About Licensing & Compliance
Requirements depend on where you’re moving from and to.
We live in an age of instant gratification. We expect money-back guarantees. If a product’s the wrong size or color, or it doesn’t live up to the seller’s claims, we send it back and get a refund.
It’s not that simple for services. You can’t sample a move in advance. Once you’ve committed to a pickup date, you’re largely committed to the process. That makes due diligence essential: choosing the right provider for your needs, at a price that fits your budget, before the move ever begins.
You can’t sample a move in advance.
Moving is a human endeavor, and service issues can arise for reasons no one fully controls: weather, staffing, traffic, port congestion, or a last-minute change in the customer’s own plans. Even the best-planned moves can present challenges.
What separates a professional moving services provider from the rest is how they respond when issues occur. The IAM Code of Ethics sets firm expectations for professional conduct and timely communication for all IAM Member Companies. IAMTrusted Movers (ITMs) have voluntarily committed to going further still.
Why Licensing and Compliance Matter
Most jurisdictions require movers to meet licensing, qualification, and insurance requirements before they can offer services to the public. Most providers take these requirements seriously, but a small number of bad actors damage the reputation of the entire industry.
In an age of search engines and social media advertising, it’s become easier for those bad actors to rise to the top of the digital search results that we all rely on. Some of the companies that appear most prominently in a search for movers may not be properly licensed or insured. Some operate as brokers, promising good service at a low price, then handing off the job to the lowest-bidding subcontractor. By the time a consumer discovers this, it’s often too late.
It may be the minimum bar, but it’s one you shouldn’t assume has been cleared.
The first step in evaluating any moving services provider is confirming that they’re properly licensed and insured. It may be the minimum bar, but it’s one you shouldn’t assume has been cleared.
ITMs have voluntarily submitted their regulatory compliance, licensing, and insurance information to the IAM Mobility Exchange Validation system. Each qualification is documented, either through a live link to the relevant regulatory database or through submitted documentation, and is available for public review so you can confirm it is current.
That’s the review the IAMTrusted Consumer Portal has already done for you. Every ITM listed here has been compliance validated.
But as noted, even a well-qualified provider can run into challenges mid-move. What matters is how they handle it. That’s where the IAM Consumer Issue Support System (CISS) comes in.
When something goes wrong mid-move
The IAM Consumer Issue Support System gives you a documented route to resolution with any IAM Member Company.
What is the CISS? →