Who to Notify When You Move House
Of all the various ups and downs of moving house, one of the most taxing parts is the endless admin - and all the businesses you have to inform when you move. Thankfully, we've pulled together this handy guide of everyone you need to get in touch with when moving house.
Of all the various trials, tribulations and straight-up don’t-need-this-right-now stuff involved in moving house, one of the most taxing parts is the endless amount of admin that comes with it. Never again will you sign as many papers and contracts as you do when you move. The paperwork doesn’t stop at the estate agents.
Many first-time movers aren’t initially aware of the sheer number of companies and organisations that have your address on file - let alone who you need to notify of your move. Sure, you’ve got the obvious - friends, family, bank, school, work - but there are plenty of other folks who want - nay, need - to know when your address changes.
That’s exactly the reason why we compiled our super swishy Home Moves Contact Checklist, detailing every person (and their dogs) who need to hear about it when you decide to up sticks and relocate. So check out that incredibly handy resource, or read on in this blog post, for some tried-and-tested tips from us, the home move specialists about who to notify when moving house in the UK.
Who to notify when you move
Rather than sitting it out and waiting until your Amazon delivery of a brand new yoga mat goes through the letterbox at your old place, aim to get ahead of the game. Here’s a handy list of all the companies, bodies and entities you need to inform of a change in address.
Government organisations
First up on the change of address checklist are official bodies. For obvious reasons, you need to make sure the relevant government bodies know where you’re going to be living. These may include:
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) - make sure to update your driving licence with your new address, as well as your vehicle registration
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - inform HMRC of your new address so any potential national insurance and tax documentation is sent to the right place
Local authorities - contact your local authority to get your final council tax statement and see if you’re entitled to a refund
Electoral roll - make sure you update your address on the electoral roll
In some cases, you might also need to get in touch with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if you’re in receipt of welfare assistance, child maintenance, or a State Pension.
Employers
You’ll need to tell your employer of your new address, to ensure your employee files are correct and up to date. Plus, maybe they’ll need to send you a ‘Goodbye to a Much-Loved Colleague’ card in the post - you want those good vibes dropping through the right letterbox!
And… if you’re starting a new job as part of your move, ensure you provide them with your new address and not your old one; that’s just good business sense.
Finances
This one’s a biggie. It’s crucial that you contact your bank and credit card providers as soon as you have your new address secured. This is not just so you can continue to receive your statements; sometimes, banks use your address as a security precaution, so it’s vital to keep it up to date and correct. Financial institutions you’ll want to contact include:
Current and savings bank account providers
Credit card providers
Loan providers
Investment funds
Loyalty card providers
Pension schemes or providers
Student loan and tuition fees providers
If you have a leased or financed car, you’ll also need to let your lender know that you’ve moved, as well as any other credit or finance providers you have an account with who might have your old address on record.
Insurance providers
Insurance is highly important, and odds are, you have a few more insurance policies out than you realise at first glance. Some of the types of insurance you’re likely to have - and therefore will need to contact - may include:
You'll want to make sure your insurers are informed of your change of address and notify them with your updated contact details as soon as you move, otherwise you risk invalidating your cover, even if you continue to make your insurance payments on time.
Healthcare providers
Even if you’re not moving far, you still need to let your healthcare providers know your new address. The institutions you’ll need to contact include your GP surgery and dentist, as well as your optician and any specialist services, such as a therapist. This should be high on your moving house checklist. You may be able to change your address online, but you may need to visit your healthcare provider in person to verify your new address.
Utility providers
Something you’re unlikely to forget about is utility providers (no chance of anyone paying for bills they’re not liable for anymore). But you will need to make sure you give them your exact moving date, and ensure you take photographs of your meter readings on the day you move. This may come in handy if they attempt to charge you more than they should.
And make sure you also take meter readings of your new property on move-in day, too. In all, you need to contact your existing provider and find new providers for:
Other bills
Another crowd you’ll want to loop-in on the home move are your other bill providers. These would include people like:
Don’t forget about these guys
Low on the list of priorities, but still in need of informing, are miscellaneous companies and subscription services. You’ll need to update your contact information, no doubt, but these providers would probably sit below those above on the to-do list, and could typically wait until the other correspondence is taken care of.
They include but are not limited to (don’t you just love it when people say that?):
Veterinary surgery/microchip database
Charities you donate to or support
Gym and sports memberships
Newsletter, newspaper, and magazine subscriptions
Other postal subscriptions
If you use online shopping sites, make sure you update your billing and mailing address to ensure your deliveries don't automatically get sent to the wrong address. Let’s nip that potentially embarrassing misdelivery right in the bud.
Redirecting mail
For those who have lived in their houses for many years, there are likely to be a few more organisations and companies you’ll need to inform of your address change; it’s likely that some might get overlooked.
To prevent your mail from getting lost, you can set up a redirection subscription with Royal Mail for three, six, or even 12 months after you’ve moved house. It is a chargeable service, but can help to ensure nothing gets left behind in case you’ve missed something. What’s more, couples can get a discounted rate.
The admin never stops, but there’s help at hand
So, aside from the above, who else needs to know your new address? Well, it’s a hard one to answer, and pretty much depends on your individual situation.
But we can tell you one more operation you’ll for sure want to notify: us, JMI, yours truly, the good ol’ home setup specialists, here to make your life easier and your move smoother.
In one fell swoop we can lift the burden of never-ending admin and stress from your shoulders, leaving you free to focus on the important stuff: making sure your cushions match the new sofa, getting all those books on the shelf alphabetically, and all the other stuff that’ll make your new house a home.
There’s a lot of paperwork to do and you may be facing hours on the phone, but when you’ve got a thousand boxes to move and unpack, that’s not always an option. Ease some of the legwork associated with moving by getting in touch with the JMI team to find out more about how we can help with the nitty-gritty whilst you tie up all your loose ends.
For a deeper cut on who you need to notify before you move home, take a look at our awesome guide, The Home Moves Contact Checklist - a complete list of who to notify when moving house in the UK.