are staging everything the night before, answering questions fast, keeping pets and kids clear, and watching the inventory paperwork.

What if the price changes on moving day?

Stop before anything is loaded. A legitimate increase requires a legitimate cause (items not on the inventory, access problems disclosed late). A surprise jump on a binding estimate with no shipment change is the classic lowball-then-squeeze pattern — you have maximum leverage while your goods are still in the house.