Who to notify when you change address
Who to notify when you change address
Moving house should be an exciting time, although depending on the circumstances of the move it can also be difficult for some people. In either case, there are numerous critical components to the process that you can’t afford to overlook. To ensure that the house moving process goes as smoothly as possible, it helps to have a checklist of the most essential admin involved and any other critical tasks that need to be completed before or soon after you move.
One of the most important things to do before you move house is to make a list of who to notify about your change of address. Failing to notify certain people or government departments of your change of address can have serious repercussions. Before a change of address a list of who to notify is a very useful tool to have and makes it much less likely that you’ll forget to inform people who need to know that you’re moving house.
When going through or planning to go through a change of address who to notify will vary from person to person, but there are some services and people that almost everyone, if not everyone, will have to inform.
The list below covers most of the entities you’re likely to need to notify. If you’re not sure who to advise of a change of address, this list is a good starting point. The consequences of forgetting to update your address with some of these entities on this list can be severe; you should give this process the careful consideration it deserves.
Notify The post office when you change address
This is an excellent place to start when you’re making your list of who to notify when moving house. Notifying the post office of your change of address will ensure that any post addressed to you but sent to your old address will be automatically forwarded to your new address. You will need to pay for the Royal Mail redirect service, but if you rely on the post for your business or you are expecting important personal correspondence, it is definitely worth the cost. Most people will only need the service for a relatively short time. Once you are confident that everyone who needs your most up to date address has the correct information, you can cancel the redirect. If you operate a home business, you might want to keep the redirect in place for longer. From the perspective of a business, it’s a minor cost for a very useful service.
Setting up a redirect for your post will also serve as a safety net of sorts. If you forget to notify anyone of your change of address and they continue to send correspondence to your old address, it will be redirected to your new address.
Notify Clubs or subscription services when you change address
If you belong to any clubs, societies, or other organisations that charge you a subscription fee, or you are signed up to any other subscription services that send you things through the post, you should inform them of your change of address as soon as you move. If you don’t, you could end up paying fees for a service you aren’t receiving or using. If you have numerous subscriptions on the go, it’s easy to overlook one or two when you’re drawing up your list of who to notify when you move. It’s a good idea to look over your bank statements to identify any recurring charges you might have forgotten about.
Notify Schools, colleges, and universities when you change address
If you have any children in school or college or have older children who use your address as their primary address, you should inform schools, colleges, and universities within good time to update their records. It’s essential that schools, in particular, have the correct address and contact details for all their pupils’ parents.
Notify The electoral register when you change address
On the list of who to notify when you move in the UK, the electoral register is one of the most important to remember. If you don’t update your details on the electoral register, you won’t be able to vote in national or local elections, so this is a very important one. The good news is that you can quickly and easily update your details online.
Notify Your GP when you change address
Depending on how far you’re moving, you might be looking to register with a new doctor’s surgery after you move. But if you’re going to be remaining under the care of the same GP and attending the same surgery for your visits to the doctor, you should ensure they have the most up-to-date contact information for you. You will need to wait until you’ve moved before updating your address, but adding it to your checklist before the move means you are much less likely to forget about it.
Notify The NHS when you change address
As well as informing your GP of your change in address, you also need to update the NHS separately. The NHS will mostly contact patients via email these days, but you should still ensure they have the correct address on file for you. If the NHS does send you any correspondence, you don’t want it turning up at your old address, especially if it contains sensitive personal information. Every year, thousands of people in the UK are victims of fraud because of oversights like this. You can update your address using their online form, although you will have to wait until you have officially moved into your new home. It only takes a few minutes to update but could save you a lot of trouble down the road.
Notify The council when you change address
You don’t want to be liable for the council tax on a property after you’ve moved to a new address. You will be liable for council tax on your old address until the date that your tenancy ends or you sell the property, depending on whether you are buying or renting. Similarly, you are liable for council tax on the new property from the day you finalise the purchase or your new tenancy agreement officially begins.
Notify Your bank when you change address
Your bank needs to have the most up to date contact information for you at all times. Otherwise, you could run into numerous issues. Not only will you miss out on any communications your bank sends to your home address, but online card transactions will be declined if the billing address you enter doesn’t match the address the bank has on file for you. If your account entitles you to free insurance, out of date contact information could invalidate your policies.
Notify Insurance when you change address
If your insurance providers don’t have the most up-to-date contact information for you, it could invalidate your policies. Any insurance policies tied to your property will obviously need to be reviewed. However, most of us have more insurance policies to our name than we realise. For example, many bank accounts come with various insurance policies as an added bonus. Updating your address with your bank should ensure these policies continue to apply. If you don’t update your bank address and need to file a claim, they could deny it. It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry where insurance is concerned.
If you have any insurance policies on your pets, you will need to inform your provider of your change in address. The process for updating your information will vary between providers. Most providers today will allow you to update your details online, but if you can’t find the option to do this, you should contact them directly and ensure they know about your change of address.
In some cases, you will be able to transfer your home insurance policy from your old address to your new home. You should contact your home insurance provider for more information about whether you can transfer your policy from your old property to a new one.
Notify Your Employer when you change address
Employers need to have accurate records of who their employees are and how to contact them. Depending on how close you are to your employer and the environment you work in, it might not occur to you to inform them that you’re moving house initially, but it’s essential that you do so. Your employer’s payroll department will need to know your current address, and you want to be certain that you’ll receive any official correspondence sent to you by or via your employer.
Of course, you will also want to ensure your friends and family have the latest contact information for you, but the consequences of forgetting to update them tend to be much less severe than they are if you forget to update any of the entities listed above. Once you start thinking about all the various businesses and organisations that rely on your personal details, you will often realise there’s many more of them than you initially thought. This is why it’s a good idea to make a list well in advance of your actual moving date. That wat, you have plenty of time to update your details with everyone important and time to remember anyone who’s slipped your mind.