Moving House? Here is Every Document You Need to Sort

Moving house is exciting, exhausting, and surprisingly admin heavy. Between packing boxes and arranging the van, it is easy to forget just how many organisations need to know your new address. Miss one and you could end up with missed bills, lapsed insurance, or important post going to the wrong place for months.

This checklist breaks everything down by category and timing so you can work through it methodically instead of scrambling on moving day.

Four Weeks Before You Move

This is when to start the admin. You do not want to leave any of these until the last minute.

• Home and contents insurance: Contact your provider to update your address or arrange a new policy for the new property. Cover needs to be in place from the day you get the keys.
• Council tax: Tell your current council you are moving and register with the new one. You do not want to be paying for two properties.
• Broadband: Check if your current provider covers the new area. If you need to switch, book the installation early as lead times can be several weeks.
• Energy suppliers: Contact your gas and electricity providers to close your account at the old address and set up supply at the new one. Take meter readings on moving day.
• Water company: This may change depending on your region. Check which company supplies the new address and notify both.
• Royal Mail redirect: Set up a mail redirect from your old address. It costs around 35 pounds for three months and catches anything you forget to update.

One Week Before You Move

• Bank and building society: Update your address with every bank, savings account, and credit card provider. Most let you do this online.
• DVLA: Update the address on your driving licence. You can do this free on GOV.UK. You must also update the V5C log book for any vehicles registered to you.
• HMRC: Let them know your new address to make sure tax correspondence reaches you.
• Electoral roll: Register to vote at the new address. This also helps your credit score.
• GP and dentist: If you are moving out of your current practice area, you will need to register with a new GP and dentist.
• Subscriptions and deliveries: Update your address with any subscription boxes, online shopping accounts, and regular delivery services.

Moving Day

• Meter readings: Take photos of the gas, electricity, and water meters at both the old and new properties. Send these to your suppliers to make sure you are billed correctly.
• Keys and security: Hand over all keys for the old property. At the new place, consider changing the locks if the previous owners had copies out with friends or neighbours.

First Week After Moving In

• TV licence: Update your address or set up a new licence at the new property.
• Employer and pension provider: Let your workplace know so payslips and tax documents go to the right address.
• Insurance policies: Double check that car insurance, life insurance, and any other policies reflect the new address. Your postcode can affect your premiums.
• Loyalty cards and memberships: Gym, library, store loyalty schemes. Update these as you come across them.

Keep Everything in One Place

The biggest risk with a house move is that something slips through the cracks. You update eight things, forget the ninth, and three months later a bill catches up with you. Keeping a single list of every account and document tied to your address makes the process far less stressful.

Orlo is built for exactly this kind of thing. You can store all your household documents, track renewal dates, and update your records as you go, so nothing gets lost in the chaos of moving day. It is one less thing to worry about when you have got boxes stacked to the ceiling.