Who Do You Need To Inform When Moving House?
Admin. The dreaded word on anyone’s tongue when you’re in the process of moving house. When you’ve already spent so much time filling in financial paperwork, sifting through bank statements, agreements in principle, leaseholds, and contracts, the last thing you want is more of it. But, unfortunately, there are some final bits that need to be wrapped up once the move is finalised. This includes changing your address.
There are seemingly countless organisations that you need to inform when moving house, and, when you create this list off the top of your head, something is likely to slip through the net. Which is why Jack & Jill Removals have created our checklist outlining everyone you need to notify on your change of address.
Government organisations
There are a number of important government related details to sort when you move, starting with your Council Tax.
You’ll need to tell the council that you’re moving out of your current property and register for Council Tax at your new address. The exact process varies between councils, but you’ll likely be asked for details such as your old and new addresses, moving date and information about the people living in the property. Your old council and your new council may also be different, so make sure you contact the relevant authorities rather than assuming one will update the other automatically.
It’s also important to update your details on the electoral register. Your electoral registration details are linked to your address, so you need to register again when you move.
While you’re updating your government details, you also need to notify HMRC of a change in address.
Banks
Your bank is one of the first places you should update when moving house. It’s easy to think of your current account and forget about the other financial services you use.
Even if you’ve opted for paperless statements, it’s still important to keep your address details up to date. Your financial providers may need to send documents, replacement cards or security information by post, and having an old address on file can cause unnecessary problems.
One useful way to tackle this is to check your bank statements and emails for the last few months. This can jog your memory about accounts or finance companies you may not use every day. Go through them carefully and make a note of every organisation you need to contact. This could include:
- Current and savings accounts
- ISAs
- Credit cards
- Loans and finance agreements
- Mortgage providers
- Pension providers
- Investment accounts
DVLA
If you drive, remember that moving house means updating your details with the DVLA. You can be fined up to £1000 if you don’t inform DVLA of a change in address.
You need to change the address on your driving licence and, if you are the registered keeper of a vehicle, update the address on your V5C vehicle log book too. If you pay vehicle tax by Direct Debit, that needs to be updated as well.
Medical services
If you’re moving far enough away that your current GP surgery is no longer practical, you’ll need to register with a new GP surgery in your local area.
In England, you can search for a surgery and register online, and your GP records are transferred as part of the process. If you’re staying with the same surgery but simply changing address, you should let them know so your details are correct.
You should also consider researching local dentists and changing your practice now. They don’t need to be notified of a move in property, but if you have a dental emergency and prefer to be seen by a private dentist, it can smooth out the process significantly and prevent you from needing to do research at short notice. Likewise, they will be able to notify you of upcoming routine checkups.
Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to update:
- Opticians
- Private healthcare providers
- Pharmacies if you receive regular prescriptions
- Health insurers
Insurance companies
Moving house is also a good opportunity to review all your insurance policies and make sure the address is correct. Your home insurance will obviously need updating, and your address can impact the cost of your policy so this is worth checking in advance.
You also need to check:
- Car insurance
- Life insurance
- Health or medical insurance
- Pet insurance
- Contents insurance
- Travel insurance, where relevant
Internet and TV
Contact your internet and TV providers as early as possible. Depending on where you’re moving, your existing provider may be able to move your service to the new property, but this may need to be arranged in advance.
Your employer
Your employer must have your address on file. This is a simple piece of admin that can be conducted in advance so you don’t need to consider it amongst the other paperwork. Simply let your manager or human resources team your new address and the date of your move so it can be updated accordingly.
Any subscription services
Take a look through your regular subscription payments and check whether your address needs changing.
These could include:
- Magazine subscriptions
- Meal or food delivery services
- Pet food subscriptions
- Clothing subscriptions
- Online shopping accounts
- Memberships
- Regular deliveries
- Charity donations
You may also want to update the saved delivery address on websites such as Amazon or other retailers so you don’t accidentally send post to your old address.
Royal Mail
One of the simplest ways to avoid missing important post during a house move is to redirect your mail when moving house.
Royal Mail offers a Redirection service that forwards post from your old address to your new one. You can arrange this for three, six or twelve months, which gives you time to update your address with organisations and catch any companies you may have forgotten.
It is recommended that you apply as soon as possible and says you should allow at least five working days for the service to be arranged; applying around three weeks before your move gives you more time.
Mail redirection can act as a safety net while you sort through all the changes mentioned above.
Friends and family
Finally, don’t forget to update your loved ones
A simple moving house address checklist
The above can feel overwhelming, and feel like a lot to remember, so here’s a checklist you can save and work through:
- Council Tax
- Electoral register
- HMRC and relevant benefits
- Banks and building societies
- Savings accounts and ISAs
- Credit card companies
- Loan and finance providers
- DVLA
- V5C
- GP surgery
- Dentist
- Optician and other healthcare providers
- Home and contents insurance
- Car insurance
- Life and medical insurance
- Energy providers
- Water supplier
- Broadband and TV providers
- Employer
- Subscription and delivery services
- Royal Mail
- Friends and family
- Any clubs, memberships or organisations you regularly deal with
Make moving day one less thing to worry about
There’s already plenty to think about when you’re moving house, so having the practical side organised can make the whole process feel much easier. That’s where we can help. Jack & Jill Removals can take care of the physical side of your move, helping you get your belongings safely from your old home to your new one while you focus on everything else that needs your attention.
