Moving Company Quote Checklist

Build a moving quote request that describes the whole job

A useful quote request gives a moving company enough information to assess the work, not just the number of bedrooms or the destination city. Use this checklist to create one dated brief containing the belongings, collection and delivery conditions, requested tasks and unresolved details. Send the same version to every provider you are comparing. A photograph, phone call and item list can support one another, but none should silently contradict the written request.

Exact Movers accepts moving enquiries across Canada. Start with the actual addresses and the work you want assessed, then ask for a written response identifying the accepted scope. The checklist below is a preparation tool rather than a price, reservation or contract. It helps you make uncertainty visible before it becomes a disagreement about what the estimate covered.

Start with a dated move brief

Put a version number and preparation date at the top of your request. Add the preferred collection date, any acceptable alternatives, the earliest time the receiving property is available and a contact who can answer questions. Distinguish a preferred date from a confirmed building reservation. If a property purchase, tenancy or key handover is unresolved, say which part of the timetable is provisional.

Use a short opening description: a household move, selected furniture delivery, office relocation or another named task. Identify intermediate stops immediately. A collection from a home, a pickup from a storage unit and delivery to an apartment is one combined requirement; sending only the home and apartment addresses leaves a material part of the job undefined. Allocate belongings to the relevant stop rather than assuming the driver will decide.

Create an inventory that can be checked

List substantial furniture individually and group ordinary cartons by room. Include possessions in basements, garages, sheds, balconies, storage lockers and off-site storage when they are part of the move. Mark goods that will be sold, donated or transported separately. A room count describes the property; it does not establish the contents of cupboards, the number of cartons or the size of a sectional sofa.

For awkward pieces, include dimensions, approximate weight if known, construction and any existing disassembly. Connect photographs to the named item: “Dining table D3, top dimensions attached” is more useful than an unlabeled album. Do not guess a weight or claim that an item fits through a door without checking. Label unavailable measurements as unknown and ask whether further assessment is needed.

Inventory columns to copy

Use these columns in your own document: item or carton group; quantity; collection room or stop; destination room or stop; dimensions if relevant; packing responsibility; dismantling request; known condition or handling concern; confirmed or provisional. Keep a separate list of belongings staying behind so that photographs of a full room are not mistaken for the final load.

Update the inventory when a material decision changes. If you replace a small table with a larger one or add the garage contents, explain the change rather than sending an entirely new photograph set without context. The aim is a record that both you and the provider can identify, not an unnecessarily elaborate catalogue of every ordinary utensil.

Describe access at both properties

Record the property type, floor, stairs, entrance restrictions and route between the entrance and a lawful truck position. For a managed building, ask about the freight elevator, loading bay, permitted moving hours, security sign-in and common-area protection. An elevator booking does not establish that a vehicle fits into the dock or may stop on the street.

Treat the destination as a separate access assessment. Include its receiving window, keyholder and room-placement requirements even if the distance between the properties is short. If you do not yet have access to measure a stairwell or lift, obtain the information from the property contact or mark it unresolved. Do not describe both ends as easy access merely because neither property has an obvious exterior staircase.

Name the tasks you want included

Separate packing, supplying materials, furniture protection, carrying, transport, unloading, reassembly and unpacking. Identify the belongings affected by each request. “Pack the kitchen glass and dishes; customer packs clothing and books” gives a different instruction from “full packing.” Similarly, opening cartons, placing their contents in assigned cupboards and removing empty packaging are different proposed outcomes.

Ask for an explicit response where the work involves appliances, wall-mounted objects, instruments or unusually heavy pieces. Plumbing, electrical work, specialist dismantling and installation must not be assumed to accompany ordinary transport. Describe the desired result without presenting a qualification, equipment decision or acceptance as something already established. The written proposal should make responsibility understandable.

Identify delicate goods and preparation responsibilities

Provide item-level information for glass, stone, artwork, mirrors, antiques, electronics and other goods requiring assessment. Include their present packaging and whether original packaging is available. Ask who will prepare, protect, carry and receive them. A general fragile label does not tell the company whether it is assessing a small boxed ornament or a large unboxed mirror.

Keep essential medication, keys, urgent documents and other items needed during travel accessible through your own arrangements. Ask the provider about any uncertain or restricted contents rather than placing them in anonymous cartons. Do not put private identification records, payment-card details, building codes or unnecessary sensitive photographs into a general quote request.

Ask how the proposed price is defined

Request the pricing basis for the described job and ask which assumptions it relies on. Where applicable, identify labour, transport, travel, minimum charges, materials, additional stops, waiting, storage, taxes and specialist work. The right checklist does not prescribe that every company uses the same charging model; it makes the model and included tasks visible.

Separate an estimated quantity from an accepted limit. If an offer assumes a particular carton count or access arrangement, record that assumption beside the inventory. Ask how a material difference would be assessed and who can approve a change. A low total based on an incomplete load is not a reliable substitute for a quotation addressing the actual work.

Resolve the terms that affect your decision

Ask for the relevant booking, payment, cancellation, date-change and goods-protection documents before relying on a particular arrangement. Identify the responsible provider and the contact for questions or a later service concern. Do not import another company's terms, a reviewer's experience or a general website statement into your own agreement.

Use included, excluded and unresolved as separate statuses. An unanswered question is not an exclusion you can safely price yourself, and it is not confirmation that a task is covered. Where a material duty remains unresolved, ask for a revised written response. Keep references to documents and attachments together so that the accepted scope can be reconstructed later.

A sample request structure

The following is an illustrative structure, not a description of a completed Exact Movers job: “Move brief version 2. Collection from an apartment, delivery to a house, with an additional storage pickup. Inventory and furniture dimensions attached. Customer packs ordinary cartons; quotation requested for fragile kitchen packing. Collection lift requested but not confirmed. Receiving keys available after the stated handover time. Please identify accepted tasks, access assumptions, pricing basis and documents required before booking.”

Replace every part with your own facts. Add the addresses, dates and contacts privately through the enquiry channel. This example deliberately leaves open the details that a provider must assess instead of making promises about crew size, vehicle capacity, protection, delivery or a final price.

Check the response against your brief

Read the response with your inventory beside it. Check that both refer to the same version, addresses, stops, tasks and access conditions. Note an unanswered point directly against its item rather than collecting disconnected assurances in several message threads. If an offer substitutes a different service or schedule, decide whether it still meets your requirements before comparing its total.

Before moving day, circulate the current accepted arrangement to the person releasing the goods and the person receiving them. Identify who can authorize changes. Keep the earlier versions for reference, clearly marked as superseded. This final reconciliation is often more useful than repeatedly requesting a new quote without explaining what changed.

Your final enquiry check

• Both endpoints, every additional stop and the relevant contact are identified.
• The current inventory includes stored goods, bulky pieces and requested special handling.
• Packing, materials, dismantling, placement and unpacking responsibilities are separated.
• Access and appointment details are marked confirmed, requested or unknown.
• Pricing assumptions and material exclusions are visible in the written response.
• Booking and protection documents are available for review before acceptance.
• The quote refers to the current inventory and any approved changes.

For the next step, use the existing quote form with the information you have prepared. If you are comparing offers already received, continue to the separate guide on comparing moving quotes. This checklist defines the request; the comparison guide helps you evaluate the responses.

Blank moving quote-request checklist

Use this blank planning model with your actual information. It is not an accepted quotation or a record of a completed job.

Requirement	Your current information	Status / reference
Inventory	Dated item list and extra stops	Confirmed / provisional
Collection	Address, access and releasing contact	Confirmed / requested / unknown
Receiving	Address, access, keyholder and window	Confirmed / requested / unknown
Requested work	Packing, transport, furniture duties and placement	Requested / accepted / excluded
Materials	Supplied or customer-provided arrangement	Accepted / unresolved
Terms	Applicable booking, change and protection documents	Received / clarification needed

Download the blank moving quote-request checklist (CSV)

Illustrations only; these scenes do not document completed Exact Movers jobs.

Questions about Moving Company Quote Checklist

What should I mark as provisional in a moving quote request?

Mark dates, final goods, receiving access, carton quantities and requested work that are not yet confirmed. Give the best available information without presenting an assumption as a fact. Ask what must be resolved before acceptance, then send a dated update when it changes. An explicit unknown is more useful than a confident description that causes the provider to assess the wrong job.

How should I ask about a task omitted from the quote?

Name the task, item or location and refer to the current proposal. Ask whether the activity is included, excluded or requires assessment, and request an updated written scope when necessary. Do not rely on a general statement that everything is covered while a material duty remains unidentified. Keep the clarification with the inventory version used for the offer.

Do photographs replace an itemized inventory?

No. Photographs can show construction, condition and access but may not explain quantities, ownership, destination or preparation responsibilities. Connect each relevant image to a named inventory item or access feature and provide measurements where available. Mark uncertain information and ask whether further assessment is required. A written list and useful photographs should support one another instead of describing different loads.

How do I avoid comparing different versions of my move?

Keep a dated inventory and send the same version to each provider being compared. Explain material changes and ask whether earlier proposals need reassessment. Mark superseded offers clearly while retaining them for reference. Compare current accepted tasks and assumptions rather than totals based on different goods, access or receiving arrangements. A version number helps everyone identify which description is being discussed.

Should I include belongings in storage or a garage?

Include every area and stop contributing goods to the shipment. Identify off-site storage separately with its address, inventory, access and release contact. Mark belongings that remain behind or travel independently. A bedroom count or photographs of the main rooms can omit a substantial part of the load, leaving the provider to assess a different job from the one you intend.

What access information is needed at delivery?

Give the receiving property type, floor, stairs or lift, proposed vehicle position, carrying route, availability and keyholder. Include building reservations or restrictions and mark requested arrangements that remain unconfirmed. The destination needs its own assessment even if collection appears more difficult. Ask whether the proposed delivery arrangement fits the property rather than assuming that a postal address establishes usable access.

How do I describe partial packing?

Name the rooms or item groups assigned to the provider and those you will prepare yourself. Identify materials already available and fragile pieces needing individual assessment. Ask the response to state accepted duties and the materials arrangement. This is clearer than using full service or some packing without explaining the result, and it prevents an unprepared item group being omitted between two people's responsibilities.

Should I request a particular crew size?

Describe the goods, access, tasks and time constraints first, then ask the provider to assess appropriate resources. You can state a genuine requirement or question, but do not treat a guessed crew or vehicle configuration as proof that the work fits the schedule. The written proposal should explain the arrangement being offered for the assessed job and any relevant assumptions.

What personal information should stay out of the request?

Avoid unnecessary identity documents, payment-card details, sensitive records, alarm information and building entry codes in an ordinary enquiry. Provide the contact and practical information needed for assessment and connect photographs to the relevant item or route. Use appropriate private arrangements for information required later. A detailed inventory does not require exposing unrelated personal or customer information.

Which documents should I request before accepting?

Request the written scope and relevant booking, payment, change, cancellation and goods-protection terms for the actual arrangement. Identify the responsible provider and contact for questions or concerns. Do not substitute a competitor's policy or another customer's experience for those documents. Keep the quotation, referenced inventory, attachments and accepted revisions together so that the arrangement can be checked later.

What if a date or address changes after the estimate?

Refer to the current proposal, explain the changed fact and ask whether the work can still be accepted or needs reassessment. A different property can change access, carrying and receiving duties even within the same city. Obtain the revised arrangement where needed and circulate it to the releasing and receiving contacts. Do not silently edit your own checklist and assume the provider has accepted the change.

What should be ready before I submit the quote form?

Have both endpoints, preferred dates, the current inventory, access descriptions and requested tasks available. Identify additional stops and material unknowns. You can submit an enquiry while some facts remain provisional if you label them accurately and ask what further assessment is needed. The form begins the conversation; the provider's actual response must identify accepted scope, timing and terms.

Request a written moving quote