Moving home: the broadband checklist (timed so you’re never offline)

Broadband is the utility people forget until the boxes are unpacked and nothing streams. The fix is starting the process about four weeks out — here’s the checklist, in time order.

4+ weeks before: find out what the new address can get

1. Run the new postcode through provider checkers — availability changes street by street, and the new address may have better options than your current one (full fibre where you had part-fibre, or an altnet).
2. Sanity-check expectations with what speed should I get by connection type and what speed your household needs.
3. If the options look poor, don’t settle yet — check 4G/5G home broadband at the new address and, for the hardest cases, satellite. Renting or somewhere unusual? See rural, renter & caravan internet.

3–4 weeks before: decide — move it, or switch?

Take your provider with you if they serve the new address and the deal is still good. Call and ask for the home-move process; providers often sweeten terms to keep you. Two things to pin down: any fees, and whether the move restarts your minimum term.

Treat it as a switch if the numbers say so — moving is the natural moment to escape a mediocre deal. Run the should I switch checker, and note:

• In contract? Estimate the damage with the exit fee calculator before deciding. If your provider can’t serve the new address, ask explicitly about penalty-free exit — terms vary by provider and contract, so don’t assume either way, and keep their answer in writing.
• Switching provider at the same address (now or later) goes through One Touch Switch — you only contact the new provider, and they handle the rest, including timing the handover. How it works: One Touch Switch explained.
• A move is also the moment to check social tariffs if you receive a qualifying benefit, and how to avoid overpaying generally.

Book the install or activation date now. Engineer slots are the bottleneck — the earlier you order, the better the chance you’re online on day one.

Moving week

• Confirm the activation date and whether an engineer needs access (someone over 18 at home).
• Set up your gap plan. If there’s a dead week between addresses, tether from a phone or use a 4G/5G router — the backup internet planner shows how far each option stretches.
• Photograph and pack the router and cables (power supply included — replacements are annoyingly specific). If you’re leaving a provider, keep their kit safe: many charge for unreturned routers.
• Take a final meter-style reading of your service: note the date your old service ends so you can check the final bill against it.

First week in the new home

1. Plug in and test. Router lights behaving? (What they mean.) Then run a speed test wired if you can and check it against what was promised.
2. Slow or flaky from day one? Work through fix slow internet before calling — half of new-home problems are Wi-Fi placement in an unfamiliar layout (get Wi-Fi to every room).
3. Activation date missed? If your new service doesn’t start on the promised date, you may be owed automatic compensation per day of delay — it should be applied automatically, but check your bill.
4. Check the old account closed cleanly — final bill correct, direct debit cancelled after it clears, kit returned if required.

→ Use the should I switch checker