May 9, 2022
There are a million things to think of when moving home from that essentials bag for the first few days, to mail re-directs, changes of address, packing up all your possessions and the logistics of the move itself. It’s no wonder then, that sorting out all the final bills can get overlooked. In this article we provide a handy reminder of the bills and some tips on how to deal with each one.
Utilities
These are perhaps the most important ones to sort so make sure to contact your gas, electricity and water supplier in plenty of time to let them know that you are moving so that they are informed ahead of time. On the day that you move make sure you read all the meters and take photos of the meter readings too for evidence should you need it. You will need your gas, electricity and water meter readings. Most utility companies will have an on-line process like this one for British Gas. You will need to provide your new address for any final bills or refunds to be sent to. Once all the accounts are settled, you will need to cancel any direct debits you have set up for each utility bill.
Council Tax
As with your utility bills you will need to let your local council know that you are moving home, do this around 1 month before leaving, this can often be carried out online on your local council’s website. You will either be moving within the same authority or out of the authority’s catchment. For the former, simply let your council know your new address and when you are moving and they should be able to simply amend your account to the new property and council tax band. You should be able to use the same direct debit. If you are leaving the area, then you will get a final bill from the previous council tax authority which will need to be paid, or you might be due a rebate if you pay annually or over a 10 monthly instalments. Once settled you will need to cancel any direct debits that you have with them.
Broadband
Check with your broadband provider around 2 months before you move as moving an account can take time for the new property to be set up if you are simply moving your account over. If you are looking to cancel, you will need to check your agreement as these are often for 12 months or more. If you move and don’t take your account with you, there might be a financial penalty for breaking the contract early.
TV Licence
This one is often easy to forget about but it is important that you change your address on your TV licence. This can normally be done online very simply. You will almost certainly keep the same account and the same direct debit so the whole process should be very simple.
The last thing you need is a debt collection agency chasing after you after you have moved home so it is important to make sure that you notify all service providers of your move and ensure that you pay any final bills. It is easy to overlook these suppliers during the hecticness of a move, put them on your moving checklist to make sure you don’t forget them.