The Essential Change of Address Checklist

There are so many people, organisations and businesses that you need to notify when changing addresses that it can feel overwhelming and exhausting to keep a mental list. However, forgetting to let your utility company, electoral office or insurance providers about your change in circumstance can have repercussions. To make things simple, we’ve created this change of address checklist to help keep track of who to notify when changing addresses. While the specific groups that you need to contact will vary depending on your personal circumstances, below we’ve covered the essentials and many of the organisations and categories that are often forgotten during the moving process. We’ve also included some helpful links to help you update your details with some of the most important offices, such as the post office, electoral office and tax office. For more information about making your move a smooth and successful process, get in touch with our experience moving consultants today.

Your first point of call should be the Post Office. Whether you’re receiving bills, subscriptions or packages from friends, you want to make sure that they’re ending up in the right place. Notify the post office of your change of address and they can arrange to have any mail that is accidentally sent to your old address redirected to your new address. Luckily the process is very simple. You can redirect your mail online and choose whether you would like it redirected for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. 

It doesn’t matter if there’s an election coming up in the near future or not, it’s important to keep your details up to date with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). It’s quick and easy to update your voter registration details. Your move might even mean that you are registered in a different electorate. So in addition to updating your details you may want to familiarise yourself with the new electorate as part of settling into your new home. 

It’s crucial to inform the Tax Office of any change in circumstances. This includes moving home, so make sure you let them know of your new address. This will prevent any bureaucratic complications or headaches down the line. If it is linked to the ATO you can simply jump onto your myGov account to update your details. 

When it comes to notifying people of your changing circumstances, Medicare often gets overlooked. However, keeping your Medicare details up to date will make sure that the health insurance process works smoothly next time you need it. It’s much better to get on top of this early rather than complicating things for yourself when it becomes urgent. You can change the address on your Medicare account by simply logging onto the myGov website and heading to the Medicare section. If you haven’t linked these accounts then it is a good idea to do so. 

This is one of the most useful things to remember when moving home – notify your essential utilities! There are few things more disappointing than moving into a new home without water, gas or electricity. If you’re staying with the same providers, this is a very quick process of notification in order to update your details. On the other hand, if you’re changing providers you will have a few extra steps to go through in order to transition across. Either way, it’s important to notify your utility providers BEFORE you move. Get in touch with them at least a week before your moving date to ensure that everything is in order, the lights will come on and the taps will work in your new home.

High-speed internet is an essential utility too, especially if you work from home. Make sure to contact your internet provider to have everything set up in your new place in preparation for your move. If you’re still holding onto a landline, or your internet is connected through your phone line, then make sure you’ve updated your details with your phone and internet provider so ensure a smooth transition.

Insurance is a really valuable thing to consider when you change addresses. During a period of change such as a move, informing your insurers of your circumstances is a good way of making sure that you are financially protected. Failure to update your information has the potential to impact or even void your coverage. To avoid this potentially problematic situation, get in touch with your insurers in advance of your moving date. Different types and providers of insurance may require different levels of documentation to verify your updated details. Some important ones to remember are:

• Home or renters insurance
• Life insurance
• Health insurance
• Car insurance

Letting your bank know of your new address is useful for a number of reasons. It’ll make sure any mail goes to the right place and it’ll help if you need to replace a lost or stolen card. If you have a loan it is even more important. Whether you have a home or personal loan, it is critical that you keep the bank updated on your change of address, otherwise, it could cause some problems down the line. Failure to notify the bank of a change of address if you have a loan may even violate the terms of your loan. Avoid any of these issues by simply jumping on your bank’s website and changing your details online.

There is a grace period for changing over the details of your driver’s licence and vehicle registration. However, it’s a smart idea to do this as early as possible, because leaving it too long can result in violating the law. If you’re moving interstate, it’s important to change over to the relevant licence and registration of that state within 3 months. Get on top of this and make sure your licence and registration is up to date. You can find the necessary information and documentation to update your licence and registration by visiting one of the following sites:

• Queensland - https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/
• New South Wales - http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/
• Victoria - https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/
• Australian Capital Territory - https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/home
• South Australia - https://www.dpti.sa.gov.au/
• Northern Territory - https://transport.nt.gov.au/
• Western Australia - https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/
• Tasmania - https://www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/

If you're moving homes but your children will be attending the same school, you will need to update the school of your new address. This will make sure any letters and information they send will reach you. If you will be changing schools, it is important that you notify both schools of your intent as early as possible to ensure a smooth transition.

Whether you have a subscription with a magazine, newspaper or food delivery service, you don’t want to pay for things that you aren’t receiving. Updating any and all delivery services will make sure that you don’t miss out on any regular deliveries.

This might seem like an obvious one, a very obvious one. However, you would be surprised how often people get so absorbed by the nitty-gritty of their moving process that they forget to notify some of the most important people in their lives. While there are unlikely to be financial or legal repercussions for failing to notify friends and family, you may find yourself in some uncomfortable social or family events if you haven’t told your best friends, your siblings or even your parents that you moved. While you should probably mention the move directly to anyone close to you, for your wider network a social media post or group email can be the most efficient way of putting out notice.

Now that you’ve covered the big-ticket items, it’s time to make sure you’ve notified all of the smaller organisations and businesses. These are important groups to notify that are most commonly forgotten about during the moving process. While you won’t have the electricity turned off for forgetting to let them know, you may end up with some toll fines if you fail to go through this list.

• After school care
• All financial institutions
• Automobile associations
• Charities
• Childcare
• Financial representatives
• Gardeners
• Gyms
• House cleaners
• Lawyers
• Mechanics and vehicle service centres
• Pet microchip registry
• Real estate agents
• Road toll networks
• Store memberships and loyalty programs
• Superannuation
• Unions

There are so many things to keep in mind when it comes to changing your address, sometimes a little help can make all the difference. The experts at Allied are here to help make your move as smooth as possible. Whether you need packing supplies such as moving boxes, or a combination of moving services, get in touch with our friendly team today on 13 25 54.