Moving house? Make sure you cancel these essential services first so that you’re not paying for anything you haven’t use.
Are you one of the 266,000 people who moved house in the last six months? Or are you one of the 417,000 people moving soon in the UK? Whatever your moving status, the fact is that moving house is a busy and stressful time and one of the most important tasks on your list is cancelling certain services at your old home. It is all too easy to forget, and end up paying for services you’re not even receiving anymore. Instead, use our handy checklist to make sure you cancel the right services when you move house:
Internet
Ideally you can transfer your internet contract to your new property. However, different areas have different coverage so if you can’t transfer it, you need to cancel it and then arrange to be supplied by a different company at your new home.
TV Licence
You should be able to transfer your TV licence over to your new home, something you should call about at least two days before your move, to make sure the licence applies to your new home when you get there.
Gardening Collections
In some areas, such as Cornwall, it is not free to have your gardening waste collected. Instead, you need to subscribe to a payable service. For that reason, it is essential to cancel your subscription before moving house.
Water
Water suppliers can’t usually be changed, so you may need to simply give your new address to your current supplier if they supply all the water in the locality of your new place. If you are moving to a different county, though, you may need to switch suppliers.
Security
If you use a security system at your current home that cannot be switched across, make sure you cancel the cost of running the system and maintaining it. Do also leave the details of the company with the new owners in case they want to take over the contract.
Home Insurance
Your home insurance will need transferring to your new house. They may need details you don’t have yet, though, so let them know you are moving and arrange to call once you have moved to supply extra details. And double check with them that all your possessions are covered for loss or damage during the actual moving process itself.
Gas
If you cannot transfer gas supplies because the new property does not use gas you will need to cancel your contract. Do take a reading of the gas before you leave to prove what you owe for your final bill.
Oil
If you are moving from an oil-supplied property it is important to leave your oil tank topped up to at least half or more. This is a courtesy to the new owners or tenants and also stops issues occurring with the oil pipes, which the new owners could charge you to repair.
Window Cleaning
If you hire a window cleaner, find out if they cover the area of your new home but, if not cancel their services well in advance of moving day.
Electricity
You can usually transfer electricity supply over easily to a new house. However, if you are coming to the end of your contract this can be a good time to save money and switch to a more cost-effective tariff.
Regular Subscriptions
Any regular subscriptions you have at your current property like food boxes, magazines or papers need to be cancelled and transferred to your new home where possible. If the current service does not cover your new area, that needs cancelling well in advance to avoid prepayment.
Now You’re Ready To Take One More Step To A Successful House Move…
Hopefully our suggestions above have helped you to feel more prepared and organised when it comes to your house move. Cancelling services might not seem like fun, but it is essential to avoid paying extra for services you no longer need.