How to Vet a Moving Company in the DMV

1. Confirm the legal entity

Ask for the registered company name, not just the brand on the truck. Many movers trade under a name that differs from their legal entity, which is normal — refusing to tell you the entity is not.

Once you have it, search the state register: Maryland Business Express for MD, the DCRA CorpOnline register for DC, or the Virginia SCC's business search. You're looking for an active status and a formation date that matches what they told you.

2. Check the right licence for the right move

Which licence applies depends on where the truck goes, and a lot of confusing advice online ignores that.

• Interstate (crossing a state line): the carrier needs USDOT and MC numbers — search them on FMCSA SAFER
• Within Maryland: household-goods movers register with the Maryland Public Service Commission
• Within DC or Virginia: local registration and insurance matter more than a DOT number, which may not apply at all
• A local-only mover with no DOT number isn't a red flag — a mover claiming a DOT number that doesn't match their name is

3. Ask for a certificate of insurance

A COI is a one-page document from the mover's insurer. Check the coverage dates cover your move day and that the coverage limits meet whatever your building requires — DC and Bethesda high-rises commonly ask for $1M general liability and want to be named as certificate holder.

A mover who handles buildings routinely will send this within a day without any fuss. Hesitation here tells you a lot.

4. Get the price in writing before any money moves

You want either a flat rate or a binding estimate, in writing, listing what's included: crew size, truck, wrapping and padding, stairs, and any long carry. A verbal 'it'll be around…' is how a $600 move becomes $1,400 on the day.

Ask specifically what would change the price. An honest answer is a short, concrete list.

5. Treat a big deposit as a warning

A small, refundable deposit to hold a date is normal practice and protects the crew's schedule. A demand for half the job up front, or for cash or a wire transfer only, is the single most common pattern in genuine moving scams.

For reference, our own hold is a flat $100, credited to the final bill and refunded if we cancel.

6. Read the reviews properly

Volume is useful but it isn't everything, and it penalises good newer crews unfairly. Read for pattern instead: do reviews mention the same crew members by name, describe specific buildings and neighbourhoods, and cover recent months? Ten detailed local reviews beat two hundred generic ones.

Also check how the company answers a bad review. A calm, specific reply tells you more about how they'll treat you when something goes wrong than any five-star rating.

7. Ask for local references

Recent customers in your area, or photos of completed jobs in buildings like yours. Any mover who works your neighbourhood regularly can produce these quickly.