Who do I need to tell when I move house?

Moving house can be exciting until you realise you haven't had any post for two weeks and you're still paying the water bill for your old place. So we've put together a handy moving home checklist to make sure you notify all the necessary people. Including your grandma.

Get comfy, you have a lot of calling and emailing to do.

Utilities and services

All the boring bills, basically. Cancel your old ones and set up your new ones:

• Water.
• Gas.
• Electric.
• Phones (landline and mobile – your mobile company will just need to know your change of address).
• Internet.
• Cable/satellite TV provider.
• TV licence.
• Council tax.
• Post Office. You can apply to have your post redirected, but it will cost you. It may seem like a pain but it’ll be worth it for the first few weeks while companies and your grandma still haven’t switched to your new address.

Finance

Money, money, money. These people will all need to know your change of address:

• Banks.
• Building societies.
• Other savings accounts (e.g. NS&I).
• Credit card companies.
• Student Loans Company.
• Electoral register (so you can vote!).
• Employer.
• Insurance companies (phone, house, pet…).
• HMRC (for tax and National Insurance, benefits, pension…).
• Private pensions.

Health

If you’re moving to a totally new area, register with the following as soon as possible. You don’t want to be caught short with a bout of cystitis:

• Doctor. You can use the NHS website to find the nearest (and best) GP practice.
• Dentist.
• Optician.
• Vet.
• Hospital, if you’re having ongoing treatment.

Others

• DVLA (for your driving license, although you may need to tell the car registration and insurance people too).
• Loyalty cards (for those all important Tesco Clubcard points).
• Subscriptions (do people still get magazine subscriptions?).
• Library.
• School, college, university.
• Friends and family! (Including your grandma.)

So do I tell all these people before I’ve moved or after?

To be safe, it’s best to let people know as early as a month before you move as it could take a while for any admin changes. If you are too early then at least you’ll be told when to get back in touch, or they can log you on the system. There’s no harm in being super prepared!

Make sure you note down details of any phone calls or emails for proof of contact, just in case something goes wrong.

But tell your grandma first. Write her a letter, go on.