Moving home is notoriously stressful, but the last thing you want to happen is to be scammed.
Here are 3 must read tips from Moving Home Guide make sure you don't make some very costly mistakes. Don't forget to get our Free Report when you move or or for a detailed, bespoke report, order our Premium Report - the must-have checklist tailored for any UK property.
Don't Let Someone Steal Your House!!!
This sounds silly, but it's happened to people. When you buy a home or are in the process of trying to sell your home, there are scammers out there that will try and steal your identity in order to sell your house, yes you heard that right. There are also scams out there to obtain finance on your home without you knowing about it through re-mortgaging your home.
When you buy your new home, make sure you sign up to HM Land Registry's free Property Alert service to help protect your property from fraud.
A further measure you can take is to put a restriction on the sale or mortgage of your home “unless a conveyancer or solicitor certifies the application was made by you”. This service is free if you are a business owner or don’t live at the property. If you do live at the property, a £40 charge applies. More information about this is available here.
Tip:
Prevent your identity being stolen by being careful where you send your bank details to and remember to frequently change passwords for your online accounts. Shredding bills and bank statements and other sensitive documents is prudent before binning them.
Don't Get Scammed Out Of Your Property Money
Depending on how your property purchase is structured, you may send payments to your solicitor who will manage the property transaction on your behalf. Fraudsters have been known to hijack this process.
We advise that you speak over the phone to your solicitor to confirm their bank details and make a £1 test payment for the first payment to guard against scams when buying or renting a property. Once you know for certain that the payment went to the right place, a repeat payment to the same bank details of your lawyer's should be a walk in the park!
Don't Get Stung On Your Utility Bills
Not a scam or fraud so to speak, but don't end up overpaying for your utilities. On your last day at your old home, take records of your final utility metre readings for water, gas and electricity and do the same when on move-in day at your new home.
Tip:
It’s best to take photos of these with your mobile phone, and take a record of how to contact previous utility suppliers in case you need to. Don't forget to switch off the central heating, water and gas before moving out of your hold home.
It's also best to shop around gas and electricity suppliers before you move into your new home as otherwise you will be put on the existing suppliers 'standard variable' contract which could be effectively overcharging you from day one. Our Free Report and Premium Report will both help you find energy suppliers from day 1.
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