I’m a removalist, what do I need to watch out for?

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Table of Contents

• Do you have a Client Agreement?
• What do your services include?
• What do you require from the client?
• Have you limited your liability?
• The job is done – what now?
• Conclusion

We like removalists. Who doesn’t? They are the wonderful people who can move your things from one place to another without so much as a scratch.

However, if you are a removalist, you will know that the removal process is far more complicated than it may seem. You know that there is a lot of logistics involved with transferring packed goods onto your vehicles, organising the transport of the goods to the desired location, setting out payment terms with your client and limiting your liability during the whole removal process.

You know that during this complex process of removing, storing and delivering goods, things can sometimes go wrong. When they do, you want to make sure that you’re protected. Our small business lawyers can help to make sure that you are.

Do you have a Client Agreement?

Perhaps the most important document that a removalist will need is a client agreement. A client agreement sets out the terms and conditions of your removalist service. You can provide this client agreement to clients that purchase your services, giving your clients an in-depth understanding of how your services works, how and when the client must pay you, what the clients’ obligations are and what you will do if something goes wrong.

Our small business lawyers know that removalists provide a specialised service and, as such, need client agreements that are specifically drafted for their businesses. If you want to know what specific provisions you should include in a client agreement, have a read of our 4 points below!

What do your services include?

You will need to make sure that your client agreement clearly sets out the services that you provide as a business and what the client has purchased. For example, it may be important for your client to know that you will remove packed goods from their homes, you will transport the goods by your vehicles to the destination and you will collect payment for your removalist services upon delivery. You may want the client to know that you will not package the goods, or transport them overseas.

What do you require from the client?

You need to make sure that your clients know what they need to provide you so that you can provide them with the services. A common piece of information that clients must provide to a removalist is the address from where the goods need to be picked up, as well as the address where the goods need to be dropped off. If your client does not provide you with this information, it will be difficult for you to get the job done. So make sure your client knows, from the outset, that they need to give you this information.

If you are picking up and delivering goods from warehouses, you may also require your clients to ensure that a supervisor is present to give you access to the premises. Again, if you are denied access to pick up or drop off goods from a warehouse, you will be unable to carry out your services.

There may be other matters that you require your client to provide you information about. Make sure you let your client know, in your client agreement, what you need from them. This way, your clients’ obligations are clearly set out in writing and they can use this information as a point of reference when in doubt about their duties.

Have you limited your liability?

“You broke my family heirloom!” is not something you really want to hear. If you have been advised by one of our small business lawyers, hopefully you will not be hearing this from your clients any time soon. We know that sometimes things break no matter how much care you’ve taken. That’s why it’s important to always include provisions that limit your liability when transporting goods that may be fragile. You can ask your client to identify fragile or valuable goods so that you can take extra care when transporting these goods. However, in limiting your liability, you can ensure that the client knows that you cannot guarantee that these items will not be damaged, despite you exercising due care and skill when moving the goods. This way, if damage to the goods occurs, you may not be held responsible for paying costs for repairing the goods.

The job is done – what now?

You can also include provisions setting out how the client agreement can be terminated and when the agreement will be brought to an end. For example, you can stipulate that the client agreement will end when the client has made the last instalment of payments to you. You can also set out when and how the agreement can be terminated by the parties if something goes wrong.

For example, if your client has given you the wrong delivery address, you may be required to hold the goods at your warehouse until further information is received. Clients may even specifically request that you hold goods in your warehouse or storage facility for a specific period of time until a delivery site can be arranged. But what happens if the client doesn’t pick up the goods within 30 days? What if the cost of holding the goods in your warehouse is becoming too expensive? In these cases, you may want to terminate the agreement and arrange for the goods to be sold at an auction (as an example). As such, our small business lawyers can incorporate clauses into your client agreement to let the client know what will happen in these situations.

Conclusion

Here at LegalVision, we know what your client agreement needs to include to ensure that you are protected. If you need a client agreement drafted for your removalist services, get in contact with us and we will put you in touch with a small business lawyer to get you started.