Most people hire a moving company the same way. Search, call the first three results, take the cheapest quote. That works out fine more often than not. When it does not work out, it goes badly in ways that are expensive and hard to undo.
The good news is that you can sort a legitimate mover from a bad one in about ten minutes on the phone. You just have to know what to ask. Here are the nine questions worth asking, and what a straight answer sounds like.
1. What is your DOT number?
Every company that moves household goods across state lines is required to have a US DOT number and an MC number. Every company operating inside Texas needs a TX DOT number. These are not optional and they are not hard to produce.
Ask for them, then look them up. Interstate numbers are free to verify at the FMCSA website, and Texas numbers through TxDMV. You are checking that the company exists, that the authority is active, and that the name on the registration matches the name on your quote.
A company that hesitates, gets cagey, or tells you they do not need one has answered your question.
2. How long have you operated under this name?
Moving has a churn problem. Companies accumulate complaints, dissolve, and reopen under a new name with a clean slate. It is common enough that an established name is genuinely meaningful information.
You are not looking for a specific number of years. You are looking for a name with a history you can actually research.
3. Will you come look at my house before quoting?
This is the question that separates the two tiers fastest.
A real estimate comes after someone walks your home, in person or by video, and inventories what is actually there. A number quoted over the phone from a room count is a number designed to get you to stop shopping. It grows on moving day, usually once the truck is already loaded and you have very little leverage.
If a company will not survey the home, the quote is not a quote.
4. What kind of estimate is this?
There are three, and the difference matters more than the number.
A binding estimate locks the price for the inventory listed.
A non binding estimate is a good faith guess, and the final bill is based on actual weight. It can come in higher.
A binding not to exceed estimate means you pay the estimate or the actual weight, whichever is lower. This is the one you want.
Ask which one you are getting and ask for it in writing. A company that will not put the estimate type in writing is telling you how the rest of the move will go.
5. Are the crews employees or day labor?
Some companies staff jobs through temp services. The crew that shows up may be meeting each other and your furniture for the first time.
Neither answer is automatically disqualifying, but you deserve to know which one you are buying. Trained crews who work together handle awkward stairs, tight doorways, and heavy odd shaped items differently than people hired that morning.
6. What does your coverage actually pay?
This is where people get hurt.
Basic released value coverage is included by law and it pays sixty cents per pound per item. A fifty pound television that cost eight hundred dollars pays out thirty dollars. That is not a loophole, that is the standard and it is working as designed.
Full value protection costs more and pays repair or replacement. Ask what is included, what the upgrade costs, and what the deductible is. Get the answer before moving day, not while you are looking at a cracked dresser.
7. Who handles my piano, safe, or antiques?
Specialty items need different equipment, different technique, and often a different number of people. A piano is not heavy furniture. It is a weighted instrument with a center of gravity that moves as you tilt it, and the damage from doing it wrong is usually to the house and the crew, not just the piano.
If you have specialty pieces, name them on the call. Then ask whether the company handles them in house or subcontracts. Both can be fine. What is not fine is finding out on moving day that nobody planned for it.
8. What is your claims process?
Ask this even though you hope not to use it. Ask how claims get filed, who reviews them, and how long resolution typically takes.
You are not really asking about logistics. You are finding out whether a process exists. A company with a real claims process answers this easily because they have done it. A company without one gets vague.
9. Can you do my date, and what happens if you cannot?
Peak season in Houston runs through the summer, and end of month is busier than mid month because of lease turnover. Availability is real information.
Then ask the follow up. If their truck breaks down or the crew is short, what happens? A company with depth reschedules within a day. A company running one truck tells you next week.
What good answers look like
We have been moving Houston families and businesses since 1985. We operate under US DOT 544093 and MC 223234 for interstate work and TX DOT 006340251C in Texas, all of which you are welcome to look up. We are a Southwest Movers Association member with an A plus rating from the Better Business Bureau, our crews are bilingual in English and Spanish, and we survey every home before quoting so the number you get is a number you can plan around.
Ask us all nine. Call (281) 531-6683 and we will walk your place and give you a straight estimate.
Common questions about hiring a Houston mover
How do I check if a Houston moving company is licensed?
Look up their US DOT and MC numbers at the FMCSA website for interstate moves, and their TX DOT number through TxDMV for moves inside Texas. Both are free and take about two minutes. Confirm the registered name matches the name on your quote.
Is a deposit normal for a moving company?
A modest deposit to hold a date is normal. A large deposit demanded up front, especially by cash or wire, is not. Legitimate movers take standard payment methods and do not need most of the money before the work happens.
Should I always take the cheapest moving quote?
No, and be especially careful when one quote comes in far below the others. That usually means the estimate is non binding, something was left off the inventory, or the low number is a hook and the real price arrives on moving day.
How far ahead should I book a mover in Houston?
Four to six weeks for a local move, six to eight for long distance, and add a couple weeks in summer. Booking late does not always cost more but it limits which dates and crews you can get.
What should be in writing before moving day?
The estimate type, the inventory, the date, the coverage level you selected, and the total with any additional charges spelled out. If something was promised on the phone and is not on the paperwork, it does not exist.