Few moves line up perfectly. The closing on a new house slips, the apartment is not ready or construction runs long, and the shipment is already on the road. Storage in transit is the planned answer: the goods wait in a warehouse near the destination until you are ready.
How it works
On an interstate move, you may ask your mover to store your household goods before delivering them. The shipment stays under the bill of lading, which is what separates SIT from a separate storage contract. The length of storage you can use is set in the mover's tariff, so ask for the maximum period and how charges are applied.
The notice you must receive
When the period is about to expire, the mover must notify you in writing at least 10 days before the end of the specified period or the tariff maximum. If the goods are held for less than 10 days, the notice is due one day before. The notice must give four items: the date SIT converts to permanent storage, the existence of a 9-month period after that date to file claims for loss or damage during transit or SIT, the fact that the mover's liability ends, and the fact that your property is then subject to the rules, regulations and charges of the warehouse. If the mover fails to notify you, its liability continues under the tariff.
SIT and the Reno end of a Bekins move
When O'Brien's handles the Reno end of a Bekins move, shipments can wait in the Sparks warehouse before delivery to a home in the area. O'Brien's runs a 30,000 square foot warehouse at 2277 Glendale Ave, Sparks, with full-service wooden vaults. The warehouse page shows the facility, and storage between moves covers longer waits.
SIT, vault storage and long-term storage
SIT is a short bridge inside one shipment. When goods are meant to stay for months, a separate arrangement such as vault storage is the better fit. O'Brien's vault storage starts from $40 per month, with wooden vaults 7 ft x 7 ft x 5 ft. Allow about 2 to 3 weeks of notice to ship stored goods out of a vault.
Questions to ask
- How long can my shipment stay in SIT under the tariff?
- Where is the warehouse and will the goods stay in one place?
- How will I be notified of the end date, and by whom?
- What does redelivery from storage involve?
- What coverage applies while the goods are stored?