Furniture is the visible part of a move. The invisible part is the sixty or so places that still have your old address on file, and the fact that several of them carry legal deadlines. A change of address checklist keeps the paperwork from becoming a slow drip of missed bills, lapsed coverage, and forwarded mail that stops arriving in month thirteen.
Work through it in this order. The sequence matters, because a few of these depend on the ones above them.
Four weeks out: mail forwarding
Start here. File the official change of address with the postal service directly at USPS mail forwarding. It costs a small identity verification fee, and it is worth noting that plenty of copycat sites charge far more for the same thing. The federal government’s change of address overview confirms which services you still need to update separately.
Two things people get wrong here:
- Forwarding is not a permanent fix. Standard forwarding covers First Class mail for twelve months, and marketing mail is not forwarded at all. Treat it as a safety net while you update senders directly.
- It does not update your DMV record, your voter registration, or your bank. Those are separate.
If you are moving as a family and everyone shares a last name, file once as a family. If not, file individually.
Three to four weeks out: utilities
Schedule the disconnect at the old address for the day after your move, not the day of. Nothing derails a move day faster than losing power at 2 p.m. with half the house still to load.
- Electricity and natural gas – Dominion Energy handles electric service across most of the region. You can transfer service between addresses online rather than closing one account and opening another. Virginia Natural Gas covers gas in much of Hampton Roads.
- Water and sewer – This one is city by city rather than regional. Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, and Newport News each run their own public utilities department, so you are dealing with a different office if you cross a city line.
- Trash and recycling – Usually bundled with city services, but the pickup day almost certainly changes. Check before your first Tuesday in the new place.
- Internet and cable – Book the installation appointment as early as possible. Technician windows fill up, and remote work makes this less optional than it used to be.
Give providers ten to fourteen days of notice. Same-week requests are often possible but not guaranteed, especially during summer.
Three weeks out: DMV and voter registration
Virginia gives you 30 days from a move to update your address with the DMV. Handle it through the Virginia DMV personal information updates page, which lets you update your driver’s license record and vehicle registration in one pass. A PO box or business address is not accepted for your residence address.
You can register to vote or update your existing voter registration at the same time, which saves a separate errand. If you are moving between cities inside Hampton Roads, your precinct and polling place will change even though your mailing address barely does.
Two to three weeks out: money and coverage
- Bank and credit union accounts
- Every credit card, including the ones you rarely use
- Auto insurance, since rates are partly ZIP-based and a move can change your premium
- Renters or homeowners insurance, which needs to be in force on the new place before you move in
- Employer payroll and HR records
- Retirement and brokerage accounts
- Loan servicers and any mortgage holder
Auto insurance deserves a phone call rather than a web form. Ask whether the change affects your rate before your renewal date arrives, not after.
Two weeks out: health, school, and pets
Transfer prescriptions to a pharmacy near the new address. Request medical and dental records if you are switching providers, and update the address on file with your insurer.
If children are changing schools, submit the withdrawal and enrollment paperwork now rather than during move week. Request transcripts and immunization records in writing.
For pets, update the microchip registry, which is the step most people forget entirely. A microchip with an old address and a disconnected phone number does not do much good. Also check whether your new city requires a separate license or rabies tag registration.
One week out: subscriptions and deliveries
Work through anything that ships to you on a schedule. Meal kits, contact lenses, pet food, medication refills, magazines, and any subscription box. Update the default address in your main shopping accounts as well, or you will send a package to the old house within the first month. Nearly everyone does.
After the move
Give it two weeks, then do a sweep:
- Check that forwarded mail is actually arriving, and note which senders still have the old address
- Confirm the first utility bills reflect the correct service dates at both properties
- Verify the DMV change went through and that your registration card is updated
- Confirm your renters or homeowners policy lists the correct property
- Update your address with the IRS if you filed recently, so refunds and correspondence reach you
Keep a running list on the fridge for the first month. Every piece of forwarded mail that arrives with a yellow sticker is a sender you have not updated yet. When the yellow stickers stop, you are done.
Handling the physical side
The paperwork is easier when the move itself is on schedule. Tidal Town Moving handles local moves and residential relocations throughout the region, with hourly pricing, a two-hour minimum, and no travel fees or fuel surcharges inside Hampton Roads. We serve seven cities across Hampton Roads with our own crew.
Request a free quote and we will give you a realistic window so you can build the rest of your checklist around it.