Terms of Services

Every reasonable effort is made to provide customers with all information that is relevant to the services and products provided by Move-Ottawa Movers. (hereafter Move-Ottawa Movers or the Company) and its partner companies, however the customer is responsible for informing themselves by reading these terms and conditions of service in full and all other pertinent literature provided by MoveOttawa Movers such as labor rates, surcharges, estimate, move preparation literature, move protection literature etc. Indicating that you have read understood and agree to these terms and conditions of service is required and is done by signing the face of this bill of lading. These terms and conditions of service constitute a legally binding contract between the “Company” and the “Customer”.

1. Important Notice:

Due to Government, Safety board and Insurance regulations, safety boots must be worn at all times. In accordance with these regulations, Move-Ottawa Movers are not permitted to remove their safety boots for ANY reason. All such requests by customers will be refused. If you fear damage to hardwood floors or carpet, please ensure that all trafic areas, including halls, stairs and rooms, are sufficiently covered with non-slip mats and/or carpet runners. Bed sheets are not an acceptable floor cover and customers will be asked to remove them prior to Move-Ottawa Movers comencing any work. If you are unable to make such arrangements please make sure that you request Move-Ottawa Movers for floor runners before the scheduled move. Please be advised extra charges will apply. If for any reason you did not make any arrangements before the scheduled move, Move-Ottawa Movers will not furnish any requests to remove their boots and any consequent damage to floors or carpet will be solely the customer’s responsibility.

2. Liability of Company:

Release Rate Liability: Our standard and economical option, offering minimal protection at no additional cost. Claims for loss or damage are based on weight multiplied by 60 cents per pound. For example, if Move-Ottawa Movers would lose or damage a 20-pound computer valued at $2,000, your settlement would not exceed $24.00. If you choose it, you must sign a specific part of the agreement that you are agreeing with the minimal protection. If for any reason no option is selected on the face of the bill of lading, Company’s responsibility is limited as per release rate liability.
Full Value Protection: When you select this option, articles that are lost, damaged or destroyed will, at Move-Ottawa Movers option, be either repaired, replaced with articles of like kind and quality, or a cash settlement will be made for the repairs or for replacement of the articles at their current value, regardless of the age of the lost or damaged articles. The minimum declared value of a shipment for Full Value Protection is $10,000 at $4.00 per $100 of declared value protection.

** Please be advised that if full value protection is not purchased prior to the move. Move-Ottawa Movers will not accept any claim for damaged or lost items.

3. Deductible:

A deductible of $300.00 must be paid on all claims of loss and/or damage prior to the claim proceeding for Valuation.

4. Exceptions from Liability:

The Company shall not be liable for:
i). Loss, damage or delay to any of the goods described in the bill of lading caused by an act of God, the Queen’s or public enemies, riots, strikes, a defect or inherent vice in the goods, an act or default of the consignor, Owner or Customer, authority of law, quarantine or difference in weights of grain, seed or other commodities caused by natural shrinkage.
ii). Mechanical quality of any electronics or appliances
iii). Acoustical quality of any musical instruments
iv). Damage to articles made of press board, Particle board or wafer board or similar structured materials
v). Damage to glass, marble or similar materials in or part of articles being moved
vi). Damage caused by or due to peeling veneer of any sort
vii). Deterioration of any article due to aging, temperature, humidity or moisture
viii). Loss or damage to electronics. All electronics are moved and/or transported at owner’s risk.
ix). Loss or damage to articles that are being moved internally that are not part of pickup or delivery at either either of the Customer location.
x). Items of extraordinary value including but not limited to Mortgage Papers, Legal Documents, Business Documents, Antique’s, Jewellery are not covered by either release rate liability or full value protection. Therefore these items are moved and/or transported at owner’s risk.
xi). Exterior cosmetic damage on unboxed merchandise caused by Company is consignor’s sole responsibility. Company does not take any responsibility what so ever on items that are unpacked or poorly packed. All unboxed or open items are mover and/or transported on Customer’s sole responsibility.
xii). Move-Ottawa Movers reserves the right to refuse to move items through passages or stariways with less than 3 inches clearance all around the walls/ceiling and the item in question. In agreeing to these terms and condition of service you are waiving any liability against Move-Ottawa Movers for damage that might occur to the passage, strairways, walls or the items in question during execution of such maneuvers.
xiii). Move-Ottawa Movers is not responsible for any damage what so ever to the interior or exterior of the home. As such any insurance purchased will only cover damage to items being moved.

5. Delay:

i). Company is not bound to carry goods by any particular truck or in any set time frame.
ii). Failure by the Customer to accept delivery when tendered within the time specified on the Bill of Lading shall render them liable for reasonable storage in transit, handling and re-delivery charges incurred by the Company.

6. Stoppage in Transit:

If goods are stopped and held in transit at the request of the party entitled to so request, the goods are held at the risk of that party and extra charges will apply.

7. Notice of Claim

i). Move-Ottawa Movers will not be held liable for loss, damage or delay to any goods carried under the bill of lading unlessthe particulars of such a claim are given in writing on the bill of lading at the completion of the move, on the date of the scheduled move, or, in the case of failure to make delivery, within 30 days from the date of move.
ii). Exterior cosmetic damage on unboxed merchandise caused by Company is consignor’s sole responsibility. Company does not take any responsibility what so ever on items that are unpacked or poorly packed. All unboxed or open items are moved and/or transported on Customer’s sole responsibility.
iii). Provided Move-Ottawa Movers was notified in writing at the end of the move. The final statement of the claim must be filed within 48 hours from the date of the move, together with a copy of the paid bill of lading.
NOTE: Bill of lading charges must be paid in full before any bill of lading claim can be considered. The Company reserves the right to repair first. Any repairs done without the Company’s consent or knowledge are done at owner’s expense. That expense can not be claimed back against Company under any conditions.

8. Articles of Extraordinary Value

i). Company is not bound to carry any documents, species or articles of extraordinary value unless by a special agreement to do so.
ii). If such goods are carried without a special agreement and the nature of the goods is not disclosed on the bill of lading, the Company shall not be liable for any loss or damage what so ever.

9. Moving Charges

i). If required by the Company, moving and all other lawful charges accruing on the goods shall be paid before delivery.
ii). All Deposits will be deducted from Payments at The End of The Job. All Rates are Charged According to Our Prices Page. Please visit www.moveottawa.ca for details.
iii). Time is calculated based on ¼ hour increments.
iv). If upon inspection it is ascertained that the goods shipped are not those described in the bill of lading, the freight charges must be paid upon the goods actually shipped with any additional charges lawfully payable thereon.
v). If a consignor does not indicate that a shipment is to move prepaid, or does not indicate how the shipment is to move, it will automatically move on a collect basis.
vi). SURCHARGE GUIDELINE: MoveOttawa Movers Charges Hourly Rates according to the service provided, All rates are set at the time of Booking. MoveOttawa Movers moving service charges surcharges according to the service being provided. Surcharge is imposed when a Customer misinforms us about items being moved, no of steps or flights of stairs, floors walking up to, furniture being assembled, furniture being disassembled, any extra work that wasn’t discussed during booking, this fee is imposed at all times, this fee is governed by the following rules.
a). Any Stair with 7 Steps or More is Considered Going to The Next Floor.
b). The Ground Floor is The First Floor at All Times.
c). All Walk up Jobs are Counted by Floors, Not by Flights. E.g. If you are moving into the 4th Floor, then It’s a 4th floor walk-up surcharge.
d). Heavy or awkward items will be applicable to a surcharge

10. Goods held in Lieu of payment:

The company reserve the right to seize, hold and where payment is not forthcoming, dispose of goods in lieu of payment.

11. Customer Responsibility:

Customer responsibility is the foundation of fast and quick move. It is the reasonability of the customer to make sure that.
I). All boxes are properly tapped and all bags are properly tied.
II). Move-Ottawa Movers recommends that double corrugated boxes are used. Please do not use used boxes from supermarkets etc.
III). All fragile items are properly wrapped to protect from any damage.
IV). All heavy items are evenly distributed through-out the Move, e.g. heavy books should line the bottom of a box followed by bulky light items, not all heavy books in one box.
V). There are no loose Items/Wires/Strings that could cause Injury to anyone in our Crew/ Yourself/ or others.
VI). All doors are held open, all passages or corridors are clear and any narrow doors are removed for easy access before the start of the scheduled move.
VII). There is proper parking for the move to commence.
VIII). The moving environment is hazardous! You must arrange to have children and pets elsewhere while your move is in progress. Only two adults excluding the moving crew should be present at the loading and unloading locations. MoveOttawa Movers will refuse to commence work if you have young children and/or pets around at the loading or unloading location during the move. This downtime will be charged at the regular hourly rate.
IX). Move-Ottawa Movers is not responsible for any damage what so ever to the interior or exterior of the home during the move.
X). It is customer’s responsibility to take measurements both of the Bulky/Heavy/Odd items and the respective access points at the origin and destination to make sure there is enough space for the said items to be moved in an appropriate and safe manner.

12. Dangerous Goods: 

Every person, whether as principal or agent, shipping dangerous goods without previous full disclosure to the Company as required by law, shall indemnify the Company against all loss, damage or delay caused by the failure to disclose and such goods may be warehoused at the consignor’s risk and expense.

13. Undelivered Goods:

i). If, through no fault of the Company, the goods cannot be delivered, the Company shall immediately give notice to the consignor and Customer that delivery cannot be made and shall request disposal instructions.
ii). Pending receipt of disposal instructions:
A). the goods may be stored in the warehouse of the Company, subject to a reasonable charge for storage, or
B). If the Company has notified the consignor of this intention, the goods may be removed to and stored in a public or licensed warehouse at the expense of the consignor, without liability on the part of the Company, and subject to a lien for all freight and other lawful charges, including a reasonable charge for storage.

14. Return of Goods:

If a notice has been given by the Company pursuant to paragraph i of Article 13, and no disposal instructions have been received within ten days from the date of such notice, the Company may return to the consignor, at the consignor’s expense, all undelivered shipments for which such notice has been given.

15. Inventory and Weights:

i). It shall be the responsibility of the consignor to show correct inventory and moving weights of the items on the bill of lading.
ii). If the actual inventory and/or weight of the items to be moved does not agree with the details shown on the bill of lading, the inventory and/or weight shown on the bill of lading may be corrected by the Company and any extra charges calculated based on the revised inventory and/or weight is Customer’s responsibility.

16. Delivery:

i). The Company reserves the right to request full payment prior to completion of offload. All charges must be paid in cash, certified cheque or money order.
ii). If Customer fails to pay invoice prior to offload, the Company reserves the right to bring goods back to the warehouse. The Customer will then be liable for all storage, handling and re-delivery charges.
iii). The Company might force its lien on Customer’s goods at its sole discretion to recover any and/or all outstanding amounts.
iv). The Company reserves the right to refuse any movement that could be considered unsafe or may cause damage to articles being moved, personal property or personal injury. In this case it will be deemed an estimate and any new charges based on estimate plus estimate charge would be applicable.

17. Services:

a). Service is scheduled to begin at the loading location at agreed time on packing, moving and unpacking.
b). 1 hour travel time is added to all local moves.
c). Vehicles are parked in a manner that will facilitate best access to the loading location or the unloading location unless otherwise specified in an estimate and parking infraction fines incurred to this end are added to the final move bill.
d). Packing service entails the packing of all items in your residence that require consolidation in containers to be suitable for moving.
e). If you elect to complete the packing for your move, the packing should be 100% complete to the standard that satisfies MoveOttawa Movers prior to the arrival of the moving crew.
f). Laundry appliances must be disconnected and drained where necessary prior to the arrival of the moving crew.
g). Fridges and freezers must be defrosted prior to the arrival of the moving crew where necessary and all items should be removed.
h). Items mechanically fastened to the building must be unfastened prior to the arrival of the moving crew.
i). The moving crew will move your furniture and the packed contents of your residence excluding firearms and ammunition, hazardous items including paints, aerosol cans, explosives, corrosives, propane tanks, liquids and any other items that the moving crew supervisor deems to be a hazard or unsafe for transportation.
j). Any large, heavy or awkward items that need disassembly should be disassembled prior to move day, if any such item is not ready MoveOttawa Movers will disassemble such items before moving.
k). Unpacking service will be provided at the same hourly rate, any items that were disassembled by MoveOttawa Movers for moving will be reassembled at $30 per item.
l). It is your responsibility to see to it that the moving crew has exclusive and unhindered access to your residence during loading and unloading.
m). You are required to reserve elevators as required with elevators on service prior to the arrival of the moving crew for loading and unloading.
n). It is your responsibility to have your driveway clear or a parking spot available for the moving truck such that the end of the trucks ramp is positioned for best access both at the loading location and the unloading location.
o). You should check with your local authority if there are any road works or other events scheduled outside the building you are moving out of or moving into on or around the day of your move, that are likely to hinder or halt the moving crew’s efforts.
p). A standard work rate adjusted for access of 333lbs loaded and unloaded per man hour is subject to agreeable working conditions and compliance with all the terms and conditions herein.
q). Down time occurring as a result of delays caused by circumstances outside of the control of MoveOttawa Movers is charged at the same rate as the labor rate for your move.
r). Move-Ottawa Movers reserves the right to refuse to move items through passages with less than 3 inches clearance all around the passageway and the item in question. In agreeing to these terms and condition of service you are waiving any liability against Move-Ottawa Movers for damage that might occur to the passage or the items in question during execution of such maneuvers.
s). Snow removal to facilitate your move services is not the responsibility of MoveOttawa Movers and is not included in your estimate. Snow removal and application of sand or salt must be completed prior to the arrival of the moving crew at the loading location and the unloading location.
t). Should down time occur such that the truck cannot be completely unloaded by 7pm Move-Ottawa Movers reserves the right to discontinue service until a subsequent day, and on that subsequent day, commence a new contract with normal rates and surcharges. In such instances storage charges may also apply.
u). Unpacking should only commence after the moving crew have completed the move.
w). The moving environment is hazardous! You should arrange to have children and pets elsewhere while your move is in progress. Only two adults excluding the moving crew should be present at the loading and unloading locations.
x). The layout of furniture in each room should be pre-planned and you should be able to direct the moving crew in a prompt manner. You may leave the layout of your furniture to the discretion of our experienced moving crew.
y). It is your responsibility to ensure that sanitary conditions prevail at the loading and unloading locations. MoveOttawa Movers reserves the right to withdraw service in the event of a potential health hazard to our staff as a result of unsanitary conditions at the work location.

18. Written Binding Estimate:

Where a written estimate based on an on-site survey was supplied, MoveOttawa Movers guarantees that the cost on the services provided for in the estimate will not exceed the estimated amount by more than 10% provided the terms and condition of service are met in full.
A). Terms and Conditions specific to the MoveOttawa Movers written binding estimate are printed on the back of all written estimates prepared at In-Home Consultations. The price guarantee is however subject to all of the terms and conditions of service herein.
B). Estimates are void if a reservation for service is made indicating resources that are different from those indicated on the estimate.
C). Estimates are date specific and reservations made on dates other than those indicated on the estimate are subject to rate changes depending on the date the reservation is made for.
D). Below are the terms and conditions for the Move-Ottawa Movers written binding estimate as they appear on the back of a written estimate:

• Move-Ottawa Movers guarantees that the actual cost of your moving services will not exceed the overall estimated cost of your move services by more than 10%. This guarantee applies only to the services provided for in this estimate. Additional products and services requested that are not included in the estimate are provided with the understanding that they will be charged at the normal rate above the estimated cost.
• The estimate for the moving service is for moving your furniture and the packed contents of your home only. If you elect to pack the contents of your home yourself, you are required to have the packing 100% complete to the standard indicated in the “MoveOttawa Movers Preparation Guide”. In the event that you fail to meet this requirement of the estimate, service is provided on the basis that the estimate is inapplicable.
• The estimate assumes that no down time will occur during the move service. It is your responsibility to see to it that the moving crew has EXCLUSIVE and UNHINDERED access to your residence during loading and unloading. To this end you are required to reserve elevators as required with ELEVATORS ON SERVICE PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE MOVING CREW for loading and unloading. It is your responsibility to have your driveway clear or a parking spot available for the moving truck such that the end of the truck’s ramp is positioned for best access both at the loading location and the unloading location. You should check with your local authority if there are any road works or other events scheduled outside the building you are moving out of or moving into on or around the day of your move, that are likely to hinder the moving crew’s efforts. Down time occurring as a result of delays caused by circumstances outside of the moving company’s control are not included in your estimate. Down time is charged at the same rate as the labor rate for your move.
• Move-Ottawa Movers vehicles are parked in a manner that best facilitates the loading and/or unloading of the vehicle, any fines that are incurred as a result of such parking are added to the final bill for your move services and are not included in this estimate.
• This estimate assumes amiable weather conditions will prevail on the days that services are provided. Delays or work stoppages are not included in this estimate and are not covered by this price guarantee.
• Move-Ottawa Movers reserves the right to adjust “Travel Time” and or “Transit Time” on this estimate to take account of heavy traffic volumes and or adverse weather conditions.
• Move-Ottawa Movers reserves the right to adjust this estimate for fluctuations in work rates resulting from extreme temperature conditions.
• Snow removal to facilitate your move services is not the responsibility of Move-Ottawa Movers and is not included in this estimate. Snow removal and application of sand or salt must be completed prior to the arrival of the Moving Crew at the loading location and the unloading location.
• Should down time occur such that the truck cannot be completely unloaded by 7pm, Move-Ottawa Movers reserves the right to discontinue service until a subsequent day and on that subsequent day commence a new contract with normal rates and surcharges. In such instances storage charges will also apply.
• This estimate assumes that you will make arrangements to have no more than two adults present at the loading and unloading locations to direct the moving crew where necessary. You should arrange to have children and pets elsewhere while your move is in progress. Unpacking should only commence after the moving crew have completed the move. This estimate assumes that you will pre-plan the layout of furniture in each room and that you will be able to direct the moving crew in a prompt manner. You may leave the layout of your furniture to the discretion of our experienced moving crew.
• This price guarantee is also subject to the accuracy of information provided to Move-Ottawa Movers by the customer or his/her agent prior to or at the time this estimate was prepared.
• This estimate is subject to all relevant instructions in the “Move-Ottawa Movers Preparation Guide” being followed in full.
• The above conditions apply to the Move-Ottawa Movers written binding estimate only, and do not constitute the full Move-Ottawa Movers term and conditions of service.

19. Cancellation and rescheduling of services:

I). A $35 administration fee is applied to each instance of the re-scheduling of a service.
II). All deposits made for booking your move are non-refundable.
III). If a booked move is cancelled before the scheduled moving date, a $35 administration fee will be charged in addition to the non-refundable deposit.
IV). Cancellation of service 48 hours prior the moving date or after the crew has been dispatched will result in the minimum charge for the reserved crew.

20. Payment:

I). Move-Ottawa Movers accepts only Cash, Money Order or Certified Cheque as an acceptable form of payment.
II). If an acceptable form of payment has not been arranged by the customer on the day of the move, the customer will be charged by the contracted hourly rate until acceptable payment is recieved by the Move-Ottawa Movers crew.
III). If payment is not rendered before final delivery or at the end of the move in one of the acceptable forms as stated above the customer will be reponsible for all collection and/ or legal costs incurred by Move-Ottawa Movers.