Most people leave the admin until the boxes are already stacked in the hallway, and that’s fair enough. Telling the council you’ve moved feels less pressing than working out whether the sofa will fit through the front door. The trouble catches up with you a few weeks later as a fine, a missed renewal, or a new bank card sitting on somebody else’s doormat.

You need to tell anyone who sends you post, takes money from you, or has a legal reason to know where you live. So if you’ve got a move coming up, let’s go through that list, by order of urgency.

Your council, at both ends

When it comes to council tax, you need to tell:

1. Your current council, so that they can close the account and refund anything you’ve overpaid,
2. Your new council, so they can set up your bill.

Both are free and take a few minutes through your local council’s website. Sort it before you go if you can, because closing an account is a much easier conversation than untangling a bill that’s been chasing you at an address you left three months ago.

Your insurance companies

Home and contents insurance is tied to a specific building, so your cover doesn’t simply follow you to the new place. Give your insurer your move date before you go, and ask what’s covered while everything is in transit.

Car insurance is priced by postcode too, and forgetting to update it can leave you driving on a policy that wouldn’t pay out.

Your bank and card companies

Updating your address with your bank is a five minute job in an app, but a credit card statement landing at your old address is a real fraud risk, and lenders look at your address history whenever you apply for anything. Do your savings accounts and your mortgage provider at the same time, and don’t forget the more occasional-use cards.

Gas, electricity and water

Contact your gas and electricity suppliers a couple of weeks before you move, tell them the date of the move, and then give them a closing meter reading on the day itself. Most suppliers want that reading within 48 hours, so take a photo of each meter before you leave and you’ll have a timestamp if anyone queries the final bill. It’s one of the jobs our removal teams see people forget most often.

Then, when you’re at the other end of the move, do the same. Take pictures of the meters as soon as you get the keys, and sort out who supplies the property. Ofgem has a guide to help you work out which company you’ve inherited. Water is handled the same way.

With broadband specifically, we recommend you set things in motion a couple of week before you move: The home has no risk of going without water or electricity, but it might miss out on Wi-Fi if a transfer goes wrong or engineers are fully booked.

DVLA, for your driving licence and your logbook

Not telling DVLA when your address changes can land you a fine of up to £1,000. Updating it online is free and takes minutes, so there’s no reason to leave it sitting on the list. If you own a vehicle, your V5C logbook is a separate job.

Your TV licence and the electoral roll

TV Licensing will move your licence across to the new address without charging you again, so don’t start a fresh one; update what you’ve got.

Registering to vote at your new address is free and takes about five minutes, and it helps your credit file, too.

Your GP, dentist and vet

Register with a GP practice near your new home fairly soon after you move home, especially if anyone in the house has repeat prescriptions. Same for a dentist, and for a vet: don’t leave it until you need an emergency appointment.

Schools, childcare and your employer

If you’re moving with children, schools or childcare providers need your new address and contact details early, because school admissions and transport arrangements can hinge on where you live. Employers and payroll should know too, along with any pension providers.

Royal Mail, for a redirect

Royal Mail’s mail redirection service is the safety net for anything you’ve missed (and there will be something!). You can set it up for three, six or twelve months, starting at around £45, and you’ll need to allow at least five working days before you want it to begin.

Every letter that arrives redirected is a company you haven’t got round to yet, so treat the pile as your address checklist. Once the redirection ends, that post goes back to your old address and whoever lives there now.

Friends and family

This one you’re sure to remember, but we had to include it. Start with your inner circle and work out, so you don’t get any birthday cards lost in the mail.

When we recommend to tell people about your move

• Three to four weeks pre-move: banks, card companies, insurance companies, employer, broadband
• Two weeks pre-move: council tax at both ends, gas and electricity, water, Royal Mail redirect
• Moving week: meter readings, GP and school registrations
• First fortnight post-move: driving licence, V5C, electoral roll, TV licence, subscriptions

Moving soon?

Getting the admin done in the fortnight before you move means you can spend moving day focused on… well, the move, and not how you’ll live without internet for a week.

If you’d rather hand over the heavy end of it, we’ve been moving people in and around Bristol for nearly 20 years and can take on as much or as little as you need, from packing to the move itself. Get in touch for a free, fair quote, give us a ring on 0117 902 5985, or find out more about our removal services.