One of the more complex aspects of a residential move is changing your address.  Don’t think that in this digital age where everything is done online and electronically that you don’t need to let everyone know that your physical address has changed.

To survive a change of mailing address, you’ll have to have your mail forwarded to your new address, and also send out change of address notifications.  Both of these are necessary and both should be on your moving to-do list.

Change of address notifications

As soon as you know your new address, notify every Tom, Dick and Harry in your contacts file when and where you’re moving. Send notifications to all of your creditors, of course, but also don’t forget companies that bill you sporadically or less than regularly.

Don’t forget to send change of address notifications to:

• All bills – even the ones you have on auto-pay or email billing
• Investment accounts
• Banks
• Utilities at your old house – for final bills or refunds
• Utilities at your new house
• Newspapers and other subscriptions – for new delivery or for final bills or refunds
• Doctors, dentist and other medical professionals
• Your child’s school – for records
• Lawn workers, exterminators and other home services – for final bills and refunds
• Credit cards
• Cell phone bills
• Insurances: Health, car and life – because you aren’t billed very often for insurance premiums, this is one you might forget
• Car payment
• Al loans
• The IRS
• Your state department of motor vehicles
• Friends
• Family
• Your alma maters

Mail forwarding

Forwarding your mail is never simple. In order for the U.S. Postal Service to get your mail to you in your new home, you’ll be entered into a drawn-out process that is affected by both local post offices on either end of your move.

You may have to go in person to the local post office to set up your mail forwarding. USPS.com offers two types of mail forwarding online for a fee. There are third-party services that charge fees for handling your mail forwarding, but that’s normally not necessary. Be sure you’re dealing with the USPS before agreeing to any mail forwarding plans.

Be prepared to go two weeks or more with your mail in limbo. If you’re due to receive any important bills or anything that requires a prompt response, let these companies know that you’re in the middle of a mail forward.

Avoid forwarding mail to a temporary home

If you are going to be in temporary housing between your old house and your next house, try to avoid getting any mail there.  Having your mail redirected to a temporary interim apartment will require two mail forwardings, which is double trouble.

Because forwarded mail has lots of cracks and potential mishaps, you run the risk of having sensitive, private or financial documents mailed to a transient apartment mailbox.

If your residential move has you living in a temporary place in your new town, get a post office box and have your mail forwarded there. After you’ve settled into your new home, you can forward mail again, but keep the PO box for stragglers and mail that fell through the cracks.

 Your new address is about more than just snail mail

 “I get most of my bills by email now, so I don’t really need to worry about changing my address.” Oh my goodness, is that dangerous thinking! Your billing address is a key identifier with your credit cards and other accounts. You may not get a bill every month in your mailbox, but if you don’t change your mailing address with these companies, you run the risk of not receiving alerts and other notifications.

It’s generally a good idea to keep all of your accounts up-to-date with your current address, so that anything that must be delivered by mail will get to you.

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Diane Laney Fitzpatrick is a writer, blogger and author of Home Sweet Homes: How Bundt Cakes, Bubble Wrap, and My Accent Helped Me Survive Nine Moves. She writes about moving and other adventures in coping at www.DianeLaneyFitzpatrick.com.