Who to tell when you move house UK: the full list, in order

Here's who to tell when you move house UK-wide, in order of importance: your council (for council tax), the DVLA (for your driving licence and any vehicle log book), HMRC, the electoral register, your bank and anyone you owe or pay money to, your insurers, the energy, water and broadband suppliers at both addresses, your GP, your employer and anyone who sends you post. The official ones come first because some are a legal duty and others feed into everything else. The rest you can work through over a few weeks, as long as you keep a list so none of them quietly stays on the old address.

The problem isn't knowing the big names. It's the thirty smaller accounts you only remember when something goes to the wrong door. So this guide gives you the list, then a way to find the ones you've forgotten.

The official ones: do these first

These are the changes with rules attached. Check the current details on GOV.UK for each, because the services change from time to time.

• Your local council. Tell your new council when you move in, so council tax is billed from the right date, and tell the old one you've left. If you've moved within the same council area, one call or form usually covers both.
• The DVLA, for your driving licence. You must tell the DVLA when your address changes. There's no charge to update it, a new licence usually arrives in about a week if you apply online, and you can keep driving while you wait.
• The DVLA, for your vehicle. The V5C log book needs your new address too, and there's usually no charge to update it. If your vehicle tax is due within the next four weeks, GOV.UK says to tax it with your current log book before changing the address. If you pay vehicle tax by Direct Debit, you need to phone the DVLA separately to update that.
• HMRC. Wait until you've actually moved, then update your address online through your personal tax account. That one change covers Income Tax, National Insurance, Child Benefit and State Pension.
• The electoral register. You need to register again at your new address. It usually takes about five minutes online.
• Benefits. If you get any benefits, moving house is one of the changes you need to report to whoever pays them.
• TV Licensing. Update the address on your TV Licence so it covers the home you actually live in.

Who to tell when you move house UK: money and contracts

Next come the accounts where a wrong address can cost you, through missed letters, failed security checks or cover that doesn't match where you live.

• Your bank and building society, for every current and savings account.
• Credit cards, loans and finance agreements, including car finance and any buy now, pay later accounts.
• Your mortgage lender, if you're keeping a mortgage on the old property.
• Pension providers, workplace and personal. Old workplace pensions are the ones people lose track of, so this is a good time to list them all.
• Insurers. Home or contents, car, life, travel, pet, gadget. Your address is part of how a policy is priced, so tell them before or on the day you move, not weeks later.
• Breakdown cover, which is often tied to your home address.
• Investment and share accounts, and premium bonds or similar savings.

If money is tight around a move, MoneyHelper offers free, impartial guidance on budgeting and bills.

Home and utilities, at both ends

Utilities need telling twice: close at the old place and open at the new one.

1. Energy. Give the supplier at the old home your moving date and a final meter reading. At the new home, find out who supplies the property and give them a first reading. Photograph both sets of meters with the date on.
2. Water. Close the account at the old address and set one up at the new one. Water is usually handled by your regional water company.
3. Broadband and phone. Either move your contract or arrange a new one. Book this early, because installation can take a while.
4. Your landlord or letting agent, if you're leaving a rental, for the deposit return and the final inspection.
5. Any regular services: a cleaner, window cleaner, gardener, milk or veg box delivery.

Health, work and everyday life

• Your GP. If you've moved out of your surgery's area, register with a new one. You don't need ID or proof of address, and your new surgery tells the old one.
• Dentist and optician. They keep their own records, separate from your GP.
• Any hospital clinics or ongoing care, so appointment letters reach you.
• Your employer, for payroll and pension records.
• Your university or college, if you're studying.
• Friends and family, especially anyone who sends post at birthdays and Christmas.

The long tail: how to find the accounts you've forgotten

This is where moves usually go wrong. Nobody forgets the bank. People forget the online shop with the old address saved as default, or the loyalty scheme that still posts vouchers to the last flat.

Three ways to find them:

1. Go through three months of bank and card statements. Anything that takes money from you has your details. Write each name on the list.
2. Search your email for words like "account", "order", "renewal" and "subscription". Most companies you deal with have emailed you at least once.
3. Watch the post at the old address, if you can. Ask the new occupants or the landlord to forward anything for a while, or set up a paid post redirection for a few months and update each sender as their letters arrive.

Common ones that slip through:

• online shops with a saved delivery address
• subscriptions and memberships, from the gym to the magazine
• the vet, if you have a pet, and the microchip database
• your mobile network
• charities you give to regularly
• library cards and parking permits
• professional bodies and unions

A simple system for working through it

You won't finish this in a day, and you don't have to. What matters is a list that tells you what's done and what isn't.

• Make one list. On each line, note who it is, how to update them (online, phone, post) and whether it's done.
• Do the official ones in the first week, ideally on moving day or the day after.
• Do money and insurance next, within the first fortnight.
• Do the long tail as it turns up. Every time a letter or email arrives with the old address, add it to the list and update it.
• Check the list again at a month and at three months. Annual things, like a yearly insurance renewal or a membership, only show up when they're due.

If you've got the bigger job of planning the move itself, the moving house checklist covers the week-by-week side. And the renewal dates guide helps with the yearly things that only surface months later.

Keeping the list in mylife/

In mylife/ you can keep the move as a shared to-do list and tick each organisation off as it's updated. Your bills, insurance and car dates live in their own ledgers, so when you change an address you can update the details in the same place. If a letter turns up with the old address on it, photograph it and Slash reads it into your life admin for you to check before anything is saved. You can see the plans and start a 3-day free trial.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to tell the DVLA when I move house?

Yes. You must update the address on your driving licence, and on the V5C log book for any vehicle you keep. There's no charge to change the address on your licence, and you can still drive while the new one is on its way.

Does HMRC update my address automatically?

It's safest to do it yourself. Once you've moved, you can update your address online through your personal tax account, and that updates it for Income Tax, National Insurance, Child Benefit and State Pension. HMRC asks you to wait until after you've moved before you tell them.

Should I tell my council before or after I move?

Tell the new council around the time you move in, giving your moving date, and tell the old council the date you left. That way each bill runs to the right day. Check your council's own website, as each has its own form.

How long should I redirect my post for?

Long enough for the yearly letters to come round, so think in months rather than weeks. Redirection is a paid service, so check the current options. Use each redirected letter as a prompt to update that sender directly.