With so many details to consider when moving house, it can be a pretty stressful time in your life. Throughout the process, it’s only natural to ask frantic questions like:
Did I remember to bubble wrap all my fragile items?
Will my larger belongings fit through the new door?
Could I have gotten a better deal with my removal company?
Given we’re so focused on the actual move, we often forget to update our mailing address until it’s too late.
Australia Post offers a redirect service to your new address, but it only lasts for a few months and requires you to pay a fee. Changing address doesn’t have to be an ordeal, though. It’s completely free with no hidden fees, and you can go through the entire process at your own pace. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to notify everyone before moving day!
Change of Address Checklist NSW
With so many services, subscriptions, and people to notify, the prospect of changing address on your own may seem daunting (especially if this is your first move), but it will make all the difference in the long run.
To help you save time and hopefully make the process stress free, we’ve compiled a new address checklist of all the people and organisations you’ll need to notify when moving home in New South Wales, Australia.
1. Water, Electricity, and Gas Providers
Water, electricity, and gas providers should be among the first to know about your address change.
Inform providers of the move well in advance of moving day to arrange for services to be transferred on the correct date. You don’t want your family to be left without water and power when you first arrive at your new home!
2. Financial Institutions
After you arrange your utilities, next up on our new address checklist is to notify any financial institutions about the move. These include:
- Your bank
- Credit cards
- Store cards
- Loan providers
- Centrelink
- Accountant
- Financial Advisor
- Pensioner concession cards
It’s crucial to be thorough – you don’t want to forget and have important financial documents or replacement credit cards sent to your old house by mistake.
3. Insurance Providers
Contact your life, home, health, and car insurance providers to inform them of the new address. Be aware that some rates may change depending on the location of your new home, especially when moving interstate. For example, crime rates in your area may affect your car insurance premiums, given the added risk for theft.
Providers include those for your:
- Car insurance
- Life insurance
- Health insurance
- Home insurance
- Contents insurance
- Income insurance
- Ambulance insurance
4. Phone and Internet Providers
Next on our change of address checklist are your providers for your landline phone, mobile phone, and internet providers.
Set a date to have an installer check your new home and property. They may need to run wire if your new house isn’t already prepared. Ensure your mobile phone provider has a strong signal in your new home. Consider changing carriers if it’s insufficient.
Now may also be an excellent time to find the best price on your internet and mobile phone services. There may even be new services available when moving interstate.
5. Change Address on Driver’s Licence & Vehicle Registration
Notify the NSW Department of Transport of your new address.
You’ll likely need an updated driver’s licence and vehicle registration. You may only be issued a temporary driver’s licence, depending on when your current licence is due for renewal. Remember to update any other vehicle driver’s licence as well – motorbikes, boats, and the like.
Failure to inform the Department of Transportation may result in fines, making this one of the most important change of address checklist items.
6. Government Organisations
Updating your new address with the appropriate government organisations is particularly important, especially with an interstate move. If you don’t, it could result in fines or penalties.
Government agencies that need to know about your move include:
- Australia Post
- Australian Electoral Commission
- Australian Taxation Office
- Department of Human Services
- Local council
- Department of Veteran’s Affairs
If you don’t update your address with the Australian Electoral Commission, for example, you may be unable to vote in the correct electoral district. Most government organisations will allow you to complete a simple online change of address form.
7. Health and Wellness
Notifying your healthcare providers is a critical step. Failing to do so could be dangerous if an emergency were to arise.
These include your:
- Primary care physician
- Dentist
- Private health insurance providers
- Medicare
8. Entertainment
While entertainment providers might not necessarily seem a priority on our address checklist, you’ll still want to keep everything up-to-date to avoid paying for something without receiving it.
Don’t forget things like:
- Magazine subscriptions
- Newspaper subscriptions
- Streaming services
- The library
You don’t want to lose the enjoyment along the way!
9. Education
Notify any educational institutions that you or your family attend after an address change. The location of your home may change what primary or secondary school your children attend, as well as any alumni associations.
10. Friends and Family
While your closest friends and family will likely already know the details of your move, don’t forget to let everyone else know – friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers, clubs, social groups and the like.
You can always send a mass email if you don’t want to reach out to everyone individually. Just be sure to include everyone’s email address in the BCC line.
11. Your Pet
When you move house, don’t forget your pet is moving house with you. Another important stop on our change of address checklist is to update your veterinarian and your pet’s microchip registry. Should they ever go missing or need emergency support, this way there won’t be any unnecessary delay.
12. Employment
It will likely be required as part of your employment to inform HR departments, managers or your employers when changing address. This is so you won’t miss any important tax or superannuation documents, paychecks, pay stubs, or any other important physical mail from work.
13. Office relocation
If you’re relocating your office, most of the above apply. Just don’t forget to notify your customers and update business cards, your website, and web directories, as well.
14. Everything Else
Most of the critical people, services, and organisations in your life have been outlined above, but some of the most often overlooked are those we use less frequently, such as:
- Loyalty programs
- Childcare
- Charities
- Gym
- Mechanic
- Frequent-flyer programs
Though many of these can be notified when you next use their services, there’s no harm in being thorough and getting in as soon as possible.
In Summary – Be Prepared & Detail Oriented
Being detail-oriented and allowing yourself enough time can make the process stress free. Remember that:
- You should start early, especially for utilities.
- Australia Post offers a redirect service that only lasts for a few months and has a fee.
- Notify financial institutions, insurance providers, vehicle registration departments, government agencies, and healthcare providers of the new address.
- Don’t forget about schools, your employer, friends, family, subscriptions, and services for your pet.
- Follow the change of address checklist from start to finish, so you don’t miss anything important.
- Enjoy your new home!
Moving house is stressful enough. Updating your address shouldn’t have to be.
