Checklist for Moving In with Your Partner

Moving in with your partner is a big deal. It’s exciting, it’s a genuine milestone, and it comes with a fair bit of planning. Getting the admin sorted early means less stress later and more time actually enjoying your new place together. Here’s what to work through.

At a glance

• Have the money conversation before you move, not after.
• Decide whose name goes on the tenancy and how bills will be split.
• Update your addresses, set up utilities, and sort broadband before moving day.
• Get contents insurance that covers both of your belongings.
• Declutter before packing. Moving is a great opportunity to get rid of what you don’t need.

Before you move: the important conversations

Moving in together works better when you’ve talked through the practical stuff first. A bit of honesty upfront saves a lot of awkward conversations later.

• Talk about money. Income, savings, debts, and spending habits. You don’t need to merge everything, but you do need to understand each other’s financial situation.
• Decide whose name goes on the tenancy or mortgage. Ideally both. It gives each of you legal standing and protection if things change down the line. Our guide on what to check before signing a tenancy agreement is worth reading before you commit.
• Agree on how to split costs. Rent, bills, and household expenses. A joint account, a shared spreadsheet, or a bill-splitting app all work. What matters is that you’ve agreed on something before the first bill arrives.
• Check your credit scores if you’re applying for a mortgage or rental together. Surprises at that stage are the last thing you need.

Give proper notice on your existing tenancies. Check your notice periods carefully and make sure you’re not liable for rent on two places at once.

Sorting the home

Once you’ve got a move-in date, there’s a fair bit of admin to work through. The earlier you start, the smoother moving day will be.

• Redirect your post. Set up a Royal Mail redirection before moving day so nothing important goes to your old address.
• Update your address with your bank, the DVLA, your GP, your employer, and anyone else who sends you post. Our full moving house address checklist covers everyone you need to notify.
• Set up utilities. Gas, electricity, and water won’t sort themselves. Take meter readings on moving day and contact suppliers to set up accounts in both names.
• Sort broadband early. Installation can take a couple of weeks, so don’t leave it until the last minute.
• Register on the electoral roll at your new address. It takes minutes and also helps your credit score.
• Sort a TV licence if you need one. It’s a small thing, but an easy one to forget.

Insurance and finances

Sharing a home means sharing the responsibility of protecting what’s in it.

• Get contents insurance that covers both of you. Your landlord’s buildings insurance covers the property, not your belongings. Lemonade’s contents insurance is straightforward to set up and covers both of your possessions under one policy.
• Review existing policies. If you both currently have contents insurance, check whether you need to update or combine them. Double-covering the same items wastes money, and gaps in cover can be costly.
• Consider a cohabitation agreement if one of you owns the property. It sets out who owns what and how finances would work if you separated. It’s not the most romantic document, but it’s a genuinely useful one.
• Think about life insurance or income protection if your finances are now closely linked. It’s worth at least having the conversation.

For example:

One partner has a high-end camera worth £2,000 and the other has a laptop worth £1,500. Without contents insurance, both would need to be replaced out of pocket if they were stolen. A single joint policy covers both, and is often cheaper than two separate ones.

If you have particularly high value items, it’s worth checking whether they need to be declared separately.

The practical stuff

With the important conversations done and the admin underway, here’s what to focus on in the lead-up to moving day:

• Book a removal van or company early. Weekends get booked up fast, especially during summer and end-of-month dates.
• Declutter before you pack. There’s no point moving things neither of you wants. Be honest about what’s coming with you and donate or sell the rest. Learning how to pack when moving house, can be beneficial for your sanity.
• Set a household budget for the first few months. Moving costs add up, and having a rough plan for shared spending avoids friction early on.
• Agree on house rules. Cleaning schedules, overnight guests, how the kitchen works. It sounds basic, but agreeing upfront makes day-to-day life together a lot smoother.

Picture this:

You both move in, combine two flats worth of furniture, and realise you have three sofas and no agreement on what stays. A quick conversation before moving day would have avoided the unnecessary trip to the charity shop.

Before we go

Moving in together is one of those milestones that’s much smoother with a bit of preparation. Sort the money conversations, get the admin done, and make sure your home and everything in it is properly covered before you move in.

And once you’re in, take a moment to enjoy it. You’ve done the hard part.

Moving in with partner FAQs