Broadband When Moving House UK 2026: Complete Checklist

When moving house, your broadband needs to be handled in a specific order to avoid gaps in service, early termination charges, or paying for two connections at once. Use the dated moving house broadband checklist and timeline for the week-by-week jobs, including when One Touch Switch does and does not apply. Since September 2024, most same-address switches are covered by Ofcom's One Touch Switch process, which shifted from an actively enforced pilot to the permanent industry standard when Ofcom closed its enforcement case on 11 June 2026, having found more than 2 million customers had already used it successfully.

Broadband moving house — the complete checklist

• ✓ Check broadband availability at your new address (8–12 weeks before move)
• ✓ Decide whether to move your existing service or switch provider
• ✓ Check your contract for early termination charges
• ✓ Give your provider the required notice (minimum 14–30 days)
• ✓ Book your new connection or engineer visit
• ✓ Take your router to the new property
• ✓ Return old equipment if leaving your current provider

Step 1: Check broadband availability at your new address

Do this as soon as you know your new address, ideally 8 to 12 weeks before moving. Use our postcode checker to see which providers and connection types are available. Do not assume your current provider covers your new address, especially if you are moving to a different area, a rural location, or a new build development.

Key question: is full fibre (FTTP) available at the new address? Ofcom's Spring 2026 Connected Nations data put full-fibre coverage at 82% of UK premises and gigabit-capable coverage at 89%, though the split is uneven, 93% in urban areas against 66% in rural areas. If FTTP is available where you are moving, it is a genuine opportunity to upgrade, and if your current provider offers it at the new address, they can often migrate you without an early termination charge.

Step 2: Decide whether to move your service or switch

Contact your current provider first and ask: “Can I move my existing service to my new address?”

• If yes, same provider is available — you can usually transfer your contract to the new address without penalty, and without restarting your minimum term
• If no, provider does not cover the new address — Ofcom's General Conditions require your provider to waive early termination charges when they genuinely cannot serve your new address, regardless of how much of your minimum term remains
• Moving is a chance to switch and save — even if your current provider is available, compare deals at your new postcode before committing. New customers almost always get better rates than transferring existing customers

Step 3: Check your early termination charge

Log in to your account or check your contract documents to find your contract end date. If you are within your minimum term, the early termination charge (ETC) is typically your discounted monthly price, excluding VAT, multiplied by the months remaining, and Ofcom caps it at the total value of those remaining payments so a provider cannot charge more than what was actually owed. For example: 4 months remaining at £30 a month works out to up to £120 in ETC.

Exceptions that may waive the ETC: your provider cannot serve the new address; your provider raises prices mid-contract by more than was disclosed at sign-up; your provider fails to deliver minimum guaranteed speeds.

Step 4: Give the required notice

Notice requirements vary by provider:

Step 5: Book the new connection

For FTTC connections at a property with existing phone wiring, activation is usually remote and takes 1 to 3 working days. For FTTP (full fibre) at a property being connected for the first time, you need an Openreach or altnet engineer visit; allow 2 to 4 weeks. Book as early as possible to get a slot close to your move date.

If you are switching provider rather than just moving your existing service, One Touch Switch means your new provider handles the connection booking and notifies your old provider automatically; you do not need to contact your old provider separately. This is now the standard, permanent process across the industry rather than a pilot, following Ofcom's closure of its enforcement case in June 2026.

What moving house means for your home phone

A house move is also a natural point to check what happens to any home phone line. The UK's old analogue phone network (the PSTN) is being fully retired by 31 January 2027, and a new address may already be on Digital Voice, a phone service delivered through the broadband router rather than a separately powered copper line. If anyone in the household relies on a landline number, telecare or a medical alarm, request number porting during the order rather than cancelling the old line first, and confirm any alarm or telecare equipment is compatible with Digital Voice before the move, since it will not work in a power cut without a backup solution.

Step 6: On moving day

• Take your router — most providers let you keep your router during the contract; do not leave it behind
• Do not cancel your old service until the new one works — give yourself at least 24 hours of overlap if possible
• Return old equipment within the required timeframe — BT, Sky, and Virgin Media typically give you 30 days to return equipment or face a charge of £40–£80

Moving house as an opportunity to get a better deal

Industry research published in 2026 puts the average saving from switching broadband provider at roughly £180 to £292 over a contract, with one widely cited figure estimating that the 8.8 million UK households currently out of contract could save an average of £183.60 a year by switching rather than staying on a rolled-over standard tariff. New customer rates are almost always lower than retention rates, so use the move to check every provider available at your new postcode; you may find a faster service at a lower price than you were paying before. If you qualify for a social tariff, the potential saving is larger still: Ofcom estimates 4.2 million eligible households could save a further £100 to £240 a year on top of any switching saving, though take-up remains low.