There is SO much to think about when you’re moving house – including packing, tip runs, organising, sorting, labelling…to name just a few tasks!
In amidst all of the moving chaos, some people tend to forget about redirecting your post and changing your addresses – but it’s important not to leave it until the last minute if possible. It is an important step in your move, which can give you a real headache if it’s left too late.
Redirecting your post
If you want the most simple, hassle-free solution to redirecting your post – then this would be the Royal Mail redirection service.
This service essentially ensures that your mail moves when you do – making sure that you don’t miss any important documents. It also helps your peace of mind and security, as it prevents your personal details from falling into the wrong hands by mistake.
To set up the redirection, you’ll just need your names and dates of birth, alongside your old and new addresses.
Royal mail offers its redirection service for either 3, 6 or 12 months. Each of these however comes with a cost, starting at £36.00 for a 3-month redirection and then increasing from there if you decide you require longer.
It’s also important to bear in mind that there’s an additional cost to the service if there’s an extra person involved – so it can get expensive if you’re not careful!
If you’re looking to move abroad, this will be significantly more costly as there’s a lot more transportation involved as you can imagine.
For 3 months of redirection to another country, you’d be looking at a cost of £133 for one person, and an additional £25 fee for any other individuals who are moving with you. A 6 month redirection costs £191 with an additional fee of £27.50, and 12 months will set you back £275 for one person – plus £30 for any extras.
If you’d rather not have these extra expenses to worry about during your move, then the best thing to do would be to utilise our handy list below! By following our expert advice, you’ll be able to inform all of the important firms about your move without worrying about missing anything out.
Who do I need to contact?
Each individual will have their own specific list of organisations that they need to contact, depending on their livelihoods. For example, those with children will tend to have a longer list than those without – due to schools/nurseries for example.
By using our guidance below, we’d advise that you make a checklist of absolutely every address that comes to mind. This way, when the time comes, it’ll be a relatively stress-free, straightforward process for you – rather than complete chaos!
Don’t forget, if you do miss changing an address, you may even receive a fine (depending on the organisation). For example, if you forget to change your address on your driving licence or car insurance, they can penalise you.
As well as informing Royal Mail, some of the most important people to inform are:
- Your doctor
- Your employer
- The local council (both new & old)
- Children’s schools/nurseries
- Your bank
- TV Licence
- Changing your voting address
- Medical organisations, such as the dentist
- Any domestic providers, such as window cleaners and gardeners
- Closest friends and family
- DVLA – order a new licence and change the address on your V5 too
- Any types of insurance, such as house, life, pets, car etc
- Other services such as phone, broadband, sky
You will also need to let some organisations know the specific date that you will be leaving the property, so you don’t end up being charged for any bills when you’re no longer there. This includes gas and electricity, home insurance, council tax and water companies.
You’ll also need to change your ‘billing address’ when ordering things online once you’ve moved. As soon as you change your address with your bank, your old billing address won’t work and your payments won’t go through.
As a precaution, it’s always worth giving your new address and phone number to the person that is moving into your old home so that they can forward any mail that may have slipped through the net onto your new address. This however does depend on their goodwill and generally remembering to send it on – so it’s definitely not the only option we’d recommend.
If you’re looking for any advice or support on moving house, then please get in touch with us today – one of our friendly team members will be more than happy to help.