Top tips on moving in to your new home
Make arrangements to ensure your rent is paid on time – it’s vitally important that you ensure that you stay up to date with your rent payments. There are a number of ways for you to make a payment. However one of the easiest ways is to set up a Direct Debit, so that your rent is automatically taken out of your bank account each month.
- Make sure you are receiving all of the benefits you are entitled to – many people who fall behind with their rent find that they were entitled to help, but had not realised it. To prevent this, ensure you are claiming all of the benefits that you are entitled to. If you are not sure about your entitlement please visit our benefits page xxx
- Take out home contents insurance – our insurance will cover any damage caused to your home (the building itself) by an incident such as a fire or a flood. However it will not cover any damage caused to the contents of your home (your belongings). We strongly recommend that you take out home contents insurance to cover the cost of replacing damaged possessions, in the event of an accident and operate a contents insurance scheme, which offers favourable rates to our tenants. For more information visit our Home Contents Insurance page.
- Read the meters and contact your utility suppliers – make a note of the readings on your water, gas and electricity meters when you move in. You will also need to contact your utility suppliers to put your name on the bill.
- Make sure you have notified everyone of your change of address – you will need to notify a number of organisations, such as your bank and any credit card companies, of your new address. You can also arrange for any mail sent to your previous home to be forwarded on to you by visiting your local post office. There is a small charge for this service.
- Register with a doctor – you will also need to notify your doctor and your dentist of your new address or, depending on how far you have moved, you may need to register with a new surgery.
- Make sure you have a television licence – it is a criminal offence not to have a valid TV licence and you can be given a substantial fine if you fail to get one. You can purchase a TV licence at your local post office or online at: https://www.gov.uk/tv-licence
- Get any spare sets of keys that you need cut – we do not keep a spare set of keys for your home so if you lock yourself out of your home, you will need to call a locksmith. Alternatively, you may want to leave a spare set of keys with a friend, relative or neighbour who you trust.
- Know what to do in an emergency - Warwickshire Fire Service will visit your home and carry out a free Home Fire Safety Check free of charge, they will offer help and advice about escape routes, smoke detectors and kitchen and electrical safety.