Change of Address Checklist: Who to Tell When You Move

Moving house means your post, your bills and your official records all need to point at a new address. Miss one and you could face a late fee, a renewal you never got round to, or a fine you never saw coming. This checklist sets out who to tell, in the order that matters most, so nothing important slips through.

Tell these first: legal and financial

Start with the organisations where an out-of-date address causes real problems. These are the ones to update in the first week.

• Your local council: update council tax at both your old and new address, and re-register on the electoral roll.
• HMRC: so your tax records, National Insurance and any benefits or tax credits stay correct.
• DVLA: update your driving licence and your vehicle log book (V5C). This one is a legal requirement, and it is free to do.
• Your bank, building society and credit cards: to keep statements, new cards and fraud checks working.
• Your employer and pension provider: for payslips, P60s and pension correspondence.

Set up Royal Mail redirection

A Royal Mail redirection forwards post from your old address to your new one, which buys you time to update everyone else. Set it up a week or two before you move so it is active from your first day. Treat it as a safety net rather than a substitute for telling people directly, because redirection runs for a fixed period and then stops.

Sort your utilities and home services

Take meter readings on completion day at both properties, then update or set up each account. If you are moving out of the area, some suppliers will not follow you, so check before you assume.

• Gas and electricity, or your combined energy supplier
• Water and sewerage
• Broadband, landline and mobile
• TV Licence and any streaming or pay-TV accounts
• Home and contents insurance, which often needs the new postcode before you move in

Update everyday accounts and subscriptions

These rarely cause a crisis on their own, but they pile up. Work through them in the fortnight after you move.

• GP, dentist and optician, and transfer the children's records too
• Car insurance, breakdown cover and your vehicle's MOT reminders
• Loyalty cards, online shops and anywhere a parcel might be sent
• Gym, clubs and any local memberships
• Schools, nurseries and childcare providers

A simple order that works

1. Two weeks before: set up Royal Mail redirection and tell the council, your bank and your employer.
2. Moving week: update DVLA, HMRC, your insurance and your utilities, and take final meter readings.
3. First fortnight after: work down the everyday list, GP and dentist first, then subscriptions and deliveries.

Where the move itself fits in

The admin is yours to own, but the lifting does not have to be. While you work through the list, a house removals team can handle the packing, loading and transport so your moving day stays calm. If you would rather not box up the house yourself, our packing service covers that too. We work across Shaftesbury and the wider Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire area, plus longer moves across the UK.

Tell us where you are moving from and to, and we will send you a fixed price quote within the hour. For the bigger picture, our moving house checklist covers the full eight-week countdown.