The order to do this in
This is the detailed version of the notification stage. Where it fits into the wider Scottish process, from missives through to the date of entry, is set out in our checklist for moving house in Scotland.
| Pass | What is in it | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Legal and statutory | Council tax, electoral register, DVLA, HMRC and DWP if relevant | Two to four weeks before, effective from the date of entry |
| 2. Money and cover | Bank, insurers, mortgage or landlord, energy, pension, employer | Two weeks before |
| 3. Everything else | Health, subscriptions, deliveries, memberships | The week before and the week after |
What is different about doing this in Scotland
Most change of address checklists are written for England and include a separate water supplier. In Scotland that entry does not exist for domestic customers, and adding it just sends you looking for an account you do not have.
- Scottish Water. Nothing to do. Water and waste water charges are collected with council tax, based on your band. Telling the council is telling Scottish Water.
- NHS registration. Health boards run GP services. In Edinburgh that is NHS Lothian, and registration is by practice catchment rather than by postcode alone.
- Electoral registration. Register at the new address for Scottish Parliament, local council and UK elections. Moving does not carry your registration with you.
- Council tax. Tell both councils if you are crossing a boundary, for instance moving between Edinburgh and Midlothian or East Lothian. Closing the old account is as important as opening the new one.
Pass one: the statutory list
| Who | Why | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Your local council, council tax | Close the old account, open the new one | Scottish Water charges follow automatically |
| The other council, if you are moving between areas | Two separate accounts | Easy to forget and it generates a bill |
| Electoral register | Right to vote, and it affects credit files | Register at the new address, do not assume a transfer |
| DVLA, driving licence | Legal requirement to keep it current | Free to update |
| DVLA, vehicle log book V5C | Separate from the licence | Also free, and separate again from insurance |
| HMRC | Tax records, and any tax credits | Through your personal tax account |
| DWP | Any benefits, State Pension, Universal Credit | Payments can suspend if the address is wrong |
| TV Licence | Tied to the property, not to you | Free to update |
| Passport | Not urgent, but keep it consistent | Only needed at renewal for most people |
Council tax is the one that most often produces an unexpected bill, and it works differently here because your water charges ride on the same account. We cover it in full in our guide to cancelling council tax when moving house, and the supply side in taking over utilities.
Two of these regularly get missed. The vehicle log book is a separate notification from the driving licence, and people commonly do one and not the other. And the electoral register is not just about voting: being on it at your current address supports your credit file, which matters if you are applying for anything financial in the months after a move.
Pass two: money, cover and the things that lapse
- Buildings insurance, live from the date of entry. In Scotland the risk usually passes at settlement.
- Contents insurance. Check whether goods in transit are covered, because many policies do not cover a professional move and your removal firm’s cover works differently.
- Car insurance. Premiums are address-rated and driving on a policy with the wrong address is a genuine problem, not an administrative one.
- Life, pet and travel policies. Each one separately.
- Bank and building society accounts, plus credit cards and any savings providers.
- Mortgage lender, or landlord and letting agent.
- Pension providers, including old workplace schemes you no longer pay into. These are the most commonly lost.
- Employer and payroll.
- Energy suppliers. Take meter readings and photograph them at both properties on the day.
- Broadband and mobile. Broadband especially, because installation at a new address can take weeks rather than days.
Set up Royal Mail redirection as well. It is not a substitute for telling people, because it expires, but it catches everything you forgot for three months or more.
Pass three: health, school and everything else
- GP practice. Registration is by practice catchment. In Edinburgh the health board is NHS Lothian.
- Dentist and optician. Separate registrations, often with waiting lists.
- Repeat prescriptions, and your pharmacy of choice.
- Schools and nurseries. If you have children this belongs in pass one, not pass three, because school catchment has real deadlines.
- Vet, and update any microchip registration. The microchip database is separate from the vet.
- Breakdown cover.
- Subscriptions and deliveries. Food boxes, magazines, online retailers with saved addresses.
- Gym, clubs and memberships.
- Your solicitor, and anyone holding a will or power of attorney.
- Charities you give to by direct debit.
The microchip one catches people. Updating the vet does not update the chip database, and a chip registered to an address you left two years ago is the reason a found pet does not come home.
If you are renting, or moving a business
Renting in Scotland:
- Give notice properly. A Private Residential Tenancy needs 28 days in writing.
- Tell the tenancy deposit scheme your new address, not just the landlord, or the deposit has nowhere to go.
- Take dated photographs of the property as you leave it, and meter readings.
- Close the council tax account. As a tenant this is yours to do, not the landlord’s.
If you are moving a business rather than a home, the notification list is different and carries statutory deadlines, including Companies House within 14 days and VAT separately within 30. That is covered in our office move checklist, and the move itself is quoted as office removals in Edinburgh.
What not to bother with
- Your water company. Domestic customers in Scotland do not have one. It is on the council tax bill.
- Notifying every retailer you have ever bought from. Update the ones with saved payment details and let the rest arrive with the redirection.
- Changing your address before it is certain. In Scotland, wait until missives are concluded. An accepted offer is not binding and an early change of address creates a mess if the date of entry moves.
- Paying for a change of address service. Nearly every notification on this page is free and takes a few minutes online.
Common questions about changing your address
Who do you legally have to tell when you move house?
The ones with legal weight are your council for council tax, the electoral register, the DVLA for both your driving licence and your vehicle log book, HMRC, and the DWP if you receive any benefits or State Pension. TV Licensing is tied to the property. Everything else is strongly advisable rather than a legal requirement.
Do I need to tell Scottish Water I have moved?
No. Domestic water and waste water charges in Scotland are collected on your council tax bill and based on your council tax band, so there is no separate account. Telling the council is enough.
How far in advance should I change my address?
Two to four weeks for the statutory notifications, dated to take effect from your date of entry. In Scotland, wait until missives are concluded before you start, because until then the sale is not binding and the date can still move.
Is Royal Mail redirection worth it?
Yes, as a safety net rather than a substitute. It catches whatever you forgot, but it expires, so anything arriving through redirection is a prompt to update that sender properly rather than a solution.
What happens if I do not update my driving licence?
It is a legal requirement to keep the address current and there are penalties for failing to do so. Updating it is free. Note that your driving licence and your vehicle log book are two separate notifications, and doing one does not do the other.
Does changing address affect my credit score?
Indirectly. Being on the electoral register at your current address helps lenders verify who and where you are, so registering promptly matters if you are applying for credit in the months after a move. Leaving old addresses on financial accounts creates mismatches that can slow applications.
Before you start
Wait until missives are concluded, then work through pass one in a single sitting. Most of it is free, online and takes under an hour in total. Everything after that can be done in the fortnight either side of the move.
More practical guides to moving in and around this city are collected in our Edinburgh moving guides.
Scottish arrangements for water charging, health board registration and electoral registration were checked against Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council guidance on 3 August 2026. Individual circumstances vary, particularly for benefits and tax; check current requirements with the relevant body.
