Updating your address when moving house: Who to notify
There’s a lot more to moving house than just relocating yourself, your family and all of your possessions. From your family and friends to your bank and internet service provider, you’ll need to notify a wide range of people about your new address.
No matter how organised you are, it’s easy to forget one or two essential people and end up with a stressful situation post-move. To help make moving easier, we’ve put together a list of more than 15 different companies to notify when you move house.
Utilities, services and communications
From gas supplies to your telephone, life without basic utilities and services can be difficult. Alert all of your utility suppliers and service providers at least two weeks before you move so that they can update your account and relocate your service.
change of address submitted to USPS, utilities cancelled from thursday on, billing info changed. moving procedures, full speed ahead #fb
— The Yasser Temple (@theyassertemple) September 5, 2011
Electricity
Notify your electricity company at least two weeks before you move so that they can update your address and account. Your energy provider may need to read the meter before your account can be updated to match your new address.
Gas
Notify your gas supplier at least two weeks before you move, if possible. Much like your energy supplier, the gas supplier may need to visit your property before your account can be updated.
Water
Contact your water company before you move to inform them of your new address and allow them to update your account. Just like with electricity and gas, it’s best to contact your water supplier at least two weeks before you move.
Post Office
You’ll need to notify the Post Office to your new address before you move. The Post Office has a mail redirection service that allows you to direct mail to your new home as soon as you move. You can apply for this service online up to 10 days in advance.
https://twitter.com/LennieBK/status/532881329205964800
Telephone/Internet
Contact your landline phone and Internet suppliers before you move. If your new home doesn’t have an existing connection, it could take several weeks (and a visit from an engineer) to connect the property to the Internet.
Sky TV and TV license
If you subscribe to cable or satellite TV, you’ll need to notify your supplier at least two weeks before moving. You will also need to move your TV license – this can be done online at the TV Licensing website.
Finance, employment and insurance
From your bank to your insurance provider, it’s important that you notify any of the companies that you have a financial relationship with before you move so your mail doesn’t end up at the wrong address.
Bank
Contact your bank at least two weeks before moving to notify them of your new mail address. Moving is also a good opportunity to move your account to a branch that’s located closer to your home.
Wrote to the bank to change address. They wrote to old address to thank me for letting them know about change of address. Black hole of wft
— Hannah Gidley (@spannercanary) November 12, 2014
Credit cards
Contact your credit card provider and notify them that you’re moving so that your statement is sent to the right address. If your card has a safety measure that needs you to receive mail, make sure your security address is also updated.
Store/Loyalty cards
If you have stored value cards for retailers and grocery stores, call them and update you address to make sure your catalogues are sent to your new home. Make sure to notify any companies that you have loyalty cards with about your new address.
Subscriptions and online shopping
Do you shop online? Make sure you update your delivery address for Amazon and other online retailers before you order anything to your new home. Notify any of your magazine and newspaper subscriptions at the same time.
Hire purchases
If you’ve bought any items on hire purchase, you’ll need to notify the companies to your new address. You will also need to notify loan providers to your new address so that they know how to contact you if required.
Employer
You will need to notify your employer of your new address before you move so that they can update your payment and contact information. Make sure you notify your employer at least two weeks in advance of moving to give them adequate notice.
Council tax
You will need to notify the local authority in your new address and your old address so that your council tax is paid properly. Your local Post Office can provide contact information for your local council authority.
National Insurance and HMRC
You will need to let HMRC know that you have changed address as soon as possible. HMRC offers an online form that updates your records for income tax, tax credits, the Child Benefit, Child National Trust and National Insurance.
Pension schemes
You’ll need to contact the Pension Service to update your address and continue to receive the State Pension. This is easy to do online. If you have a private pension scheme, you’ll need to contact your pension provider and change your address.
Private Insurance
Before you move, notify all of your insurance providers – from medical insurance to home, auto and life insurance – that you’re moving. Make sure you also inform your local doctor and dentist that you’ve changed your address.
Solicitor and accountant
If you have a family solicitor, contact them before you move to let them know your new address. If you’re self-employed or have a personal accountant, contact them and inform them of your new address as soon as possible.
Voting and government
If you’re on the Electoral Register, you’ll need to update your information in order to vote in local, general and EU elections. To change your address, re-register to vote at the UK government website.
Driving license
You’ll need to update your driving license shortly after moving. Use this online form to complete the change of address process for your driving license in Britain, or this online instruction sheet in Northern Ireland.
Are you ready to move house?
Moving house is complicated and time consuming, especially when you have a wide range of people, companies and government departments to contact. Set aside a few hours before you move and go through the above list over a morning or afternoon.
Notifying your employer, bank, insurance company and other important people in advance saves you the task of managing everything after you move, giving you a far simpler, less stressful moving day.