Same $75,000 Bond.A Completely Different Rulebook.
A household goods broker files the exact same $75,000 BMC-84 as any freight broker under 49 CFR § 387.307. But the moment you sell relocation services to an individual consumer, 49 CFR Part 371 Subpart B layers ten additional disclosure, estimate, and recordkeeping rules onto your registration — rules a general property broker never has to think about.
This is the sub-category most freight bond guides skip entirely, right as FMCSA runs its most active household-goods enforcement push in years. If you hold general broker authority already, start with our freight broker bond hub. If you move people's households, this page — the bond, the extra rules, and the enforcement climate — is built for you.
Official Federal Requirements
"You must disclose prominently on your Internet website and in your agreements with prospective shippers your cancellation policy, deposit policy, and policy for refunding deposited funds in the event the shipper cancels an order for service before the date an authorized household goods motor carrier has been scheduled to pick up the shipper's property."Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) • 49 CFR § 371.117(a)
What Actually Changes When Your Broker Authority Says "Household Goods"
The bond form, the dollar amount, and the FMCSA agency are identical. Everything else about your compliance obligations is not.
General Property Broker vs. Household Goods Broker — FMCSA Obligations
Same $75,000 BMC-84. Different rulebook once an individual shipper is involved.
| Requirement | General Property Broker | Household Goods Broker |
|---|---|---|
| Bond form & amount | $75,000 BMC-84 (or BMC-85 trust fund) | $75,000 BMC-84 (or BMC-85 trust fund) — identical |
| FMCSA authority type | "Broker of Property" | "Broker of Household Goods" — a distinct Motus selection |
| Governing regulation | 49 CFR Part 371, Subpart A | 49 CFR Part 371, Subpart A + Subpart B (§§ 371.101–371.121) |
| Advertising disclosure | General FMCSA broker rules apply | Must state business address, USDOT/MC #s, and that you broker (not transport) the move — § 371.107 |
| Written estimates | Not specifically regulated by Part 371 | Must be survey-based or waiver-based and tariff-priced — § 371.113 |
| Carrier agreement before quoting | Not required | Signed written agreement with the specific carrier required — § 371.115 |
| Consumer protection booklets | Not required | Must deliver/link FMCSA's "Ready to Move?" and rights booklet with signed receipt — § 371.111 |
| Cancellation/refund policy | Not specifically regulated by Part 371 | Must be prominently disclosed, with 3-year records — § 371.117 |
| Typical enforcement focus | Non-payment to carriers | Consumer complaints (NCCDB), hostage-load reports, deposit disputes |
Bond amount and form confirmed against 49 CFR § 387.307 and FMCSA's BMC-84 filing instructions for household goods brokers. Subpart B citations verified against the current eCFR text of 49 CFR Part 371, Subpart B (§§ 371.101–371.121).
The bond takes 24 hours. Getting Subpart B compliance right on day one is what keeps your registration off FMCSA's radar.
The 10-Section Checklist: 49 CFR Part 371, Subpart B
Subpart B applies whenever you sell to an individual shipper in interstate or foreign commerce (§ 371.101). Here is every section, in order, and what it actually requires of your brokerage.
Applicability
Subpart B applies when you serve an INDIVIDUAL shipper (a consumer moving personal belongings) in interstate or foreign commerce. Commercial and government shippers are outside its scope.
Definitions
Establishes the terms used throughout Subpart B, including who counts as an "individual shipper" and what counts as an "order for service."
Authorized carriers only
You may arrange transportation only through a motor carrier holding a valid USDOT number and valid FMCSA operating authority — no exceptions for a carrier you personally vouch for.
Advertising & website disclosure
Your ads and website homepage must show your physical business address, your USDOT and MC numbers, a plain statement that you broker (not transport) the shipment, and — if you provide carrier-behalf estimates — that those estimates are tariff-based.
Carrier identification
You must tell the individual shipper which motor carrier(s) you intend to use for their move.
Federal consumer protection booklets
Deliver or link to FMCSA's "Ready to Move?" and "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" booklets at the time of estimate, and obtain a signed, dated receipt.
Written estimates
An estimate you provide must rest on a physical survey the carrier performed (or a signed, plain-English survey waiver) and must be priced off that carrier's published tariff.
Carrier agreements before estimating
You need a signed written agreement with a specific motor carrier, adopting your estimate as its own, before you can quote on that carrier's behalf.
Cancellation, deposit & refund policy
Prominently disclose your cancellation, deposit, and refund policy on your website and in shipper agreements. Keep 3 years of cancellation records, including refund proof.
Penalties
FMCSA may impose civil penalties or revoke your broker registration for Part 371 violations — independent of whether your BMC-84 bond is in good standing.
Note: Subpart B does not apply to commercial or government relocation contracts — only to individual consumers moving personal household goods (§ 371.101). Brokers running both individual and corporate relocation books only need Subpart B controls active on the consumer-facing side.
Why FMCSA Is Watching Household Goods Brokers So Closely
Subpart B did not appear in a vacuum. It exists because household goods brokering is where FMCSA sees the highest volume of consumer harm — and the agency has spent the past several years building enforcement capacity specifically aimed at it.
2022 complaint volume
Moving company and broker complaints logged with FMCSA in 2022 — more than double the 2015 total.
2023 enforcement sweep
FMCSA's March–April 2023 investigation sweep targeting a spike in "HHG hostage" complaints — shipments held hostage for extra fees.
Enforcement partnership
State agencies — including Attorneys General offices — now share FMCSA enforcement data and run joint HHG investigations.
Operation Protect Your Move
FMCSA launched Operation Protect Your Move in May 2024 as a nationwide crackdown on scam interstate household goods movers and brokers. Investigators prioritize operators with the worst records in FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB) and the agency's HHG Top 100 Carriers list — not brokers with clean histories. That distinction matters for underwriting: a documented Subpart B compliance file (signed carrier agreements, disclosed cancellation terms, delivered consumer booklets) is the paper trail that keeps a legitimate broker off the enforcement short list, separate from whether the BMC-84 bond itself is current. FMCSA can revoke a registration for Subpart B violations under § 371.121 regardless of bond standing.
Registering as an FMCSA Household Goods Broker
The path runs through the same Motus registration system as any broker authority — with one selection early on that determines which rulebook follows you for the life of your registration.
Apply via Motus — Select "Broker of Household Goods"
1–2 days to applyFile Form OP-1 through FMCSA's Motus registration system and choose "Broker of Household Goods" as your operating authority type — a distinct selection from "Broker of Property (non-household goods)." Pay the $300 application fee. This selection is what activates Part 371 Subpart B against your registration.
File Your BMC-84 Bond ($75,000 — Same as Any Broker)
24-hour bond approvalFile the identical $75,000 BMC-84 surety bond (or BMC-85 trust fund) required of any property broker under 49 CFR § 387.307. Your household goods authority type does not change the bond form or dollar amount — only your ongoing compliance obligations. We file only with Treasury-listed sureties; approval typically takes 24 hours.
Build Your Subpart B Compliance Set Before You Advertise
Before advertisingBefore your first ad or website goes live, prepare the § 371.107-compliant disclosures (business address, USDOT/MC numbers, broker-not-carrier statement), a delivery plan for the § 371.111 consumer protection booklets, and your § 371.117 cancellation/deposit/refund policy. If you plan to provide carrier-behalf estimates, line up signed § 371.115 agreements with those carriers before quoting.
File Form BOC-3 — Process Agents
1–2 daysDesignate a process agent in every state where you do business. A single blanket BOC-3 filing (available from several FMCSA-registered providers) covers all 50 states. Typical cost is $40–$60.
Wait for ACTIVE Status, Then Keep Records Running
Ongoing obligationFMCSA activates your household goods broker authority once your bond, BOC-3, and application clear review. From day one, keep the § 371.113 estimate records and § 371.117 cancellation records — both carry a 3-year retention requirement — because FMCSA reviews these first in a consumer-complaint investigation.
From the Producer's Desk
Underwriting observations — household goods broker bonds
The question that trips up nearly every first-time HHG broker applicant is "wait, is this a different bond?" It isn't — the $75,000 BMC-84 prices the same whether the broker checked "property" or "household goods" on the OP-1 form, because the surety underwrites the applicant's credit and financial responsibility, not the Subpart B obligations. Those obligations sit with FMCSA compliance, not with the bond.
Where it does affect the file: brokers who have already had a Letter of Probable Violation from a prior HHG operation, or who show up with active NCCDB complaints, tend to get flagged the same way a freight broker with a bond drawdown history does. It is not about the bond amount — it is that a surety reads a documented consumer-complaint pattern as a signal about how the applicant will run the next operation.
The most common compliance gap I see isn't the bond — it's brokers who launch a website before they've nailed down the § 371.117 cancellation policy or lined up § 371.115 carrier agreements. Both are free to fix on paper. Neither gets checked before FMCSA activates the authority. They only get checked when a shipper complains, which is exactly when you don't want to be building the paperwork from scratch.
BuySuretyBonds.com production team — freight transportation bonds
Frequently Asked Questions
Household goods broker-specific questions about the BMC-84 and Part 371 Subpart B
Is the household goods broker bond a different bond from a regular freight broker bond?
Why does Part 371 Subpart B only apply to some of my business?
Do I need a signed agreement with a mover before I can give a shipper an estimate?
What happens if I don't post a cancellation and refund policy?
Does FMCSA's crackdown on moving fraud affect brokers who already follow the rules?
Can I get a household goods broker bond with bad credit or as a new business?
Official FMCSA Resources
49 CFR Part 371, Subpart B — Special Rules for Household Goods Brokers
The eCFR text of every section, §§ 371.101–371.121, governing household goods brokers
FMCSA Protect Your Move — Regulations & Enforcement
Official FMCSA resource on household goods consumer protection rules and the current enforcement program
Related Freight Bond Resources
Everything else you need for FMCSA broker authority and financial responsibility
Freight Broker Bond Hub
Complete broker BMC-84 guide — pricing, claims, 2026 rule changes
Freight Forwarder Bond
The other BMC-84 sub-category — Carmack liability, not consumer disclosure
Auto Transport Broker Bond
Vehicle-shipping brokers — a third BMC-84 sub-category with its own risk profile
BMC-84 Bond vs. BMC-85 Trust Fund
Which financial security option makes sense for your HHG brokerage
How to Get Broker Authority
Step-by-step guide — the OP-1 process, BOC-3, protest period explained
BMC-84 Premium Calculator
Estimate your annual household goods broker bond premium by credit score
Freight Bond Cost by Credit Tier
Rate tables and credit-tier breakdown
Freight Broker Industry Guide
Authority, compliance, and bonding essentials
Get an HHG Broker Bond Quote
Start your BMC-84 application — 24-hour turnaround
For general pricing across credit tiers, see our surety bond cost guide. Curious how the deep-dive Subpart B rules connect to the core bond mechanics? Read our complete BMC-84 guide.
All content is researched from official state and federal sources (.gov) and verified before publication. BuySuretyBonds.com works with Treasury-certified, A-minimum rated surety carriers serving all 50 states.
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Freight Broker Bonds by State
State-specific guidance for filing your $75,000 BMC-84 and securing FMCSA property broker authority.
California Freight Broker Bond
BMC-84 filing for California property brokers
Texas Freight Broker Bond
Laredo & Gulf-corridor brokerage bonding
Washington Freight Broker Surety Bond
Pacific Northwest broker authority
Pennsylvania Broker Bond
Northeast freight broker BMC-84 filing
Arizona Freight Broker Bond
Southwest property broker bonding
Georgia Freight Broker Bond
Atlanta & Savannah-corridor BMC-84 filing
Montana Freight Broker Bond
BMC-84 requirements & cost for Montana brokers
Wyoming Freight Broker Bond
Fast BMC-84 filing for Wyoming-registered brokers