A word from the van
Removers see the same thing on every job: the post for the last three owners stacked on the hall table. Most of it is junk, but now and then it's a bank card, a DVLA letter or a council tax bill. Do the legal ones first (DVLA, Council Tax, the electoral register and benefits), set up a redirection to catch the rest, and work through the others in your first month.
Government & legal
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Update your full or provisional licence. It's free, and you can keep driving while you wait.[1]
How: Change it online at GOV.UK. The licence usually arrives within a week.
⚖️ Legal requirement: fine of up to £1,000 if you don't tell DVLA[1]
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If you're the registered keeper. Also update your vehicle tax Direct Debit by phone, and any V750/V778 private-plate documents.[1][2]
How: Change it online or by post. Tax first if it's due in the next 4 weeks.
⚖️ Up to £1,000 fine. A replacement costs £25 if you don't chase a missing log book within 6 weeks[2]
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So tax codes, Self Assessment and letters reach you.[3]
How: Tell HMRC online or use the HMRC app.
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Registering at your old address doesn't carry over. You need to register again.[4]
How: Register online (about 5 minutes; have your National Insurance number ready).
⚖️ If a registration officer asks you to register and you don't, you could be fined up to £1,000[5]
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Tell your old council you're leaving and your new council you've arrived, or you may be billed for the wrong property.[6]
How: Find your council and use its moving-home form.
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A licence covers an address, so move it with you.[7]
How: Change your address online, up to 3 months before.
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Universal Credit, Pension Credit, PIP/DLA, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Jobseeker's and others. Report the move to each body that pays you.[8]
How: Universal Credit: your online account. Housing Benefit: your council. Others: see GOV.UK.
⚖️ Report straight away. If you're overpaid you may have to pay it back, plus a possible £50 penalty[8]
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Paid by HMRC, separately from DWP benefits.[9]
How: Report changes online, or call or write to the Child Benefit Office.
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If you already get it.[10]
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So repayment messages reach you.[11]
How: Update your online account.
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If you're a director, your residential address change must be reported.[12]
How: File the change online.
⚖️ Deadline: within 14 days[12]
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You don't need a new passport just because you've moved.[13]
How: Nothing to do.
Post: Royal Mail redirection
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Catches anything you forgot to update, and cuts the risk of identity fraud from post landing at your old address.[14]
How: Apply online or at a Post Office, up to 6 months before or after you move.
⚖️ UK prices: £45 (3 months) · £66.50 (6 months) · £95 (12 months)[14]
Health
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In England, register with a new surgery near your new home and your old one is told automatically. Staying with the same practice? Just give it your new address.[16]
How: Register online (England). Scotland, Wales and NI: see below.
⚖️ It usually takes up to 5 days[16]
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England has no dental catchment. Contact any NHS dentist taking patients; you may join a waiting list.[17]
How: Find a dentist.
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Includes your nominated pharmacy for repeat prescriptions, and any consultant or clinic you're under.
How: Tell each one directly.
Money & insurance
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Current accounts, savings, joint accounts. Often the first thing other companies check your address against.
How: Online banking or app.
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Store cards, car finance, catalogue accounts.
How: Each lender's app or website.
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Your new lender has your address. Make sure any lender for a property you're keeping has your contact details.
How: Phone or online account.
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Workplace and personal pensions, including old employers' schemes. These are easy to lose touch with.
How: Each provider's online account.
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Including dividends paid by cheque.
How: Each platform or registrar.
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So prize notifications and statements reach you.[20]
How: Online change-of-details form (have your holder's number ready).
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Arrange cover for the new home from the day you get the keys, and cancel or move the old policy.
How: Your insurer or broker.
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Your address and postcode can affect the premium.
How: Each insurer.
Utilities & home services
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England and Wales: your water company at each address. Scotland: for most unmetered homes, water is billed with Council Tax.[22]
How: Your water company's website.
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Ask whether your service can move with you. Book the installation early, and check for exit fees if you switch mid-contract.[23]
How: Your provider's moving-home page.
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Billing address and any insurance on the handset.
How: Your network's app.
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Boiler cover, alarm monitoring, window cleaner, cleaner, gardener, milk or veg-box deliveries.
How: Each one directly.
Vehicles & travel
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Your postcode and where the car is kept at night affect cover and price. Check your policy terms.
How: Your insurer, before you move if you can.
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Home-start cover is tied to your address.
How: Your provider.
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Your agreement may require you to tell them.
How: Your finance company.
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Cancel the old residents' permit and apply for a new one; update any road-charge or toll accounts.
How: Old and new councils, and each account.
Work, school & education
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So payslips, your P60 and pension paperwork go to the right place.
How: Your HR system or manager.
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Changing schools? Your new council handles school places.
How: The school, and the new council.
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Term-time and home addresses.
How: Your student portal.
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Membership records and journals.
How: Each member portal.
Subscriptions & everyday accounts
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Change the default delivery and billing addresses, and remove the old one.
How: Each account.
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Billing addresses, and anything posted to you.
How: Each account.
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Some contracts end if you move out of the area.
How: Each one directly.
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Keep Gift Aid records accurate.
How: Each charity.
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Register with a new practice and transfer the records.
How: Your new vet.
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Send your new address, and a photo of the front door so they can find it.
Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland: what's different
Scotland Holyrood
- Water for most unmetered homes is collected by the council with Council Tax, so one call to the council covers both[22].
- GP and dentist: register with both as soon as you can, and ask your previous GP to transfer your records[18].
- Voting: you can register from age 14[4].
- DVLA, HMRC, DWP, TV Licensing and Royal Mail work the same as in England.
Wales Senedd
Northern Ireland nidirect
- Driving licence: tell the DVA, not DVLA, immediately. You can do it online. Updating your licence doesn't change your V5C, which is still a separate change[24].
- Rates, not Council Tax: tell Land & Property Services immediately, or you may get a backdated bill[25].
- Voting: register again with the EONI. You'll be removed from your old address's register[26].
- HMRC, TV Licensing and Royal Mail work the same as in Great Britain. Benefits are run by NI's Department for Communities.
Royal Mail redirection prices
| Length | UK: lead applicant | UK: each extra person | Abroad: lead applicant | Abroad: each extra person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | £45.00 | £11.00 | £168.00 | £31.50 |
| Up to 6 months | £66.50 | £12.50 | £238.50 | £35.00 |
| Up to 12 months | £95.00 | £13.50 | £341.50 | £37.50 |
Post Office prices for personal redirection, exempt from VAT, checked 13 October 2026[14]. Under-16s go free. There's a lower concessionary price if you get Universal Credit or Pension Credit. You'll need ID showing your old address. Redirected mail is processed as second class.
Common questions
Do I legally have to tell DVLA when I move house?
Yes. You must update the address on your driving licence and, if you are the registered keeper, your vehicle log book (V5C). It is free, and you can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA.
Do I need a new passport when I move house?
No. GOV.UK says you do not need to get a new passport if you change your address.
How much does Royal Mail redirection cost?
For a UK address, the lead applicant pays £45 for up to 3 months, £66.50 for 6 months or £95 for 12 months. Each extra adult costs £11, £12.50 or £13.50. Under-16s are free, and there is a concessionary price for people on Universal Credit or Pension Credit.
Do I need to tell my old GP I have moved?
In England, no. If you register with a new surgery, your old surgery is told automatically. If you are staying with the same surgery, tell it your new address.
Who do I tell first when I move house?
Start with the ones that carry legal duties or penalties: DVLA, Council Tax, the electoral register and any benefits. Set up a Royal Mail redirection to catch anything you miss, then update banks, insurers, utilities and subscriptions.
Address changes sorted. Now the move.
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Sources & methodology
All prices are in GBP, are indicative and come from the sources below. They are guide figures, not quotes. Sources accessed 13 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Change the address on your driving licence. Free to change. You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don't tell DVLA. Also covers the V5C, vehicle tax Direct Debit and V750/V778 documents. Great Britain only; Northern Ireland has a different process.
- GOV.UK, Change your address on your vehicle log book (V5C). Usually free. Contact DVLA if the new log book hasn't arrived after 4 weeks; after 6 weeks a replacement costs £25.
- GOV.UK, Tell HMRC about a change to your personal details. Online or through the HMRC app; Self Assessment records update once you've reported the change.
- GOV.UK, Register to vote. Register again when you change address; it takes about 5 minutes. You can register from 16 in England and Northern Ireland and from 14 in Scotland and Wales.
- GOV.UK, The electoral register and the 'open register'. You must register if an electoral registration officer asks you to; if you're asked and don't, you could be fined up to £1,000.
- GOV.UK, Start paying Council Tax (England and Wales). Tell your local council, or the council for your new area, when you move. Find your council at gov.uk/find-local-council.
- TV Licensing, "Moving house? Let us know". Change your licence address up to three months before you move, and tell TV Licensing if the new property will be empty.
- GOV.UK, Benefits: report a change in your circumstances. Moving house is a change you must report. Your claim may be stopped or reduced if you don't report it straight away; if you're overpaid you may have to pay it back, and there may be a £50 penalty.
- GOV.UK, Report changes that affect your Child Benefit. Only the claimant can report a change.
- GOV.UK, Contact the Pension Service.
- GOV.UK, Repaying your student loan. Keep your contact details up to date in your online account.
- GOV.UK, Company changes you must report. Tell Companies House within 14 days of changes to directors' personal details, such as their address.
- GOV.UK, Change your name or personal details on your passport. You don't need a new passport if you change your address.
- Post Office, Mail redirection, and Royal Mail, Redirect your mail. UK prices for the lead applicant are £45 for up to 3 months, £66.50 for 6 months and £95 for 12 months; each extra person is £11, £12.50 or £13.50. There's no fee for under-16s, and a concessionary price if you get Universal Credit or Pension Credit. You can apply up to six months before or after you move.
- GOV.UK, Get your dog or cat microchipped. You're responsible for keeping microchip details up to date, for example if you move house. You can be fined up to £500 if a pet isn't registered when it needs to be.
- NHS, Register with a GP surgery (England). Register online. It usually takes up to 5 days, and you don't need to tell your old surgery. If you're keeping the same surgery, tell it your new address.
- NHS, How to find an NHS dentist (England). Contact any NHS dentist; you may be put on a waiting list.
- mygov.scot, Register with a GP and update health details. Register with a local GP and dentist as soon as you can, and ask your previous GP to transfer your records. See also NHS inform.
- NHS 111 Wales, Local services. Find GP surgeries and dentists in Wales.
- NS&I, Changing personal details. Use the online change-of-details form (have your holder's number ready), or update your profile if you're registered online.
- Citizens Advice, "Moving home: dealing with your energy supply". Give at least 48 hours' notice, read the meters on the day you move out and keep a dated note, and give a forwarding address; you'll have 28 days to pay the final bill.
- Scottish Water, Unmetered household charges FAQs. For most homes without a meter, water and sewerage charges are collected by the local council with Council Tax.
- Ofcom, Switching broadband provider. On switching and early exit charges.
- nidirect, Keeping your driving licence up-to-date. Tell the DVA immediately about a change of address; you can do it online. Changing your licence does not update your V5C.
- nidirect, Occupying and leaving a property. Tell Land & Property Services immediately, to avoid a backdated rate bill.
- Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, Electoral registration. Register again when you move; you'll be removed from the register at your old address.