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Moving House Checklist

Who needs to be informed about moving house?

Simply using the Post Office’s mail-redirection service shouldn’t be considered good enough. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to inform important companies, such as banks, utility companies, insurers and hospitals directly.
Make a list of all the companies and organisations you need to inform, including their contact details and start contacting them a couple weeks prior to the move.

Read our 10 things to know about moving house blog here!

List of organisations and companies to contact

Here is an explanation of which organisations you’ll likely need to contact, and some key considerations to take into account.

Government Entities

First of all, it’s important to update your address at the local DVLA office for both your licence and vehicle registration. This shouldn’t be done too far before ahead of the move, as you may need your licence for identification to hire a van for example. Depending on your specific situation, you might also need to contact HMRC or the Department for Work and Pensions.

You will need to ask your local authority for a document that declares your council tax. Maybe you will even get a refund. Furthermore, don’t forget to update your details on the electoral roll so your voting privileges aren’t paused.

Here’s a list of who to contact:

Financial institutions to contact:

Banks, credit card companies or lenders of all kinds, need to know your new address details. This is particularly important with current account and credit card providers, which may use the current address listed for security checks or to even to just verify who you are in a situation of fraud prevention.

Here’s a list of financial entities you may wish to contact:

  • Banking and savings account providers
  • Credit card companies
  • Investment funds companies
  • Store loyalty card providers
  • Pension or retirement services.

Insurance providers

When moving house it’s always good practice to notify your contents insurance provider of where you will be moving. Check with them to make sure what is and is not insured during the move. As a result, you may need to purchase additional insurance from them or the removals company.

Contact all of the companies you have insurance with, including:

  • Car insurance (along with any breakdown services provider)
  • Home insurance
  • Mobile phone insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Pet insurance
  • Health insurance (including dental insurance).

Utility suppliers

Inform all utilities providers of the exact date of the move. Be sure to record the information displayed on the meters and take photographs of (ideally of anything that’s dated and stamped) of the meters in both your old and new home to help avoid any confusion on anyone’s side.

It’s not necessarily a utility, but it’s worth mentioning waste management services. It’s always important to contact your current provider, along with your future provider of your move.

When settling in, don’t forget to shop around for the best deals on utilities. Not all utilities companies charge the same for equal services.
Contact:

  • Water supplier
  • Gas provider
  • Electricity provider
  • Waste management provider

Frequent bills

Any company that regularly provides a service you pay for, such as a phone provider, telecoms provider, newspaper or magazine subscription etc., will also need to know about your change of address.

Contact providers for your:

  • Home phone
  • Mobile phone
  • Internet
  • Cable Television

Health services

You must let any medical organisations you interact with know you are moving as well. Be sure to make registering at your new local general practitioners a priority, as there can often be a delay in getting treatment when shortly after registration.

Contact:

  • Local NHS doctor’s office- register as soon as possible to avoid any delays when needing to see your GP.
  • Specialists, such as your optician, dentist or therapist.

Work and education contacts

Your employer, child’s school, daycare, will all need your most current address details. This is especially true if you’re listed as an emergency contact.

Contact:

  • Your employers (and also the company pension fund)
  • Colleagues
  • Professional associations
  • Schools, colleges and educational institutions
  • Childcare facilities

Leisure and family activities

Make sure that all subscriptions are kept current. Be sure to share your address with any other organisations that might need to contact you via physical mail.

For pets that are microchipped, be sure to update the details with their database companies. In some cases, this can be done online.

Contact:

  • Newspaper and magazine subscriptions
  • Clubs, including sports teams or gym
  • Charities supported by you
  • Pet microchip databases.

Redirecting your mail and calls

If you’ve lived at your property for several years, you’ll have a lot of work to do to update all the people and companies with your new contact information.

This process can be made easier by using the Post Office’s change-of-address service. It normally takes up to 10 days to come into full effect. As a result, it redirects all mail to your new address. This service can be kept for three, six or 12 months after moving into a new home to avoid post getting sent back or lost.

When changing a phone number, arrangements can also be made for the telephone company to automatically inform callers of their new number for a few weeks following the switchover date.

When to start packing to move house

It’s always best to start packing as early as possible. Begin packing non-essentials at least a couple of weeks before the scheduled moving day. It’s worth planning where all of the furniture will go a few weeks in advance of your move as well. This also gives a good opportunity to dispose of any items you don’t want to take with you.

You may need to order packing boxes or cases, and sometimes new curtains and carpets or rugs for your new property, as well.
Take a look at our page on packing for moving for an extensive rundown of how to make the process a breeze.

Preparing your home

It is always very helpful if to prepare a briefing sheet for the new owner. This should include how to operate fixed appliances, such as the boiler or furnace and alarm, the location of the utilities meters, fuse box, and any other information that is crucial to the new home.

All the keys can be labeled or left in the lock that they operate. Don’t forget the toolshed keys and garage keys, or those for the keeping the windows locked if applicable.

It’s also good idea to ask the previous homeowner, or have it as part of your purchase agreement, that the person you are buying from does the same.

What’s needed to do after I’ve moved

There are often a few loose ends with any new property that usually need to be tied up as soon as the move has been competed.

If the property costs more than £125,000 (or £300,000 as a first-time buyer) you are required to pay a stamp duty bill within 30 days of filing the sale contract.

Getting a locksmith to change the locks so the household has a unique set of keys is also a good idea to sleep with peace of mind.