Reporting moving damage: evidence, contacts and deadlines

1. Preserve the condition and identify the booking

This guide concerns damage to household goods during a private domestic move in Germany under a contract with a carrier. It uses the special removal provisions of the German Commercial Code (HGB). Labour-only assistance, transport in your own vehicle, separate storage contracts, damage to buildings and international moves may require a different assessment.

If you discover damage on delivery, point it out to the delivering team and have the item and condition recorded in the handover report. Keep a copy. Read what a signature confirms and add missing or incorrect condition details. A receipt for delivery and a waiver of claims are different declarations.

• Make the immediate area safe and prevent further damage; stop using any hazardous item or appliance.
• Note the delivery date, time of discovery, booking reference and affected item.
• Take overview and close-up photos and retain packaging and loose pieces where safe.
• Send a specific notice promptly to the contracting carrier; prepare the full valuation afterwards.

• Section 451 HGB: scope of a removal contract (German)
• Section 438 HGB: content, text form and notice at delivery (German)

2. Build a clear damage file

Keep original files unchanged. Where needed, send copies that remove other people's faces, identity documents and unnecessary details of the home.

Describe what you can actually observe. Separate observations from assumptions about the cause. A photo of a scratch does not automatically establish when it happened or who is responsible. Identifying the item, its earlier condition and the sequence of events makes the record more useful.

• Match the item to the inventory and photos from your moving enquiry

3. Notify the carrier you contracted with

Check the accepted quote and booking for the company's full name and contact address. The name on a vehicle or an individual helper's phone number is not enough to identify the contracting business reliably.

Umzughilfen is a marketing and referral service based in Idstein for enquiries in the Rhine-Main area. The quote, performance contract, invoice and payment are directly with the independent partner identified beforehand. Copying Umzughilfen may help locate the booking, but it does not replace timely notice to the carrier. We remain responsible for our own referral and data-protection obligations.

• Distinguish the referral service, contracting business and moving team

• Section 438 HGB: content, text form and notice at delivery (German)

4. Check the special notification periods for removals

Missing notification can extinguish claims. For consumers, failure to explain the required form, deadline and consequences may prevent the carrier from relying on these rules (section 451g HGB). If uncertain or already late, notify promptly and obtain an assessment of the specific case.

For loss of or damage to removal goods, section 451f HGB replaces the general rules in section 438(1) and (2). The periods below run from delivery, rather than a later date when you happen to discover the damage.

• Section 451f HGB: special removal damage notification rules (German)
• Section 438 HGB: content, text form and notice at delivery (German)
• Section 451g HGB: consequences of missing consumer information (German)

5. Send a specific notice in text form

A vague message such as 'Something broke during the move' does not identify the damage adequately. Name the affected items and their condition even if the cause remains unclear.

After delivery, section 438(4) HGB requires text form; timely dispatch is sufficient for the notification deadline. A readable email that names you and can be retained by the recipient can meet this requirement. A phone call alone does not meet it. Save the sent message, attachments, recipient and timestamp; check for delivery errors.

The following editorial template is a completion aid. Complete every field with your own facts and send it to the confirmed contracting carrier. Do not wait for a final repair invoice before sending a sufficiently specific notice.

• Subject: Damage notice for move [booking reference], delivery [date].
• To [carrier's full name and confirmed address]: I, [full name], am notifying you of the following damage to goods under booking [reference/date].
• The affected item is [clear description/inventory reference]. I found [specific damage or missing item] at [precise location]. I discovered this on [date/time] when [factual sequence of events].
• At delivery, [actual report entry or actual events] was recorded. Records of the previous condition include [available evidence]. Explicitly state when the cause or timing remains unknown.
• Attachments: [named photos, report and other available records]. I am asserting a compensation claim for this damage. A quantified assessment [is attached / will follow once clarified].
• Please confirm receipt and provide the contact person, case reference and next steps for inspection or assessment. [Name and contact address].

• Section 438 HGB: content, text form and notice at delivery (German)
• Section 126b BGB: text-form requirements (German)

6. Coordinate inspection, repair and insurance

Once notice has been sent, you can add records and prepare the assessment. Ask whether an inspection is needed and what information is required for a repair estimate. Document necessary steps to prevent further damage. Where possible, agree a permanent repair or disposal beforehand and preserve evidence where safe and reasonable.

If your own insurance may apply, notify the insurer in parallel without undue delay once aware of the insured event and follow the policy. Notifying the referral service, carrier or insurer does not automatically satisfy the requirements for the other recipients. Liability and the amount of any compensation need separate assessment.

• Label every addition with the booking reference and, where available, claim reference.
• Keep repair estimates, purchase records and evidence of previous condition separately identifiable.
• Before accepting a settlement or release, check which items and claims it covers.

• Understand the difference between carrier liability and insurance cover

• Section 30 VVG: notification to the insurer (German)

7. Track the response and limitation separately

Keep a short log: notification date, recipient, attachments, reply and next action. If there is no response, follow up by referring to the original message. Setting your own reply deadline does not extend a statutory deadline.

Notification deadlines and limitation are separate. Section 439 HGB generally provides a one-year limitation period and contains special rules. Asserting a claim in text form can suspend limitation until the carrier rejects it; repeating the same claim does not suspend it again. Seek a qualified assessment if the claim is disputed or a deadline is approaching.

• Section 439 HGB: limitation and suspension (German)

8. Check the notice before sending

A well-organised notice helps the recipient handle the matter. It does not by itself prove responsibility or guarantee payment.

• Does the recipient match the accepted booking?
• Have you included the delivery date, item identity and specific damage?
• Have you separated observations from unknowns?
• Are attachments readable, clearly named and limited to necessary information?
• Have you saved dispatch evidence, original photos and contract documents?
• Have you recorded any additional insurance notification and upcoming deadlines?

Questions about reporting moving damage