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# Claim
- URL: https://relocationecosystem.com/claim/
- Published: 2026-09-04T09:54:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-05T05:00:21.000Z
- Description: What a moving claim is and why documentation, timing and contract terms matter when loss or damage is reported.
- Author: Scott Hampton
- Tags: Dictionary, One Language

**TRE Dictionary**

## Claim

A **claim** is a written request for compensation or other resolution after alleged loss, damage, shortage, delay, or another covered service issue.

### In plain English

The customer is asking the responsible company to review a documented problem and determine what remedy is owed.

### Why it matters

Inventory, condition records, photographs, valuation, receipts, notice timing, and written correspondence can affect claim handling. For interstate household-goods moves, FMCSA states that a written loss-or-damage claim generally must be filed with the mover within nine months of delivery.

### A delivery exception is not the completed claim

Recording a missing item or damage at delivery preserves an observation. For claims governed by [49 CFR 370.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-370/section-370.3?ref=relocationecosystem.com), delivery notations and inspection reports alone do not meet the minimum filing requirements. The written claim must identify the shipment, assert liability and request a specified or determinable amount, and reach the proper carrier within the applicable time limit.

### Who owns the next step?

The customer or authorized claimant submits the claim; the carrier’s claims team reviews it. The crew’s delivery notes and photographs support that review, but telling the crew about a problem is not the same as confirming that the claims team received a written claim.

### Keep the evidence connected

Connect the [Inventory](https://relocationecosystem.com/inventory/) item identifier to the [Condition Report](https://relocationecosystem.com/condition-report/), dated photographs, delivery notes and supporting value records. Preserve the written submission, receipt confirmation and claim reference. A later discovery should be documented promptly and handled through the applicable process.

A complaint to FMCSA is separate from a claim for compensation; FMCSA explains that it does not resolve individual claims in [What if there are problems?](https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move/what-if-problems?ref=relocationecosystem.com)

Continue with [Moving Claims: What to Document When Something Is Lost or Damaged](https://relocationecosystem.com/moving-claims-guide/), follow the [Moving Documents guide](https://relocationecosystem.com/moving-documents-guide/), or return to the [Relocation Dictionary](https://relocationecosystem.com/dictionary/).

### TRE common-language definition

> **Claim:** A documented request for review and remedy of an alleged loss, damage, shortage, delay, or other covered service failure.

### Related terms

[Valuation](https://relocationecosystem.com/valuation/) · [Inventory](https://relocationecosystem.com/inventory/) · [Condition Report](https://relocationecosystem.com/condition-report/) · [Carrier Liability](https://relocationecosystem.com/carrier-liability/) · Service Failure

To understand the protection selected before the loss, review the [Moving Valuation guide](https://relocationecosystem.com/moving-valuation-guide/) and retain the signed terms with the claim evidence.

### Sources & Evidence

- [FMCSA — What if there are problems?](https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move/what-if-problems?ref=relocationecosystem.com)
- [FMCSA — Protect Your Move](https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/protect-your-move?ref=relocationecosystem.com)

*The Relocation Ecosystem provides educational information and does not provide legal advice. Claim deadlines and remedies can depend on the move, jurisdiction, contract, and applicable law.*