What happens if an item is damaged in a move? How is a condition report made?

Why a note is not enough and a photo is

No written note settles the argument between "there was a scratch" and "there was no scratch", because both sides remember the same sentence differently. What ends the argument is an image showing the state of that item before loading.

For the record to be worth anything, three conditions must hold: it was taken BEFORE the move, it is clear which item it belongs to, and the customer saw and approved it. Without all three, the record is weak in a dispute.

A two-stage record

A condition report is not a one-off task; it is taken at both ends and the two are compared.

Linking damage to an inventory line rather than writing it in free text matters: not "a scratch on the sofa in the living room", but a scratch on a line with a known code. In Loduvo every item carries a room-based code (such as LIV-01) and the damage is recorded straight against that code.

• Before loading: existing damage (scratches, dents, a broken leg, stains) is photographed before the item goes into the vehicle and linked to the relevant inventory line.
• After delivery: the same lines are recorded again once the item has been unloaded.
• The difference: the gap between the two records is the damage that occurred during the move. The discussion runs from there, not from memory.

Customer approval and locking the record

A team marking a record as "the customer approved it" from their own phone is weak as evidence. What is strong is the customer approving from their own device: the customer already sees the report — summary, damage notes and photos — from the survey link they hold, and approves it under their own name.

The moment it is approved the record is locked: at database level it can no longer be changed or deleted, and the dashboard switches to read-only. The reason is simple — evidence that can be edited afterwards is not evidence.

This is not insurance

A condition report is a record of condition; it is not a policy that covers loss. Who is liable and for how much is determined by the contract between the moving company and the customer, and by transit insurance if there is any.

As a service it is also optional and paid: not every customer wants it, and those who do pay an extra fee. The moving company sets the fee; if zero is entered, the service is not offered to the customer at all. Loduvo is not a party to this relationship — the moving company provides the service.