Work through it roughly in order. Notifications first, because a few of them have to happen before the van arrives rather than after, then removals, then the packing. The small jobs sort themselves out around those.
For the hour after the van leaves, the printable first-hour checklist takes over.
Who has to be told
The DVLA is the one with an actual obligation attached. GOV.UK puts it plainly: "You must update your driving licence, vehicle log book (V5C), Direct Debit for vehicle tax and other details when you move home." It costs nothing, and doing the licence and the V5C in one sitting saves you coming back to it. Council tax is run by your local council rather than centrally, so the way in is GOV.UK's find your local council tool and then that council's own pages. After that it's the energy supplier, the water company, the bank, the GP, the school and your employer. Post is the one everybody forgets. Royal Mail's redirection service appears on GOV.UK's list of Royal Mail postal services as "UK Redirection services", and Royal Mail's own site is where you set one up.
Removals and packing
Book the removal firm earlier than feels necessary. A date you have had for six weeks is worth more than a cheaper quote you cannot actually get. Pack room by room rather than by category, and label each box with the room it is going to instead of what is inside it, because the person carrying it needs to know where to put it down, not what it contains. Keep one box back for the kettle, the chargers, the toiletries and the bedding, and put that one in the car rather than the van.
On the day
Read the meters. Citizens Advice is explicit about both ends of the move: "read your meters on the day you move out" and hand those readings to your old supplier, then "Read your meters on the day you move in and give the readings to the current supplier." It takes a minute and it is the job that stops you paying for somebody else's electricity. Passports, jewellery and anything irreplaceable travel with you, not on the van.
This is the first page of the move. Read the moving house tips next for the things that make the day itself easier, and if you are buying rather than renting, the first-time buyer checklist runs before all of it. Once the boxes are through the door, what to do first in a new home picks up where this stops, and a moving house gift made from a photo of the new front door marks the day it happened.
The DVLA obligation quoted from GOV.UK; the meter readings quoted from Citizens Advice; Royal Mail's redirection service listed on GOV.UK. All read 3 September 2026.
Written by Craig Fearn, Our House Print. Last updated .