July, 2022
Congratulations, you're moving house and it's time to spread the word! But who exactly do you need to tell?
It's not just your friends and family who need to know when you move. There's a long list of other companies that need to know your new address. That's why we created this checklist - so you can keep track of who you have and haven't told about your new address.
Employer – Your employer needs to know of a change of address so they can update your contact details, but more importantly they need to know for your payroll.
Inland Revenue – One of the most important places that needs to know when you change address is Inland Revenue. They’ll need to know for your taxes.
National Insurance – Your National Insurance (NI) number is frequently used by the government to help identify you and is required by the DVLA, HMRC and your employer. That means it’s extremely important to update your national insurance information. You can find the phone number and opening times online, but you’ll need your NI number ready to fully change your information.
Council Tax – To update your Council Tax address, you’ll need to visit the relevant gov.uk site for your move. Each site has their own form for changing your address.
Electoral Roll – When you change address, you’ll need to re-register on the Electoral Roll for your new area with your updated details. This can be done by visiting https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
Department of Work and Pensions – If you’re receiving money from the government then you’ll need to change your address information with the Department of Work and Pensions as well. This can be done over the phone by calling the relevant helpline. The numbers that you’ll need to call can be found here.
When you're moving longer distances, you'll want to remember to cancel subscriptions to local gyms or clubs that you won't be going to anymore.
The other thing you'll want to do is contact any subscriptions you have and let them know when you'll be moving to your new address so they can start sending things to your new home. See below for some examples:
Cable/ Satellite - You should let them know of your change of address for billing purposes and so they can update your contact information. It's also worth checking whether your new home will require a new satellite dish or cable to be installed before you update this information. Otherwise, you'll be paying for a service that you can't use.
Phone - For landlines, you'll need to inform the phone company that you are changing address as you'll receive a new phone number for the home that you move to - this can normally be done at the same time as your broadband. For your mobile you will need to update your address so that they can send the bill to the correct address.
Broadband - You may also want to cancel your broadband subscription as you will most likely be able to get a better deal when you move to your new home.
TV Licence - Your TV licence won't be valid when you move to a new property so you will have to change this information on the TV Licensing website. This can be done up to 3 months in advance of your move.
DVLA: Update your driving licence - Your driver's licence will need to be updated with your new address as soon as possible. This can be done on the DVLA website for free and they should send you an updated licence (which normally arrives in around 2-4 weeks).
Vehicle Breakdown Cover - This is particularly important for providers who charge different rates based on area and for knowing where they may need to take you to in the event of a breakdown.
Car Insurance - You'll need to inform your car insurance provider about your change of address too. This is for both your insurance payments and your contact information in case of an accident. Unfortunately, there may be a change in your payment rate depending on where you live.
V5C Vehicle Log Book - Remember to update your V5C for your vehicle tax. Forgetting to update this information may result in a fine of up to £1000, so it's not something you'd want to forget about.
Schools - If you have children, you should let their schools know that you are going to be moving house so they can update your contact information. This is also a good idea because moving home can be stressful for your children so it's important to keep their school up to date.
University - Private schools and universities will also need to know your address so that they can send over the tuition fees for each term or year, so it's important to provide them with your new address if you're going to continue using them after the move.
When you have a change of address, you may also have to change doctors. This means that your doctor will have to forward your medical information to your new. If you have a check-up before you move, it's worth getting their contact information and letting them know when you'll be moving, you can then pass your new doctor's information to your old doctor (or vice versa).
Other healthcare places you might need to change your address with:
Most insurers will need to know when you move to a new home because they take your postcode into account when they work out your premium and cost of cover. If you live in an area that is considered “higher risk” then your insurance is likely to increase (likewise, if you move to somewhere considered “lower risk” it will go down).
However, some insurance policies aren't reliant on where you live and will only need your new address so they can update your contact information and to change where they send your bills.
Other insurance you might need to change your address with:
If you hire anyone to help maintain your property, you should cancel their services before you move to your new address. If you’re moving to somewhere that’s not too far away, you might be able to hire them to help at your new property – just don’t forget to tell them your new address.
It’s also worth updating your contact address with anyone else that might need to send you something through the post such as accountants, solicitor, or tenants. Normally post from these people will be important and, potentially, private so you won’t want to become lost in the post after you move to your new home.
Other service you might need to change your address with:
Banks or Building societies - You should let your bank or building society know about your change of address as close to your move date as possible. Your place of residence is an important factor for proving your identity and forgetting to update this information might put you at risk of identity theft. You can update your information on your bank's website if you have an online bank account or you can visit them in person.
Premium Bonds - Don't forget to update your address for any Premium Bonds that you've invested in, otherwise you won't be able to receive any potential winnings.
Pension - If you're on a private pension plan, you can update your pension information by contacting your provider by phone or email. If you're on a State Pension, you can contact them on gov.uk 's pension page.
Loan companies - If you have taken out any loans then you'll need to let them know about your change of address and the date that you'll be moving. This can be done by contacting them directly, over the phone or by email.
Credit card/ Debit card companies - While you're changing your address at the bank you may also want to get your address changed for your credit/ debit card. Charges to your credit card will require your actual address not only for the bill, but as an additional identification step.
Store Cards - It's also a good idea to change your address for any cards you hold with specific stores as they will use that address to deliver any items you order online to.
Electricity - It takes up to 48 hours for your energy provider to update your information, so make sure you do this well in advance of your move. Depending on the type of account you have, you may be charged for ending early, if this is the case you should check to see if they'll allow you to move the deal to your new property.
Gas - Make sure your provider knows what date you're moving and then take a reading of your gas and electricity on the day you leave to send to them. This will stop you from being charged for gas and electricity that you haven't used. This may also be a good time to compare providers as you may be able to get a better deal elsewhere.
Water - You should let your water provider know that you're going to be moving and won't be using water beyond a certain date.
Royal Mail: Redirect post - When you move, there's not always time to change your mailing address for everything, so you can set up a postal redirect to give you a little extra time. This means that any post sent to you at your old address will be redirected and delivered to your new address and you can apply for it up to 3 months before the date of your move (although it does take 10 days to implement). The redirect is only temporary so you can't rely on it forever and it's via Royal Mail so you will still need to contact everyone who sends you the post to update them. You can set up a redirect with Royal Mail on their website.
Are you in the process of moving house? Click here to check out our step by step guide to help you prepare for the big move.
