Move Assured is an accreditation scheme for UK removal companies. It checks and monitors its approved members. That covers business practices, insurance and standards of service, before it puts its name behind them. A firm cannot simply display the Move Assured badge. It has to apply, pass checks, and keep meeting them to stay accredited.
You may have come across the name because a removals company mentioned it. Or you are comparing quotes and trying to work out which badges are actually worth paying attention to. Move Assured is less well known than the British Association of Removers. That is exactly why it is worth understanding properly, rather than skimming past it. Below is what membership requires, what it checks, how it compares to BAR, and how to confirm a firm genuinely holds it.
Move Assured accredits removal companies, not individuals. It treats accreditation as ongoing, not a one-off badge earned and forgotten. According to Move Assured's own registration process, applicants go through an initial set of checks before anything is confirmed. These include a review of the company's website and social media presence. They also include a look at customer reviews, plus direct contact with the firm's insurers to verify the policy details.
A firm also has to show it holds Goods in Transit insurance and Public Liability insurance. Real policy numbers and renewal dates go on file, not just a statement that cover exists. Move Assured describes this stage as working through "every aspect" of the business. That covers correct terms and conditions, claims procedures, and how the company is structured day to day. Firms that are not quite ready yet can apply for an interim membership instead. Move Assured then works with them until they reach the standard needed for full accreditation.
This matters because the badge reflects something checked, not just something claimed. A company cannot pay a fee and print a logo. It has to open its books and its insurance to an outside party first.
The checks behind the badge map onto the things that go wrong when a mover is not properly set up. Three of them matter most from a customer's point of view.
Verification of the business itself. Move Assured looks at what the company presents publicly. That means its website, its social media presence and its reviews, checked before accreditation is granted. A firm that will not stand up to that scrutiny is unlikely to get through.
Verification of insurance. This is the part that matters most if anything is ever damaged, lost or delayed on moving day. Move Assured contacts the insurer directly. That confirms Goods in Transit and Public Liability cover are genuinely in place, rather than taking a firm's word for it.
Ongoing standards, not a one-off check. Accreditation is tied to the company continuing to operate correctly. It is not a badge earned once and kept forever, regardless of how the business changes afterwards. That is a meaningful difference from a scheme you pay once and display indefinitely.
None of this tells you exactly how a move will go on the day. It does tell you that someone outside the business has already asked the awkward questions about insurance and conduct. You are not starting from zero.
Move Assured and the British Association of Removers are not competing badges. A firm can hold both at once, and Bearded Bros does. The two schemes work differently. It is worth being clear on what each one actually adds, rather than assuming one replaces the other.
| British Association of Removers (BAR) | Move Assured |
|---|---|
| The long-established UK trade association for removers, approved under a Trading Standards Consumer Codes Approval Scheme | An independent accreditation scheme that checks and monitors individual removal companies |
| Members pass an external annual audit against BAR's Code of Practice | Members are checked on their business practices, reviews, and insurance before accreditation, and supported to reach the standard if not there yet |
| Comes with the Advance Payment Guarantee and access to the Furniture & Home Improvement Ombudsman | Comes with a public "find a mover" search customers can use to confirm a listed firm |
Neither scheme replaces the other. BAR brings the Advance Payment Guarantee and ombudsman access described on our accreditations page. Move Assured brings its own separate layer of vetting, focused specifically on insurance and business standards. A firm holding both has been checked twice, by two different organisations, in two different ways. Neither one is the "senior" accreditation. They simply cover different ground.
For a mover, holding both signals something specific. It has been through two separate applications, with two separate sets of paperwork, rather than one badge that happened to be easy to get.
Because the name carries some weight, it is worth confirming a badge is real rather than taking it on trust. Move Assured runs a "Find me a Mover" search directly on its own site. Enter a town or postcode and it returns the accredited members operating in that area. Tick the storage box too, if that matters to your move.
If a removals company in Brighton and Hove tells you they hold Move Assured, search for them by area on that page. A genuine member will show up in the results without you having to ask them to prove anything. If a firm claims the accreditation but does not appear for their area, that is worth a direct question before you book. It could be a listing gap rather than anything sinister, but it is worth clearing up.
This is a different check to the one used for BAR membership, which relies on a membership number rather than a location search. If you have already read our guide to checking BAR membership, Move Assured's search is separate and worth running on its own.
Bearded Bros holds Move Assured accreditation alongside our BAR membership, Trading Standards approved Code of Practice, Checkatrade reviews, Brighton & Hove Living Wage employer status and Self Storage Association UK membership. Our accreditations page sets out what each one means, and you can search for us on Move Assured's own site if you want to check it yourself.
We have been moving households across Brighton and Hove since 2013. Holding more than one accreditation is part of how we back that up, not something we mention once and leave at that. If you are weighing up removal companies in Sussex, checking a badge directly is always the better move than taking it on trust. Have a look at our removals service, or head back to the Bearded Bros homepage to see everything we cover.
Move Assured accreditation is one part of what to look for in a removals company. BAR membership and genuine reviews matter too. Bearded Bros holds all of it as standard.
No. There is no legal requirement for a UK removals firm to hold any accreditation. A company chooses to apply and pay for the checks Move Assured involves, so holding it reflects a firm's own choice rather than something it was forced into.
Just the company. Accreditation applies to the business as a whole, covering its insurance, practices and standards, not to individual crew members or drivers.
Use the "Find me a Mover" search on Move Assured's own website. Enter the company's area and confirm they appear in the results.
No, not directly. Move Assured checks a firm's insurance and standards before and during membership, but it is not a financial guarantee scheme for your specific payment. That kind of protection is what BAR's Advance Payment Guarantee covers instead, and the two are worth understanding separately.
Yes. Move Assured's own terms and conditions allow for suspension or removal of a member, which means the badge can be withdrawn if a firm stops meeting the required standard.
