Broadband Change of Address

The Complete Broadband Moving Home Guide [2021]

Broadband and moving house

Organising your broadband when moving home can be hassle. You need to setup the broadband in your new place and also close down in your previous residence – and everything in between. This guide will go through exactly what you need to do and when you need to do it by broadband provider.

We can even help you compare the entire market to get an outrageously good deal.

If you’re looking to compare the market for exclusive broadband and TV deals you can get started by clicking below.

Let’s jump in 😎

Important things to consider about broadband and moving home

Everybody’s broadband situation is different and there isn’t a ‘one-size fits all’ for everybody. So, here are some considerations to think about to create an action plan for your broadband change of address.

1) Does your broadband provider have service where you’re moving to
2) Are you in a contract with your current broadband provider?
3) How much do you like your current broadband provider?
4) Has your provider raised their prices? (if they have increased it more than the rate of inflation you’re free to leave at any time)
5) How happy are you with your broadband price, deal and service?

It’s well known in the industry that the best offers for broadband, TV and others are reserved for home movers. If any of the above raises questions you can compare the entire market to see if you could be on a better deal here.

Can I take my broadband provider with me when I move home?

So, can you move broadband to another house? You can usually take your ISP (internet service provider) with you when you move home. The only exception to this is if your broadband providers doesn’t have coverage in your area. For instance, Virgin Media’s fibre network only covers 52% of the UK.

If you want to complete your broadband change of address you may also be liable for a small fee for transferring your supply which can be over £100 in some cases.

How do I transfer my broadband to a new home?

If you are staying with your current provider it’s quite straightforward and they will do most of the heavy lifting for you in switching over your supply. You would just need to call your broadband provider around 3 weeks before moving and their moving home team will assist you.

If you’re looking for a better deal or want to try someone knew when moving home it’s also really straight forward 👍

Around 2-3 weeks before your move in date use a broadband comparosin tool or our home setup service to choose your new deal or provider. they will then help get your new home setup seamlessly. Changing providers is just as easy as staying, so you may as well see what offers are available for you.

When do I need to setup my broadband when moving home?

When moving home you should aim to setup your broadband 2-3 weeks before your move in date 📅

This is because you need to leave sufficient time for your new broadband provider to send out any relevant equipment, process your contract internally and do any work which may be required at the site.

How to cancel broadband when moving home without paying fees

Unlike other utilities, cancelling broadband is a little different and can be a little more difficult. That’s because you’re in a contract and moving home doesn’t always negate your obligations under that broadband contract.

The amount of money you may need to pay to cancel the contract can vary based on provider, the amount of time left on the contract and their discretion. Here are three ways to cancel your broadband contract without paying fees when moving home.

Option #1: Your Internet Service Provider doesn’t service your new address (check the geography). In 99% of cases if you have a contract with Virgin or whoever and you’re moving home to an area not yet supplied by them you are usually able to end your contract with no penalties

Option #2: You are in your cooling off period. By law you are entitled to a 14 day cooling off period when you purchase a product or service. What most people don’t realise is that the 14 day cooling off period with broadband starts from the date at which your service went live, not the date you booked the service.

Option #3: Speak to your broadband provider for an exception. Companies may always manage by the policy but there is scope for discretion. If you have personal or mitigating circumstances such as being financially distressed you may be able to reduce or eliminate an exit fee. You may need to escalate your ‘complaint’ one or two management levels. If you haven’t progressed after two management levels your chance of success decreases. you can write to the executive’s office as complaints there are handled differently and may produce a favourable outcome.

Here are the policies for some of the major ISP’s:

How to setup broadband when you move home

So, now we know how to complete a broadband change of address let’s turn to how to setup the broadband in your new home. You can start by comparing the entire market for broadband offers.

You can move to a new supplier any time you want to. If you’re moving home the best time to start your switch is 2-3 weeks before you move home.

Good to know: You can use our home setup service to setup your council tax, water, TV licence, energy and broadband. You can also update your address across all of your accounts such as boots, Tesco, charities & hundreds more.

This way you can also access offers that are not available from going directly to the suppliers.

Once you’ve setup your broadband you will be given an estimated installation date. You will also receive any equipment you will need to be on supply such as your router, modem or home telephone. Those items will usually arrive within 5 days from signing up.

Which ever broadband contract you take out you will be entitled to a 14 day cooling off period. This cool off period starts from the date at which your service goes live not from the date you took out the contract.

How to setup broadband in a new build property?

Setting-up your broadband in a new build is largely similar, though it has a few differences.

As with regular home purchases, you should look to schedule your broadband 14 – 21 days before moving home. However, some new build developers have exclusivity contracts with ISP’s. This means you must use this particular service provider (or choose from a cluster of service providers) for your internet.

This is because the ISP and the developer have an arrangement in which the ISP lays down all of the labelling and takes on that cost. In return, they have exclusivity over the tenants for one year.

It may also be the case that only a few service providers actually service your property.

Most developers recognise the value in reliable, high performance internet and so endeavour to help get you connected ASAP. You can either check with your developer or with your preferred provider directly.

Virgin Media moving home

Virgin Media is unique in that it runs on its own cable network. This means that they will have less coverage that other ISP’s – in fact, Virgin Media has 52% nationwide coverage. You can see if Virgin media service your new postcode using their postcode checker.

To transfer your Virgin Media services from one property to another you will need to contact their home moving team on: 0345 454 1111

You may wondering if Virgin Media charges you to change address. They do. It costs £20 💷 to transfer your supply from one property to another. It is worth checking if the property you are moving to is supplied by Virgin Media already. If it is, you can avoid the engineer visit by using the QuickStart self-install pack.

Completing a Virgin Media change of address is easy. You will need a few pieces of information to hand to complete your Virgin Media home move:

Your account number (though you can provide your postcode if you’re unsure what it is)
The date you’re expecting to move home
Your moving details (previous address & new address)
When you would like your service installed

Sky moving home

Moving home with Sky is easier than Virgin because they operate on the Open reach Network.

To get your Sky move underway you just need to know:

Your move in date
Your previous & new postcode

If you have Sky broadband. Sky TV (or Sky Talk) you will need to provide at least 2 weeks notice. When you speak to Sky they will also ask when you would like the services at current address to stop and your new ones start.

Moving home with Sky does cost money, unless you are a Sky VIP customer in which case I would be free. You can become a Sky VIP customer by downloading the app.

Otherwise, the charges are as follows:

Sky Broadband Essential – £20
Sky Broadband Superfast – £50
Sky Broadband Ultrafast – £100

Once you start your home move you can track the progress using Sky’s home move tracker.

BT moving home

As with Sky, BT operates on the Openreach network meaning a BT change of address is quite straight forward. You can start processing your home move with BT by phone (0800 783 0235) or using their online platform.

To complete your move you will need your account number, your phone number and the password for your BT account.

With BT you can pick a move in date up to 90 days from the date at which you’re calling. If your expected move in date changes you can call them to change the date.

If you need to install a new BT phone line there is usually a £130 charge for doing so. It costs £50 to re-activate one from another supplier.

TalkTalk moving home

To change your address with TalkTalk you need to provide a minimum of 14 days notice. All you will need to process your home move with TalkTalk is your move in date and the postcode for your new address.

You can process your address change online by signing into your account here or call the home moving team on 0345 172 0088

Plusnet moving home

Plusnet requires an additional two weeks notice than Sky, talktalk or BT. To process your Plusnet change of address you need to provide at least four weeks notice.

You can contact Plusnet’s moving team on: 0800 587 1952

Plusnet are quite flexible and if your move in date changes they are really happy to get that switched over for you.

John Lewis broadband moving house

To complete your John Lewis broadband change of address you just need to give them a call on: 0800 022 3300

They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You will need to confirm two pieces of information:

Your new address
Your move in date

John Lewis Broadband only ask for 1 week of notice before you move, though you may find you get a quicker activation date the earlier you inform them.

Does it cost to change address with John Lewis?

Yes. It costs £65 to change address with John Lewis broadband unless you agree to a 12 month contract at your new place. If you agree to the 12 month contract the change of address will be free.

You can learn more about John Lewis’ pricing here.

ee broadband moving home

Moving home with EE is free. What’s more, it’s really easy to complete your change of address.

Simply call 150 from an EE phone or 0800 079 8586 from any other phone and EE’s home moving team will help get you sorted.

To process your broadband change of address EE will need to know:

Your new postcode
Your previous postcode
Your moving date

Let EE know you’re moving home at least 3 weeks before your expected move in day. If anything changes to your expected move in day, call them and they will be able to change it for you.

Vodafone broadband moving home

Completing your Vodafone change of address is quite similar to the other ISP’s we’ve covered above.

Give Vodafone as much notice as you can (preferably at least 1 month notice).

To complete your Vodafone broadband home move you will need to have the following to hand:

Your Vodafone account or landline number
Your new postcode
Your move in date
To verify that Vodafone supplies your new address

You can check to see if Vodafone supplies your new address by using their availability tracker.

And that’s everything you need to know to complete your broadband change of address. Sorting your broadband when moving home can be complicated but if you leave plenty of time and explore your options you can save hundreds and enjoy a seamless home move.