Guides · complaints

Removalist damaged your furniture? What to do, step by step, in NSW

If a removalist damages or loses your things in NSW, put it in writing to the business first, use AFRA's no-cost dispute process if they are accredited, then lodge a free complaint with NSW Fair Trading, and keep NCAT as the last step.

What to do if a removalist damaged your furniture

A suggested order built from each body's own guidance, not one agency's published process.

Source: NSW Government, AFRA, Service NSW, NCAT

Start with the removalist, in writing. If that stalls, use AFRA's dispute process if the business is accredited, then lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading, and treat the tribunal, NCAT, as the last step.

Two of the steps outside the removalist say they cost you nothing. AFRA describes its no-cost dispute resolution process, and Fair Trading acts as an informal negotiator at no charge. NCAT, at the top, is the step with a hard deadline: you apply within 3 years of when the problem arose.

That order is our suggestion, built from what each body says about itself. No single agency publishes it as one ladder. It holds together because each step expects you to have tried the one below it. Fair Trading, for one, says it will not be able to take your complaint further unless you have tried the business first.

Every step also runs on paperwork. Most of it can only be created on the day.

What to do on moving day, before the crew leaves

Before the truck leaves

Don't let goods be packed until the paperwork is received and signed (AFRA).
Check the inventory and condition notes against what arrived.
Photograph any damage where it sits, before it is moved again.
Write the problem on the paperwork rather than signing it off as fine.
Note who saw the damage happen (NCAT asks for witness statements).
Keep the quote, contract, invoice and receipts.
From now on, keep every email and text.

Source: AFRA, NSW Government, NCAT, Service NSW

AFRA's tips say not to let any goods be packed without the correct paperwork received and signed. NSW Fair Trading says the contract should include a household inventory, pick-up and delivery addresses, dates and times. That inventory is your baseline. Check it against what arrives before you sign anything at the other end.

If something is broken, photograph it where it sits, before it is moved again. Write the problem on the paperwork rather than signing it off as fine. Note who was there when it happened.

None of this is busywork. NCAT asks you to gather invoices, quotes, photos and witness statements. Fair Trading wants copies of correspondence showing how you tried to resolve it.

A leafy Australian suburban street on a mild afternoon. A cab-over removal truck at the kerb with its rear roller door up and the loading ramp down. On the footpath, a timber sideboard on a furniture trolley with a grey padded moving blanket pulled back, and a hand holding a smartphone over its top to photograph it. Taped cardboard moving boxes stacked nearby. — Illustration: photographing a sideboard on the footpath before the truck leaves

Be realistic too. AFRA says not all damage and breakage is the removalist's liability. A signed inventory and a clear photo help show what changed between pick-up and delivery. Our written move plan guide covers what to have on paper before the day.

What a removalist owes you under consumer law

The guarantee	What it means for a move
Due care and skill	Taking all necessary steps to avoid loss and damage.
Fit for any specified purpose	The service does what you said you needed it for.
Reasonable time (when no time is set)	Depends on the task and factors such as busy periods and public holidays.
Possible remedies	Refunds, an additional service to fix the problem, reimbursement for damages and consequential loss in some cases.

A 'not responsible' sign or clause doesn't remove these rights (ACCC).

Source: NSW Government, ACCC

NSW Fair Trading names three consumer guarantees for services:

Due care and skill. The removalist takes all necessary steps to avoid loss and damage.
Fit for any specified purpose.
A reasonable time when no time is set.

On that third guarantee, "reasonable" depends on the task and factors such as busy periods and public holidays. That matters in summer, when many households move at once.

If a guarantee isn't met, remedies include refunds, an additional service to fix the problem, and reimbursement for damages and consequential loss in some cases.

A sign or contract clause saying "we're not responsible" doesn't remove these rights: businesses can't take these rights away by saying they aren't responsible for problems with a service.

One exception: the guarantees don't apply to services that transport or store goods for business purposes. A household move is covered.

Minor or major problem: repair or refund?

Source: NSW Government

How big the problem is decides what you can ask for.

A minor problem can be fixed. The business chooses how to fix it. You can't cancel and demand a refund straight away: you must give them a chance. If repairs take too long, you can get someone else to fix it and ask the business to pay reasonable costs, or cancel and get a refund.

A major problem meets at least one of four tests:

it would have stopped you buying had you known
the service is substantially unfit and can't be fixed in a reasonable time
it creates an unsafe situation
it doesn't achieve the result you asked for.

You can then end the contract for a full refund, or seek reimbursement for the difference in value.

Where your case sits is a judgement call. If you're unsure, Fair Trading's phone line, 13 32 20, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm, is the place to ask.

How to complain to the removalist first

Fair Trading will not be able to take your complaint further if you have not tried to resolve the problem with the business first.

NSW Government, Talk it over

NSW's advice is to contact the owner, a manager or the customer relations manager and suggest a resolution. Give them a reasonable timeframe and your contact details. Stay polite and professional. The same page has sample complaint letters, including one for services.

Put it in writing, even if you call first. A good letter says:

what was damaged or lost, and where it was on the inventory
when you noticed
what you'd like done: a repair, a replacement or a refund
the date you'd like a reply by.

Attach the photos. Keep a copy. That letter becomes the correspondence every later step asks for.

Is your removalist AFRA-accredited? Using AFRA's dispute process

This step only applies if your removalist is accredited with AFRA, the Australian Furniture Removers Association. AFRA says its members follow a Code of Conduct and that a fair and independent dispute resolution process is available.

Ask the removalist whether they are accredited. If they are, ask them, or contact AFRA directly, how the process works and what it needs from you. If they aren't, skip this step and go to Fair Trading.

Does the removalist's insurance cover my things?

Who	What the sources say
Any removalist	Not required by law to insure your property during a move; most only insure their vehicle (NSW Fair Trading).
AFRA-accredited removalist	Has public liability insurance and can provide transit insurance, which can be extended to storage for a separate premium (NSW Fair Trading).
AFRA member requirements	Public liability, third-party property, motor vehicle and carrier's legal liability insurance; not all damage and breakage is the removalist's liability (AFRA).

Source: NSW Government, AFRA

Not necessarily. Removalists are not required by law to insure your property during a move, and most only insure their vehicle.

AFRA-accredited removalists have public liability insurance and can provide transit insurance, which can be extended to storage for a separate premium. AFRA says its members must hold public liability, third-party property, motor vehicle and carrier's legal liability insurance.

Your consumer guarantees and an insurance claim are two separate routes. Whether a particular loss is paid out depends on the cover in place, so ask any removalist what cover applies before moving day, St Ives Removals included. Our guide to packing fragile and valuable items goes through who packs, who carries and who covers.

How to complain about a removalist to NSW Fair Trading

Have this ready before you lodge (about 30 minutes online)

Your contact details and the removalist's
The service, dates and cost
The resolution you suggested, and any offers made
What you want done
Copies of receipts, contracts and correspondence

Lodge online, at a Service NSW Centre, or by post to NSW Fair Trading, PO Box 972 Parramatta NSW 2124. Phone 13 32 20, 8:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Source: Service NSW, NSW Government

If the removalist doesn't fix things in your timeframe, lodge a complaint. You can lodge online (allow about 30 minutes), or by PDF form at a Service NSW Centre or by post. The postal address is NSW Fair Trading, PO Box 972 Parramatta NSW 2124.

Have these ready: your contact details and the business's; the service, dates and cost; the resolution you suggested or any offers made; what you want done, plus copies of receipts, contracts and correspondence.

Fair Trading assesses complaints and in most cases tries to negotiate with both parties. It may also give information, record the complaint for compliance programs, or contact the other party.

The ACCC is not the place for a single dispute: the ACCC does not resolve individual disputes about the consumer guarantees, so yours goes to Fair Trading or NCAT.

Two cases sit outside this step:

Business moves for resale. Fair Trading can't intervene in business-to-business complaints where the goods or services are to be on-sold. Small businesses are pointed to the Small Business Commissioner.
You now live in another state. People outside NSW should contact their own state agency, though Fair Trading may accept a complaint about a NSW business. If you're leaving NSW, our interstate removalists checklist covers the rest of that move.

Taking it to NCAT: the last step

NCAT can decide claims up to $100,000 (checked October 2026). It can order payment of money, a refund, fixing or replacing goods, or supply of services.

Source: NCAT

If negotiation fails, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal can decide claims up to $100,000 (checked October 2026). It can order payment of money, a refund, fixing or replacing goods, or supply of services.

Watch the clock. You must apply within 3 years of when the problem arose, and the service must have been supplied within the past 10 years.

Preparation is mostly the paperwork you've already kept. Use the other party's correct legal name and address, and attach an ASIC register search if it's a company. Applications are first listed for conciliation and hearing, and most people represent themselves.

The complaint pathway at a glance

Source: NSW Government, AFRA, Service NSW, NCAT

Four places to take a complaint, in the order we'd use them. Each one leans on the paperwork from the one before. Keep the inventory, the photos and every message from moving day onward.

Planning your move with St Ives Removals

The best time to sort out paperwork and cover is before anything is lifted. When you ask St Ives Removals for a quote, ask the questions this article raises: what the written inventory will include, what happens if something is damaged, and what insurance applies to your goods.

You can request a removalist quote in St Ives and talk it through. You can also start mapping the day with our move planner.

Sources

Pictures in this guide are illustrations, not photos of our jobs.