Forgetting things is natural, but forgetting something during a move is certain. You’ll never get it all the first time, and it’s okay. You’ll have plenty of chances to get it right, but you have to do what you can to limit those loose ends.
We put our heads together and thought of the things we all have overlooked in past moves. After some spirited listing, we’ve broken down your change of address checklist into five categories.
Because let’s face it, a checklist is the most nebulous part of the removals process but has the most realistic effect. If you don’t update your address with some pertinent institutions, you could get serious headaches.
DOWNLOAD CHANGE OF ADDRESS CHECKLIST
Table of Contents
Change of address checklist before moving house
Let anyone who’s sending you mail know that you’re moving house. One of the good things about changing your address is that you can go through the mail you receive and sort the valuable information and the unwanted junk. A lot like you can do with your e-mail. Sort the following things beforehand:
Redirect the Royal Mail
For this, you have to do an official Royal Mail redirection. The good news is in this day and age, you can do it online.
Inform clubs
Get in touch with all the clubs you’re participating in and tell them you’re moving. Depending on your community, you might need to send an official change of address letter.
Inform the school and college
Call your academic administration and give official notice. The clerks will take it from there.
Change your voting address
Whether it’s for searching moving tips or changing the voting address – once again, the Internet comes to our rescue. In England, you can change your voting address online at the UK government website – Register to vote. Learn how to reapply for the electoral roll later in our post.
You don’t have to notify Home Office when changing the address in the UK if you’re an EU resident.
Pay your council taxes
Get more information on paying your council taxes when moving house. Some of the most common things to take into consideration are council tax overlap, cancelling your council taxes generation and checking if you are eligible for discounts.
Medical change of address checklist
It seems redundant to think you’d have to inform your family of a move, but you’ve got to think bigger picture. Apart from your personal relationships, you’ll probably have to consider any health establishments you are affiliated with. You should also carefully calculate your removal costs.
Inform NHS
Receiving emails from the NHS at your address might be very important for people with sensitive health statuses. Any NHS messages arriving at your previous address might reveal personal information and lead to fraud if this information gets into the wrong hands.
Make sure you complete the NHS form for change of address once you move house successfully. This won’t take you more than a few minutes but will certainly save you lots of trouble.
Any further correspondence with the NHS will be completed at the new address that you’ve added to their form. Make sure you’ve filled all sections, so the application is fully applicable.
Pet insurance
Don’t forget to notify the pet insurance company you’re working with when changing your address.
Companies for pet insurance, such as Pet Plan, allow you to update address details after you move house. They have a comprehensive form that users can fill out and submit to provide an updated status of their current home address.
If your pet insurance provider does not provide a similar form on their website, contact them via a phone call and provide all necessary information.
Travel insurance
Ensure you have updated all details of your EHIC card before moving out of the UK. In case you’re about to move overseas, this card will provide you with travel insurance, meaning you will be able to use state-funded healthcare while Switzerland or any country within the EEA (European Economic Area) area.
Re-apply for EHIC card if your other details have not changed, and you’ve already informed NHS about your change of address. The new card will be sent to the new address you added to the field during the re-application.
If you are unsure how to proceed with your travel insurance, contact your moving company and ask anything you need information on. Safe removal service is our priority, and we always aim to inform the customers about details that will save them time, effort and money.
Notify these groups as well:
- Your dentist;
- Your physician;
- Your optician;
- Your paediatrician.
In this era of such exceptional communication, one email and a few separate send-to lists, you’ve got everyone who matters in the know.
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Business change of address checklist
Notify your employer
Send a notification to your employer that you’re moving home, and don’t forget to mention that you’re changing your permanent address. Any official documentation that your employer might want to send personally to you should arrive at your up-to-date permanent address.
The payroll process often requires updated information about your address. In addition to this, there might be complications during the house move if you’re not using a professional removals company, so your employer should be notified that you’re planning to move.
This way, they’ll be able to predict the possibility of complications that might result in a day off from work or at least your absence for several hours from your workspace.
Update prepaid and club cards
If you’re using club cards or prepaid cards for any particular stores you’ve been using for a long time, update your personal details and add your new address.
This way, you won’t have any issues with deliveries arriving at your old property. Taking action on time will save you a lot of trouble later. You will not be wasting time and money on re-deliveries.
Consider transferring your home insurance
Contact your home insurance provider and notify them of your change of address. Request more information about whether you can transfer your current home insurance onto the new property you’ll be living in.
Carys Frampton
Content Manager at Admiral
"Your insurer may be able to transfer your existing policy to a new home, but there may be differences depending on the situation. Much depends on the location. For example, if the area you move to has a higher crime rate, it could impact your premiums. Equally, if you’re moving to an area prone to flooding you may need to take out a special policy or confirm your policy has flood cover in place, like Admiral’s Home Insurance. Speak to your existing insurer before you move to make sure all the details are in place. If you plan to do renovation work, make sure you let your insurer know as not doing so could void your policy".Read more about home insurance when moving out.
There will be recalculations and changes in the premium tax rates based on the property size, age, location etc., but most of the insurance policies will remain profitable in the long term.
Moving out gives you a great opportunity to check your current contract for home insurance, and if there are better deals, you may actually consider cancelling it. You can get a cancellation fee, so carefully read the whole contract with your home insurance company.
- Inform your HR department. This one is fairly obvious. In order for the accounting department to have all your documents straight, they’ll need to have the same address to all your documents and all other government places where your name is present. If not, there might be trouble for you.
- Inform HMRC. You’ll need to pay special attention to this one, as once you inform HMRC about your new address, they will update your personal record for income tax, national insurance, tax credits and benefits and services including Government Gateway and Pension services. You can do so on the official UK government website.
- Inform Banks. It’s crucial to inform all places, involved with sending you money. On the official website of any bank is information on how you can inform them about your new address. This will update your financial accounts, debit and credit cards, etc.
The list can be a long one depending on your unique business needs, but it’s important to be thorough. Your personal business leaves little room for error.
Change of address checklist for utilities
Ah, the dreaded utilities change. The most exhausting update but the most critical one. After all, no one wants to be without electricity. That’s a good enough place to start with your electricity, and this also includes:
Gas and electricity provider
Don’t leave this one for the last moment. Give at least 48 hours of prior notice, so your provider can calculate your last bill. If you mess this up, you might have to pay again, even after you’ve left the place.
Landline
Not so popular in 2018 compared to your mobile phone, but some people still prefer to pay to have a landline at home.
There are even a few advantages of having a landline, so if you think so too, make sure to notify your landline provider of your house move, followed by a change of address.
Mobile phone
This one is not absolutely necessary, but if you like receiving fliers with updates about the deals of your mobile phone service operator, you will have to notify it of your address change. They will then be able to continue creating custom offers and send them to your new address.
If using the same provider for an internet connection service, then you will certainly have to notify them of your house move. If there are any issues with the hardware, they need to know your exact location, so they can repair it quickly and efficiently.
When doing international moving, talk to your mobile phone operator about your roaming details.
Also, consider the following:
- Water provider. Similar to the previous, give at least a day notice, so they can calculate your last bill. This one you can do online as well.
- Satellite/Cable/Internet/. A phone call would suffice, though you might need to go personally in order to sign a new contract.
- TV licence change of address. One of the most often forgettable tasks. You can change your TV license online for free.
The list is enough to give a person fits, and yes, you’ll spend some time on hold, but changing your address with these companies is essential.
Check also:
Change of address checklist regarding vehicles
V5C vehicle log book
Update your V5C vehicle logbook immediately after your change of address is officially confirmed. If you don’t do this on time and the DVLA remains uninformed, you can get a fine of up to £1000.
Get your V5C log book, as well as all supporting documents, and send them to the DVLA. For more details on the process, follow the complete list of instructions on how to update your address on the V5C book.
Make sure you’re following the instructions properly without skipping any essential information. If you must tax your vehicle in the next 4 weeks, you can do it online before sending your V5C book to the DVLA. Mind that it may take up to 6 weeks until the whole procedure is completed.
If you’re moving home with your vehicle, then you will need to contact the local authorities. Does the new place have free parking? Do you need a resident parking permit? These are just a few of the questions you’ll need to ask.
- DVLA;
- Insurance;
- Breakdown recovery;
- Vehicle registration.
It’ll take several phone calls for all of the above, but this is how to change your address after a move. And for the move itself, you’ll need to give us a ring. At our moving company, we want to do the heavy lifting so you can see to the rest of the details without any worries.
Consider hiring a storage
When moving house with your car, you will probably have to use a temporary storage service for all of the household items. A long-term storage service is a perfect option to save some time for settling in. When you’re done with the most basic stuff, you can proceed to empty the storage facility from your stuff and take it to the new address you’ve to move to.
DOWNLOAD CHANGE OF ADDRESS CHECKLIST
Using our well-organised change of address checklist, every home move in the UK will be easy as a child game. It’s not the best list out there, but the most important stuff is right here. Don’t forget to stay calm and organised and the big moving day will be easier.
Notify domestic service providers you’ve subscribed to
Regular cleaning service providers
If you’ve been using regular cleaning services before your change of address, make sure you have notified your cleaning service provider of your move at least a week before you complete it.
Skipping this step may result in a cleaning team arriving at your old address on the date of the next session in the schedule. This will leave you with a small service charge for not notifying the company, leading to them wasting a lot of resources.
Make sure you also notify the following providers of the change of address you’re planning to make:
- Gardeners
- Window Cleaners
- Accountants
- Solicitors
- Handyman service providers
- Pest Control companies
- Builders/Maintenance
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Subscriptions: Notify any companies/institutions you’ve subscribed to
There are thousands of opportunities for customised subscriptions to products and services. As long as you have the money, you can subscribe to anything that will make your life easier and more comfortable and keep you updated on the most recent news.
Some of the most common things people subscribe to our companies and services such as:
- Library
- Sports Clubs
- Gym membership
- Amazon Subscribe & Save
- Custom cosmetics
- Snack and meals subscriptions
- Clothing subscriptions
- Kids and parents stuff
- Paperback magazine editions
If you want to continue receiving the products and services you’ve subscribed to, make sure you update your personal information with them and provide them with your new address.
Who else to notify of your change of address
Re-apply for the electoral roll
If you want to vote in the UK but have recently changed your address, then you must submit another registration with the updated address details.
When doing so, you will have the opportunity to consider changing the way you vote. Maybe you would like to switch to the “by post” or “by proxy” method of voting if you’ve been voting only in person until the details update process.
Go to the complete list of instructions on changing your address details so you can vote in the UK again. Mind that you can register anonymously if there is a reason for concerns about your own safety or the safety of your relatives.
Reputable international removals companies would usually provide you with more information on re-applying for the electoral roll in the UK if you ask them about it.
Change your charity’s details
In case you have a charity registered with the same address you’re moving from, then you’ll have to notify the HMRC about the changes.
If the charity is registered with the Charity Commission, a notification for the change of address must be sent to them as well. When updating the details of your charity, make sure to familiarise yourself with the complete list of requirements.
Inform friends and family
Quite logical, but the whole hassle around moving out sometimes makes people forget that they should inform their closest friends and family members of their move.
Emailing them all at once is the most time-saving and efficient method. All will be able to reply in a single mail chain and notify each other of any additional information or plans related to your house move.
Forgetting to inform your friends and relative might terribly surprise some of them if they decide to surprise you at your previous address and someone else opens the door for them.
Sending packages via mail to the wrong address is also a terrible experience as you will afterwards have to deal with mail redirection procedures that are time-consuming and irritating.
Ending up with lost items that have been sent to the wrong (previous address) is even worse and might lead to losing an important package from your family or a dear friend.
The only way to have everyone around you updated is to personally hold the responsibility of informing them. If you can’t reach everyone by email, make sure to make a phone call or send them a change of address card at their residence address.
FAQ about moving house and change of address in the UK
Below, you will read more about the most frequently asked questions we receive from people who are on the verge of changing their address after moving house. Feel free to contact us if you need any more specific information about your move, such as moving costs or how long it takes to move house.
Do I need to change my will if I move address?
Yes. Moving House is one of those things that make it necessary to update your will if you do so. You won’t be able to amend the will; only reviewing it is necessary if you’ve moved house recently.
Getting separated or divorced also leads to a need for reviewing your will. If there’s a reason to make any major changes to your current will, you will have to make a whole new one if the official alteration is impossible. Learn more about updating your will when changing an address or under any other specific circumstances.
Do I need to change the address on my passport?
No, you don’t need to change your address in the passport document after moving out. When your passport expires, and a new one is made, it will be updated with your up-to-date permanent address. Other events that do not require a change in your passport are:
- Changing job
- Make minor changes to your appearance
- Getting married/divorced
- Getting an academic title
- Get citizenship in a country in addition to your UK citizenship
Where do I go to change my address?
You can apply online for a passport renewal when your passport has expired or any of the following personal alterations have happened:
- You’ve changed your name
- Sex reassignment surgery was made
- Your appearance has changed so dramatically that the passport photo and your face cannot be easily identified as the same person.
- You’ve gone through plastic surgery that has altered your facial features
You don’t need to renew your passport if you’ve moved house and your current address has changed.
Is man and van service a suitable option for smaller moves?
Definitely yes. In fact, when we receive a call from a customer, we always ask them about the scale of their move. If they’re moving from a smaller property or the distance is shorter than usual, we always recommend they hire a van with a driver. It’s very affordable and comes with full insurance for your belongings if you get your items packed by our professionals before the transportation.
Do I need to change my billing address when I move?
Yes. Changing your billing address after moving out and updating it everywhere that you’ve registered is an essential step that you have to complete.
All online purchases you make are related to the billing address you’ve provided. It has to match the current address you’re living at so all operation with your credit or debit cards is executed with the proper personal details.
Change your billing address after successfully moving out. If you do it in advance, before the house move is completed, there’s a risk of receiving documents and letters at your old address.
If this happens, there’s a chance of losing them or receiving them when it’s too late for certain operations.
Can I transfer my house insurance?
You can find the information you need about transferring your house insurance in our Business Change of Address Checklist section of the post.
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For questions about the services we offer visit our main site or you can always call us at 020 3746 0584
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