Moving house is a notoriously stressful thing. There is more to it than packing and unpacking – in fact, that is the least of your worries! Wouldn't it be great to have a checklist for moving house, to make sure you don't miss any important details?
Making sure that people know your new address is one of the time consuming jobs you need to do. Not to mention paying final utility bills, transferring telephone numbers and sorting out your internet connection. Making a list is an effective way of staying on top of everything, so we have created a list below that should cover all the important things.
Top tips
- You will often be asked for proof of your new address. You may have to wait until you have received your first utility bill in your new home before you are able to inform people. To save time, write a generic letter stating your new address and attach a photocopy of a utility bill to it.
- Write an e-mail with your new details and send it to everyone in your e-mail address book. Alternatively, you could print cards with your moving date and new address and post them to everyone in your address book.
Removal firms
Your removal firm can make or break your moving day. It is important to shop around to make sure you get the highest quality service at a price you are comfortable with. Word of mouth is the best recommendation, so ask friends and family for their advice.
If this does not lead anywhere, check out the
British Association of Removers (BAR, 01923 699480 or
info@bar.co.uk) or
National Guild of Removers and Storers (NGRS, 01494 792279 or
info@ngrs.co.uk). These professional bodies regulate removal firms and ensure they abide by a code of practice.
Don’t forget...
- When you are phoning around removal firms, check that they provide insurance. This means that your possessions are protected during the move.
- Some companies also provide packaging and boxes for you – make sure you ask when you request your quotation.
- Colour code or clearly mark each box you pack so that your removal firm knows which room to leave it in the new property. This will save you any unnecessary lugging.
- Make it clear to the removal men if any items are particularly fragile or valuable, and keep your eye on them to ensure they are treated with care.
Utilities
You need to get in touch with your gas, electricity and water suppliers and inform them that you are moving. A final reading will be taken and you will be issued a final bill.
If you are not sure who supplies your utilities, dig out past bills to check, or contact your landlord.
If you are having trouble, you can find out who is supplying your electricity by calling your local
Meter Point Administration Service.
You can find out who supplies your gas by contacting the Meter Number Helpline on 0870 608 1524.
You can do a search online to find out
who supplies your water.
Council Tax
To make sure you are not overcharged on council tax, you need to update your details. Check with your local office (contact details will be on your last bill), but generally, you will need to provide the following information:
- your old address and the date you are leaving the property
- your new address
- the name of the new owner or tenant of your old address
- the name and address of the solicitor dealing with the sale.
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DVLA
You must inform the DVLA of your new address and update your driving licence. Here is what you need to know to
update your driving license.
You may still drive while you are waiting for your new licence, but it is a requirement of the DVLA that you must inform them of any change of addresses.
Television licence
You must make sure the right address is on your television licence. There is a
short form you need to fill out with your new address details.
Post
Royal Mail provide a post forwarding service for a fee. You can choose to subscribe to this service for three, six or twelve months. The delivery of post is redirected from your old home to your new address, and may take a day longer than usual to arrive. This is a particularly useful service if you know that your old home is likely to be empty for a while. If not, you could save money by informing the new occupants of a forwarding address – although the Royal Mail service should be more reliable.
Phone
Speak to your telephone provider (probably BT, 08702 430126) and let them know you are moving. It may be possible to
transfer your current phone number to your new address.
Internet
Make sure you call your internet service provider to request a final bill. Check to see if the internet is already installed in your new home. If not, you may be able to transfer your current service. Check to make sure there is BT phone line, and let the internet provider now the phone number of your new home.
Tiscali provide the transfer service for free, but you will need to check with your own provider for the details of their service.
Do this early because you may have to give a minimum notice period such as 1 month if you wish to end your service.
Bank / Building Society
Make sure your bank statements are delivered to your new address from the day you move, by informing the bank or building society of your new details early on in the moving process. Usually all it takes is either making a quick phone call or filling in a short form. You may need to supply identification such as your passport or driving licence.
Most banks make this process very simple such as
Natwest which enables you to do it in a branch or on the phone.
It is important to make sure the details have been changed on every account you have with that bank or building society so that correspondence does not go astray. You also need to get in touch with your credit card company, and any store cards you may hold.
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Click the image above to see our moving house checklist resources.
Children
Just as you need to inform your employer of your new address, make sure you inform your children’s school. It is important the school keeps its records up to date – especially the phone number in case of emergency.
Don’t forget to tell…
- Your children’s friends or friends’ parents.
- Any clubs, choirs, orchestras, drama groups, football clubs, Scouts groups and Brownie packs.
- The babysitter.
Pets
It will be less stressful for you and your furry friends if you relocate them for the moving day. Ask a neighbour or friend to pet-sit for the day, or put your cat or dog in kennels for 24 hours.
You also need to inform your vet of the change of address. If your cat or dog is fitted with an identification tag, make sure it is re-programmed with your new contact details.
Doctor and dentist
Depending on where you are moving to, you may need to register with a new doctor and dentist. Even if it is convenient for you to stay with the same doctor or dentist, you still need to inform them of your new details.
Optician
If you are subscribed to a contact lenses by post service, updating your details with your optician should be top of your list of priorities. Make sure you pop in or telephone as soon as possible to make sure you do not miss a delivery.
Employer
Drop a quick e-mail or pop a letter into your human resources department at work, or if you work for a small company, inform your manager of your address change. It is best to do this in writing so that payroll records can be updated – at this expensive time, it is vital that you get your pay sorted!
You should also tell the inland revenue. Find details of your
local office.
Other people to inform
- Electoral register to make sure you're registered to vote (About My Vote)
- Your mobile phone company
- Car breakdown service AA (0870 600 0371) and RAC (08705 722 722)
- Car, home, health and travel insurance companies
- Any clubs you are a member of (sports teams, book clubs, gyms)
- Your news agent, so that your newspaper is still delivered
- Any magazine or catalogue subscriptions
- Your milkman, gardener, cleaner or window cleaner
