Moving house is said to be one of the most stressful events in someone’s life, 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 of these 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 mistakes people make when moving home which come with a fine, helping those moving in 2023 avoid forking out unnecessarily.
Failing to change address on your pet’s microchip
Utilities, online accounts, workplaces and schools are usually the first on the lists of places to change address details when moving home. However, one thing many may forget is their 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, a costly mistake. Make sure you make changing the address on your pet’s microchip a priority when moving home.
Not updating your driving licence
Many would be forgiven for forgetting that their address is even on their driving licence, but unfortunately 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.
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 on their licence. Changing your address on your driving licence is free of charge, meaning you don’t need to pay for the new licence to be issued and can it be done online.
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Forgetting to inform TV Licensing
It is illegal to watch live television without paying for a TV Licence. What some may not realise is that a TV Licence is issued in the name of the person paying the fee and covers the use of television receiving equipment at the address/premises specified on the licence, therefore 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 here. 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.
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. If you are unsure about the weight limit of your car then you should double-check the vehicle handbook.
