When you move in the UK, contact your electricity and gas suppliers, water provider, telephone or broadband provider, and the council responsible for Council Tax. Tell each about the old and new address, follow its handover process, and record energy meter readings. In Northern Ireland, the local property charge is Rates rather than Council Tax; the GOV.UK Council Tax guidance cited here applies to England and Wales.
Who to contact when you move
Gas and electricity
Tell your gas and electricity suppliers that you are moving. Citizens Advice recommends giving at least 48 hours’ notice, providing a forwarding address for the final bill, and paying that bill within 28 days. These are Citizens Advice’s general moving guidance, not a guarantee of every supplier’s contractual terms. Citizens Advice: dealing with your energy supply when moving home
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Record the final meter readings when you leave and keep a note or photograph. At the new home, contact the relevant suppliers and provide opening readings if requested. Check each provider’s instructions; the handover process may depend on the property and account.
Water
Contact the water provider about both the address you are leaving and the one you are moving into. Ask whether it needs a meter reading or other handover details. The available guidance identifies water as a move-related service but does not establish one national procedure or a universal ability to choose a different provider. Torbay Council’s moving-home guidance and Dorset Council’s moving checklist include water among the services to deal with.
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Telephone and broadband
Tell your provider about the move and ask what service and arrangements are available at the destination. Availability, transfer arrangements and installation timing depend on the address and provider; do not assume your existing service can simply be transferred. nidirect’s moving guidance and the Dorset Council checklist list telephone or internet as move-related arrangements.
Council Tax or Rates
Tell the local authority responsible for the new home so it can register the account. Contact the previous council as well if you need to close or change an existing account. Council Tax is administered by local authorities. The following GOV.UK guidance applies to England and Wales: your property and Council Tax and starting to pay Council Tax. Northern Ireland has separate arrangements, including Rates; see nidirect’s moving guidance.
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HMRC and other address-dependent records
Update HMRC when your address changes. HMRC says a Self Assessment taxpayer’s details update after the change is reported. Also consider other organisations that need your current address for records or post. Tell HMRC about a change to your details.
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- Once the move is sufficiently certain: contact providers and ask what notice, account details and readings they require. nidirect advises waiting until contracts are exchanged before notifying organisations in its Northern Ireland moving guidance; that timing should not be treated as a rule for every UK transaction or provider.
- When leaving: record final gas and electricity readings, retain them, and give the energy supplier a forwarding address for the final bill. Ask the water provider whether it needs a reading or other handover information.
- At the new address: contact the energy and water providers and supply opening readings if requested. Follow the process for the specific home and account.
- For local property charges: notify the council responsible for the new home and, where relevant, the authority for the old one. In Northern Ireland, check the separate Rates arrangements.
- For communications: ask your telephone or broadband provider about destination-address availability, transfer options and timing.
- For records and post: report your new address to HMRC and other organisations that need it.
What depends on your address or provider
There is no single handover procedure established here for water, energy or broadband that applies to every property. Confirm each provider’s own requirements, including whether it needs a reading and what account information to supply. Broadband availability and installation arrangements are address-specific. Council Tax processes also depend on the relevant local authority, and Northern Ireland uses a separate Rates system.
This overview covers UK moving tasks supported by the cited guidance, but the Council Tax links are specifically for England and Wales. It does not set out a complete Scotland-specific Council Tax process; check with the relevant Scottish local authority for details.
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