Moving home: Four mistakes that could cost you up to £1,000

Moving home is stressful and it's easy to miss something but some errors come with a hefty price tag so it's good idea to make a to-do list

By Jacqueline Wake Young

June 8 2023, 5:00 pm

Pets need to be considered when moving home.

Moving house is said to be one of life’s most stressful events, along with planning a wedding and having a child.

So it is only natural that when the time comes, things may slip your mind. However, some mistakes can come with a hefty price tag.

Bettina Faull, housing expert and sales manager at Cala Homes has put together some of the common costly mistakes people make when moving home.

Moving home is stressful with lots to do and think about so it pays to be prepared.

1. Failing to change address on your pet’s microchip.

Microchips became a legal requirement in the UK for all dogs over the age of eight weeks in 2016. The law was also extended to cats in 2021, with all cats over the age of 20 weeks requiring a microchip too. In both cases the microchip must be registered to one of the approved databases and kept up to date with the correct information.

The fine for not complying is £500. More tips on moving with pets can be found in Cala’s guide Top Tips for Moving Home with your Pet.

By law, pets need up-to-date details for their microchip.

2. Not updating your driving licence.

Many people forget their address is even on their driving licence, but this excuse won’t matter if caught out with the wrong address.

Drivers are required by law to let the DVLA know if they change their address and it’s free to do so. If a driver fails to notify the DVLA of changes they could face a fine of up to £1,000.

This only applies to those who are permanently changing address, so students for example who are living in at university do not need to change their address.

The address on a driving licence has to be correct and it’s free to update it.

3. Forgetting to inform TV Licensing.

If you are paying for your TV licence, move house and forget to update your address, not only could you be paying for the licence for your previous property, but you could also get caught out without a TV licence in your new home without realising.

Without one, you risk prosecution and can be issued a fine of up to £1,000, plus court costs.

You can change the address with TV Licensing up to three months before you move, and you can do it online.

It is a good idea to create a moving house checklist to help you keep track of the places where an address change is required.

Remember to update your TV licence before you get too cosy in your new home.

4. Overloading your car when moving.

Moving is expensive, so it is only natural, especially in a cost of living crisis, that you would want to find ways of cutting costs. One of these ways is by taking care of some of the physical moving yourself.

The issue this can cause is that loading the car with furniture and boxes can take your car over its official weight limit, which is an offence.

Drivers found guilty of this can land themselves with a fine of up to £300 and three penalty points if the car is overloaded past its official weight limit.

The weight limit of your car will be in the vehicle handbook.