How to check a removalist's AFRA accreditation, and what it does not cover

What AFRA accreditation tells you, and what it does not

AFRA accreditation tells you three things about a removalist: it was screened before it joined, it is audited, and it carries public liability insurance. It does not by itself mean your furniture is insured while it is in the truck. That is a separate question, and you have to ask it.

The Australian Furniture Removers Association calls itself "Australia's peak body for the removals industry", working through advocacy, compliance, training and education. On its own page about members, AFRA says all members are accredited, and applicants "are rigorously screened, must meet high standards and are regularly audited to ensure compliance".

That is worth something. It is also a floor, not a promise about how your move will go.

Source: AFRA; NSW Fair Trading

Why NSW Fair Trading tells you to look for it

NSW Fair Trading's advice on choosing a removalist lists AFRA accreditation beside customer reviews on independent websites and recommendations from friends and family, and adds that smaller removalists may not be part of AFRA. It says accredited removalists must meet certain standards in relation to equipment, vehicles, premises and staff training, and that an AFRA-accredited company will have public liability insurance and can provide transit insurance for all goods being moved.

The same page carries a second point. Removalists are not allowed to make false or misleading representations about their services, and any statement about qualifications or experience should be supported. Fair Trading also says that "if the removalist is licensed, the number should be included on any advertising".

Read that "if" carefully: the page does not say every removalist holds a licence, so ask what any number on an ad refers to.

How to check a removalist's accreditation yourself

A logo on a website is a claim. The directory is how you test it.

AFRA runs a public Find a Removalist directory, searchable by suburb or postcode. Search your suburb, or the suburb you are moving to, and look for the business that quoted you.

The detail that matters is the name. A removal business can trade under one name and be registered under another. If the name on your quote does not appear in the directory, ask the removalist which name they are listed under, then search again. A genuine member will not mind the question.

Source: AFRA; NSW Fair Trading

Once the listing checks out, carry on with the rest of Fair Trading's advice: ask for a written, itemised quote before you hire, and read the contract before you sign.

Who covers your sofa in the truck

This is the part that catches people out.

Public liability insurance generally responds when a business injures someone or damages someone else's property: a scraped stairwell in a Balmoral walk-up, a cracked step, a neighbour's fence. All AFRA members hold it. It is not the same as cover for the fridge, the sofa and the forty boxes in the back of the truck.

For those, AFRA says most members can sell additional Goods in Transit Insurance through its preferred supplier. "Most" is not "all", and "can sell" is not "included". AFRA's own insurance page calls moving insurance a wise option and adds that you must make sure your removalist is properly qualified to offer it. The same page lists what members must hold: public liability, third party property, motor vehicle and carrier's legal liability insurance. It still says your removal company should also be able to arrange moving insurance designed specifically to cover household goods, and warns that not all damages and breakages are the liability of the removalist.

NSW Fair Trading is blunter. It says removalists are not required by law to provide insurance for your property during a move, most only have insurance that covers their vehicle, and it recommends you get your own insurance for the move.

Source: AFRA; NSW Fair Trading

So picture three layers. The truck itself is usually insured. An accredited mover's public liability sits around the people and buildings the move touches. Your goods only have cover if someone buys it: the removalist, through a policy they are qualified to sell, or you, through your own. Check your home contents policy too, since some policies say something about goods in transit and some say nothing.

What accreditation does not promise

Screening and audits check a business against AFRA's standards. They do not guarantee an on-time truck, a careful crew or a move with no damage, so be wary of any removalist who uses the badge as if they did.

Accreditation may also give you somewhere to turn: AFRA lists dispute resolution among the reasons to choose a member, though that page does not set out how it works. Whoever you hire, accredited or not, the consumer path stays open: Fair Trading says that if you cannot sort out a problem directly, you can lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.

Keep the written quote and contract somewhere you can find them. Either path starts with what you agreed in writing.

Questions to ask any removalist before you book

Eight questions cover everything above. Are you AFRA accredited, and under which business name are you listed? Can I have a written, itemised quote? Will the contract list the service, an inventory, both addresses, the dates and times, how payment works and any storage costs? What insurance does your business hold? Are my goods covered while they are packed, moved and stored, and is that included or extra? Are you qualified to sell me transit insurance, with a Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Services Guide? If you advertise a licence or qualification, what is the number? And if something goes wrong, how do I raise it with you? Ask them on the phone or in writing, and note the answers against each quote.

Source: AFRA; NSW Fair Trading

A removalist who answers all eight clearly, in writing, has given you more to go on than any badge.

Put the same questions to us

These questions apply to every removalist, Balmoral Removals included. Send us an enquiry with your street and building type, and put any of them to us when we call you back.