15 essential contacts: Home selling checklist

Selling your home is no easy business, but your work is not done when you sign the dotted line to transfer your property: then you have to tell everyone you have moved house.

Who you gonna call? We round up the 15 essential contacts you need in your diary to sort out all the moving house details that everyone forgets.

1. Bank

Nobody wants their bank statement going to a stranger, so be sure to contact your bank and update your address.

2. Council Tax Office

This is an essential detail for anyone moving home to ensure you are not paying too much / too little council tax for your area. However, also be sure to provide the contact details to your buyer for your current address, so that they can update their details too.

3. Doctor / Dentist

Health is important - especially after the strain and stress of marketing your home. Take some time out to deregister from the clinic near your old address.

4. DVLA

Your driver's licence is a vital piece of identification, so you will need to update your residential address with the DVLA so that records are all up to date.

5. Employer

Your employer will need to have your correct contact details on record, in case of emergencies, as well as for PAYE and tax reasons.

6. Hire Purchase

If you are using a hire company to move your belongings from one home to another, it is best to get in contact with them as early in the buying / selling process as possible. This will prevent in slowdown in the chain on your end, saving your buyer frustration and you a lot of last-minute hassle.

7. Inland Revenue

Much like your employer, the Inland Revenue will require your up to date address so they can contact you regarding important financial details.

8. Insurance Company

The last thing you want to do is pay for insurance in a home where you no longer live: double-check that you have signed up with a new insurance company, or updated records with your existing provider.

9. Internet Provider / Phone Provider

Changing a telephone line and internet account can be the most fiddly part of moving home, so try to contact the relevant companies as soon as possible to minimise any disruption. In the meantime, keep your mobile to hand! 

10. Utilities

Energy bills are always a potential complication during the transition between home owners, but if you take meter readings on the day you officially sell, you can avoid paying for electricity you have not used.

11. Post Office

Got mail that needs forwarding? Your local Post Office sorting office is the place to call.

12. School

If you have kids to take into account during your house move, make sure they tell their school(s) what is going on so that their teachers can still contact you in case of emergency.

13. TV Licence

TV licences are the one item everyone forgets about amid all the other things that need sorting. Do not forget yours.

14. Your buyers

If you have issues with your old property that need to be sorted with your buyers, make sure they have your contact details to hand.

15. Family

Once you have worked your way through that checklist, don't forget to tell your friends and family where you are now living - strangers knocking on the door in the middle of the night are always awkward!

 

Photo: PeddhaPati