Insurance and Liability for Goods in a Receiver's Care

When your client’s furniture is sitting in someone else’s warehouse, a fair question follows: who is responsible if something happens to it? The honest answer involves both the receiver’s coverage and the client’s own, and understanding the difference protects everyone.

What a receiver covers

At Trade Receiving, every item in our care is insured, and everything is documented. Condition is photographed at receipt, so there is a clear record of what arrived and in what state. That documentation is the foundation of any coverage conversation, because it establishes the condition of a piece before it ever went into storage.

Why clients should also carry coverage

As a best practice, we encourage clients to carry their own insurance for goods in storage and transit, the same way they would for any high-value inventory. A receiver’s coverage and a client’s own policy are complementary, not redundant. High-value furnishings, long storage durations, and irreplaceable pieces are all reasons a client may want their own policy in place alongside the receiver’s.

The role of documentation

• Condition at receipt is photographed, so there is no dispute about what shape a piece was in when it arrived.
• Storage is tracked, so the location and status of every piece is known.
• Handling is professional, wrapped and staged, which is the first line of protection before any policy is ever tested.

Questions worth asking any receiver

Before you route a client’s project to a warehouse, confirm the essentials: Are goods in their care insured? Is condition documented at receipt? How are pieces stored and handled? The answers tell you whether you are handing a client’s furniture to a professional operation or an uninsured storage unit.

Note that this is general information, not insurance advice. Coverage details vary, so a client with high-value or irreplaceable pieces should confirm specifics with their own insurer.