Put the whole move on one page
Before you ask anyone for a price, write the move down on a single sheet. A price rests on what a mover is told, and a sheet you hand to every company keeps them all pricing the same job. Put on it:
- the address you are leaving and the one you are going to, with the floor each home is on;
- the date you want and a second date that would also work;
- the rooms being emptied, including the garage, the attic and any shed;
- the large pieces by name: the sofa, each bed, the dining table, the refrigerator if it is going;
- anything heavy, fragile or oddly shaped that needs extra hands;
- whether you want help with packing, and for which rooms.
Keep the sheet short. Its job is to make sure no company is guessing about what it is being asked to carry.
Calls to make before any company visits
Some answers are worth having before a mover comes out. If either address is an apartment or condominium, ask the manager whether moves are limited to set hours, whether a freight elevator has to be reserved, and whether the building wants anything from the mover ahead of time. If there is a homeowners association, ask whether it has rules about where a truck may park and for how long. Ask the landlord or buyer at the old place when the keys must be handed over, and ask when you can get in at the new one. Add each answer to your sheet, so the mover hears it from you instead of finding out at the curb.
A question sheet for every mover
Use the same questions with each company and write the replies in the same order, so you can lay them side by side later:
- Will someone look over the belongings in person or by video before giving a price?
- Is the price a set figure or an hourly rate, and if hourly, what starts and stops the clock?
- How many workers will come, and in what size of truck?
- Does the company use its own crew and truck, or does another business supply either one? If another business, what is its name?
- How is travel between the two addresses charged?
- What does the company pay if something is broken or lost, how is that figured, and is more protection offered for an added charge?
- Can it send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- What deposit does it ask for, and what becomes of it if the date changes?
What the Alabama Public Service Commission's page says
The Alabama Public Service Commission's intrastate registration page states that a certificate is required to be in the transportation business where passengers or property will be transported by motor vehicle for hire from one point in Alabama to another point in Alabama. The same page says the Commission's Household Goods (14H) certificate application carries a $100 filing fee and requires insurance Forms E and H, a tariff, and registration of vehicles; corporations and LLCs must also have their articles filed with the Alabama Secretary of State.
Add one more line to your question sheet, and ask it of every company before you book: "Does this move call for an Alabama Public Service Commission certificate, and if so, what is your certificate number?" Note who answered and on what day.
Hold each estimate to one yardstick
Ask that every price come to you in writing, and then check each one against your one-page sheet before you look at the total. A short estimate may simply be missing a room. Go down each one and mark:
- any room or large piece from your sheet that it leaves out;
- whether packing, boxes, tape and taking beds apart are priced, and how;
- any charge for stairs, an elevator or a long walk from the truck;
- the crew size and truck size it names;
- what it says could change the price on the day itself.
If one estimate leaves something out, ask that company for a revised version that includes it, so the totals compare like with like.
Splitting the packing
You can pack everything yourself, have the crew pack everything, or divide the work. One way to split it: the crew handles the kitchen, the glassware and the framed pictures, and you pack the books, clothes and linens. If you choose a split, ask each mover to price only its share, and to say whether its coverage treats boxes you packed differently from boxes its own crew packed. Mark each box you pack with the room it is headed for and a few words about what is inside.
What rides with you
Some things are worth keeping off the truck altogether: medicines, glasses, identity papers, the lease or closing papers, keys, chargers, jewelry and a change of clothes for each person. Ask each mover whether it keeps a list of items it will not carry, such as fuel, paint or propane, and plan how those will leave the house.
MAWSS and Mobile's drinking water
Mobile Area Water and Sewer System (MAWSS) says its drinking water comes from Converse Reservoir, also known as Big Creek Lake, a 3,600-acre reservoir fed by springs, streams and rainfall in a 103-square-mile watershed lying totally within Mobile County, and that the reservoir provides all of MAWSS's drinking water.
MAWSS's 2025 water quality report lists hardness (as CaCO3) with a highest detect of 49.6 ppm and a range of 38.3 to 49.6 ppm.
Services and the mail
Pick dates to stop electric, gas, water, trash and internet at the old address and to start them at the new one, leaving a little overlap between the two. File a change of address for the mail, and tell your bank and anyone who sends you bills or deliveries.
The hand-off at both doors
On the morning of the move, walk the rooms with the crew lead before anything is lifted. Point out what stays behind, what is fragile and which pieces come apart. Keep your one-page sheet and the written estimate in hand, so any question about what was agreed can be settled on the spot.
At the new address, tape a room name to each door to match your box labels, and stand where you can direct the crew. Count the boxes as they come in, and write any damage or shortage on the delivery paperwork before you sign it. Before you lock the old place for the last time, open every closet, cabinet and drawer once more.