Four mistakes to avoid when moving house - or you could face a £1,000 fine

Moving home usually lands fairly high on the list of most stressful things to do in life. With everything from packing, moving, cleaning and updating addresses on utility bills and council tax, the list of things that needs to be done is endless.

But while you might remember some of the more obvious things, there are a few things that might slip the mind and make your move even more stressful. Simple mistakes like forgetting to update certain information could land you with fines of up to £1,000, which most of us would rather avoid.

To help take your mind off some of the pressures around moving, Bettina Faull, housing expert and sales manager at Cala Homes has listed 4 things to remember so you can avoid having to fork out unnecessarily. While these things are cheap and easy to sort out in the first place, forgetting them could land you with unwanted expenses.

4 house move mistakes which could cost you up to £1,000

Failing to change the address on your pet’s microchip

Most of us think of changing utilities, online accounts and workplaces when we move, in order to have everything working correctly. However, forgetting to update your pet’s microchip information is easy.

Microchipping pet dogs and cats is a legal requirement in the UK, with all dogs over 8 weeks and cats over 20 weeks required to have the latest contact information and addresses. Not updating your pets information could land you with a fine of up to £500.

Not updating driving licences

With all the places you need to update your address with, it’s easy to forget that you also have to update your drivers licence when you move. Drivers are required by law to inform the DVLA then they change their address, and failing to do so can land you a fine of up to £1000

Forgetting to inform TV Licensing

It is illegal to watch live television and to use BBC iPlayer without a TV licence. Many forget that the TV Licence is tied to the person paying the fee and covers the use of television at the address specified on the licence.

Failing to update your licence and watching TV at your new address can land you a £1000 fee plus court costs. You can change the address of your TV Licence up to 3 months before you move, so there is plenty of time to plan ahead.

Overloading your car while moving

While moving already is costly, it might feel like the best option to try and make as few trips as possible. But driving with an overloaded vehicle is an offence and can cost you up to £300 in fines and 3 penalty points should you get caught, so make sure you check your vehicle’s handbook to ensure you stay within limits.