Change of address is necessary when you are vacating your current home. It’s actually one of the most crucial things that must be done when moving out to ensure you have a smooth transition from the old home to the new house. But since moving out is itself a cumbersome process, most people only think about getting a new postal address when they realize that the month has already come to an end and they have not yet received any letter. Getting a new address is a simple process that should not give you sleepless nights as long as you follow the steps outline below.
- Contact USPS
The first thing to do when changing address is to get in touch with United States Postal Service (USPS). They are actually the custodian of all addresses, which means you can’t get a new address from any other source. You can reach out to them by personally going to their nearest office and request for a new address or use their website. The first option can be quite stressful if you are on a busy schedule. This is because you might find long queues of other people that also want to switch to a new address. Using the internet is therefore the best option because you only need to fill a form that’s available in their website and wait for a few days for the process to be complete. The other advantage of using the internet is that you will have access to their change of address checklist USPS.
- Notify Friends and Relatives
Your family and friends will not know about your new home unless you inform them. If you don’t update them, they will continue looking for you at your former residence, which is very embarrassing. Some of them will even jump into their own conclusions and assume that you no longer want to associate with them. Remember, family and friends are precious than gold because they are the people that support you when things go soar. If you have school going children, you should also inform the management of their schools so that the bus driver doesn’t pick and drop them at the wrong place.
- Alert Insurance Company
The insurance company should be among the first entities to know about your new location. This is because they will need to update your insurance cover to include the new residence. They will actually have to come and asses the condition of your new home. In case they are not aware of your relocation and your home gets damaged by fire or any other accident, they will not compensate you, because they will regard your failure to inform them in advance as breach of contract agreement.
- Inform Banks and Creditors
Unless you keep your money under the mattress, you must be having a bank account. Some people even have several bank accounts. When getting a new address, you should make sure you inform these financial institutions because they will need it when sending you monthly statements. The creditors should also be aware about your new location because they might need to come over and take your possessions in case you fail to pay the money that you owe them.
- Alert Gas, Electricity and Internet Companies
It is important to inform energy and telecommunication companies about your new location. When you call in to report a technical problem regarding your power, gas or internet connection, the companies use the address that you gave them in the first place to locate your home so they can deploy their technicians. Failing to update them therefore means that they will take more time to respond to your concerns.
