You’ve packed the boxes, you’ve told your family the new address, and you’ve already imagined 10 different ways to arrange your new furniture. Then, three weeks later, you discover that your parcels are still going to the old place and your energy supplier has no idea you’ve moved.
Turns out, you’re not alone. A recent survey revealed the moving tasks that Brits most commonly forget, and the list is both relatable and slightly alarming. So, keep reading to find out what you might miss during your next move.
Forgetting to Book a Van
You might not have expected this to make it to the list, but surprisingly, van booking was one of the most commonly overlooked tasks in the survey.
Nearly half (47%) said they underestimated how many trips they’d need because they didn’t have access to a van or a larger vehicle.
So, if you’ve got bulky furniture or you’re moving more than a short distance, it’s worth asking yourself: is this really a DIY job? A rented van and a well-meaning friend can help, but it only takes one wardrobe to turn the process into an Olympic lifting event.
Full-service removal specialists exist for a reason, so do yourself a favour and lock in your slot ahead of time. The earlier you sort it, the more choice you’ll have on price and availability.
Redirecting Mail
You move out, hand over the keys, and think you’re done with your old address. But then, it keeps popping up everywhere.
Mail redirection is one of the easiest things to set up, yet 22% of movers in the survey skipped it. Surprising, right? It takes a few minutes to arrange and gives you a safety net while you work through updating your details.
Just set it up before you move, not after. Otherwise, there’ll be a gap where bank documents, NHS letters, and tax notices can end up at your old place—not ideal, as you’ve got no control over who’s picking them up on the other side.
Removing Old Addresses from Online Accounts
Mail redirection covers your physical post. But what about everything you order with two taps at 11 p.m.?
Your address is probably saved in more places than you’d guess: shopping websites, delivery apps, subscription boxes, and even that one site you used once and forgot about.
And unless you go in and update it yourself, those platforms will keep sending things to your old place like nothing has changed.
Think you’re going to remember after you move in? Well, one in five movers (20%) forgot to do this, and plenty ended up with parcels or, worse, gifts arriving at their old address months later.
So, take a bit of time to go through your accounts one by one. Check your saved addresses on Amazon, ASOS, Just Eat, Deliveroo, and anywhere else you regularly order from.
While you’re in that mindset, check your browser auto-fill, too. If you leave it as is, there’s a good chance you’ll accidentally send something to your old house and won’t notice until the confirmation email lands.
Arranging Utilities
You’ve handled the admin side of things, but now comes the part you’ll actually feel on day one: is your new place functional and ready for you?
You need to set up gas, electricity, and internet before moving day, not once you’re standing there surrounded by boxes and wondering why nothing is working.
Broadband is usually the one that trips people up. Around 18% of movers forgot to arrange it in advance. It might not sound like a big deal, but just imagine sitting in your new home with no internet and far too much time to think about your life choices.
Providers can take days, sometimes weeks, to get you connected, so as soon as your moving date is locked in, get it booked.
Electricity and gas are easier to deal with, but they still won’t set themselves up. First, find out what you’re walking into. There could already be a supplier in place, or you may need to start from scratch. Either way, let both your current and new suppliers know your move date.
Taking Final Meter Readings
This is one of those quick, low-effort jobs that will save you a lot of hassle later, and still, 17% of movers skipped it entirely.
On moving day, take a minute before you hand over the keys to grab meter readings at your old place. Then, do the same when you arrive at your new one.
Without these, you’re at the mercy of estimated readings, which can result in you being billed for energy you never used or paying for whatever the previous tenants left behind.
Want to take it a step further? Take a quick photo of each meter on your phone, send the readings to your suppliers the same day, and keep the photos just in case anything comes up later.
Notifying the Local Council
You might not be thinking about your local council right now when you’ve got bigger things on your plate. And you wouldn’t be the only one; 13% of movers forgot to notify their councils that they had changed their address.
While it might not seem urgent, your local council does need to know you’ve moved, and you actually have to do it in two directions. Tell your old council you’ve left and register with your new one. Miss either step, and things can get messy fast.
Council Tax is the obvious reason. If you don’t update your details, you can end up being billed at your old address, missing a discount at your new one, or facing complications that take months to untangle.
Sounds like a hassle, right? Well, luckily, a lot of councils now let you handle this online, so it’s quicker than it used to be, and you don’t have to fill out any physical forms.
If you’re registered to vote, update your electoral registration at the same time. It’s a separate process from Council Tax, but you can easily tick it off your list alongside it.
Checking Furniture Lead Times
New home, new furniture! It’s tempting to leave the shopping until you’re in and can properly measure everything up. But 12% of movers forgot to check lead times, and some paid for it by waiting weeks for a sofa that hadn’t even been made yet.
Many sofas, beds, and dining sets in the UK have lead times of 8–12 weeks, sometimes longer. So, if you order too late, you’ll be eating on the floor for two months while you wait.
To avoid this, check lead times before you move, not after. If something has a long wait, order it early; most retailers will hold delivery until your moving date if you ask.
Trust us, it can be the difference between actually settling in your new place and accidentally recreating a camping site in your own living room.
Conclusion
And there you have it—the small things that can derail your move if you ignore them. So, get ahead of them now while you’ve still got the time and headspace.
You might take a few days to go through everything, but by the time you move into your new home, you can focus on settling in instead of dealing with loose ends.