How to Change Your Address When Moving

When it’s time to move out from your old property and begin your new journey at your new place, you have to think about a lot and also do an overwhelming amount of things.

From coordinating with your local moving company to ensuring you have your utilities set up while navigating work and personal life, you often forget or simply do not have the time to manage certain things.

While that is the case, there are certain aspects that you simply can not afford to miss or postpone. Changing your address is one of them, and quite often, it can be very time-consuming, as there are just too many aspects associated with that.

Well, you are in luck, as we have prepared a comprehensive list of what you need to do to change your address quickly and efficiently.

Parties to notify when moving out

To plan for your address change accordingly, the first thing you need to know is which parties you have to notify about your address change.

Some of them are often mentioned and hard to miss, but others we rarely think about, and if we fail to notify them promptly, it could result in a lot of stress and time lost fixing this.

Employer

Probably the easiest one on the list is your employer. They need to be aware of your future address change well in advance, so they can update your contact details and ensure that your payroll reflects your new residency as soon as you move there.

While just verbally advising your employer is undoubtedly easier and more tempting, you should send over an official email stating the date of your expected move and the address of your new residency.

Insurance and healthcare provider

You may also need to change doctors when moving to a new property. While the process is relatively straightforward, consider that your current practitioner must send all relevant information to your new doctor.

The same applies to your dentist, optician and vet, so you will want to provide them with sufficient notice to ensure everything is sorted by the time you move. In case of an emergency, you can visit your new medical specialists.

Apart from your doctors, you must also contact your insurance. Most of them need to know your new residency, as they consider the postcode when working out your premium and cost of cover. This means that, based on the situation, your insurance may increase or decrease.

Some policies may not require this information for payment purposes, but they would still need your new address to update contact information and change where they send your bills. Insurances can include health, home, life, travel, pet, car and others.

Remember that you will have to reach out to each and every one individually to update your details.

Local authorities

Moving out means that you need to reach out to some of your local authorities as well:

• Council tax. To update it, you must visit the gov.uk site for your moving area. Each site has its form of changing the address, but it can quickly be done online.
  
  
• Electoral Roll. Once you change your address, you will need to re-register on the Electoral Roll for the area that you reside in. You can easily change this on the government website.
  
  
• Department of Work and Pensions. If you receive help from the government, it is vital to inform the relevant department of any address change. You can do this by contacting them over the phone and providing your old and new information.

Household utility providers

Providers such as cable, landline, TV licence, and utilities such as gas, water, and electricity would need to be notified about your address change to check and confirm coverage for your new home.

For the utilities, ensure that you give them at least 48-hour notice for your move so that they can update your information. You should also take the final readings of your water, gas and electricity on the day you move and send them over.

Changing properties is an excellent time to compare providers for the different services, as you may be able to find better deals than your current ones.

Educational institutions

If you have children visiting schools, it is essential to notify the institution of the address change so that they can update your contact information and mailing address.

Private schools and universities also require updated information on your new address, as they must send over the tuition fees for each semester. If you plan to continue using them after the move, do not overlook this.

Banks

Letting your bank know about the address change is vital. Notify them as close as possible to the date of the move. Your residency is important when proving your identity, and failure to notify your bank might put you at risk of identity theft or limit access to your account.

Luckily, updating your information on your bank’s website is easy if you have an online account. If not, a quick 10-minute trip to your local office will be enough. Remember to change your credit/debit card address while at it, as it is required for billing purposes.

If you have invested in premium bonds, you should also ensure you notify them, as failure to do so may cause you to miss out on potential winnings.

Personal relations

Last but not least, remember to notify your friends and family about the move. While communication is easy nowadays, it is not uncommon for people to forget to mention this important detail, so when you are ready for your trip, keep your close ones updated.

Choosing a local moving company

Having to handle all this communication while you are in the process of one of the most stressful experiences in your daily life is daunting.

Trusting house removals specialists to help you pack, sort and move your stuff will provide you with the necessary time to focus on handling all the paperwork and ensure you have not missed notifying an institution.

Conclusion

Changing your address when moving can be done within a day, but managing everything else that happens around you is challenging.

Planning and allowing sufficient time away from distractions can help you get this done right, so do not hesitate to seek help from friends, family or professional companies.

They can take some of the moving-out workloads, like lifting heavy furniture or disposing of unwanted rubbish, away and help you have a much easier transition into your new place.