Guide · Staying connected through a move
Moving house: transfer your internet and phone without weeks offline.
Two things go wrong when people move: they leave the internet to the last minute and spend a fortnight without it, and they get talked into a dearer plan while they are too busy to notice. Both are avoidable. A house move is a service transfer, not a reason to rebuild your whole telco setup, and a little timing keeps you connected from day one. Here is when to book, how the transfer works, the backup that saves you if there is a delay, and how to move without your bill quietly creeping up.
Last updated 4 July 2026 · by Alien IT Solutions
Book early, or wait a fortnight
The single biggest thing you can do is book the internet move early. A couple of weeks ahead, not on moving day.
Connecting the service at your new place can require a technician appointment or a lead time, and those slots book out, especially at busy times of year. The people who arrive to a new home and spend two weeks without internet almost all left it to the last minute. Book the transfer as soon as you have a confirmed move date and address, and the connection is far more likely to be live when you walk in. Early booking is not a nice-to-have; it is the whole difference between a smooth move and a long, frustrating wait.
The moving-house telco checklist
Work through these and nothing gets left behind.
1. Book the internet transfer two weeks out
Give your provider your move date and new address early, and ask what the new place supports, because the technology and available speeds can differ from your current home.
2. Ask about your home phone number
If you have a home number you want to keep, ask specifically whether it can move to the new address. It is far easier to arrange in advance than to recover later. Mobile numbers always come with you.
3. Line up a backup connection
Have your mobile hotspot ready and consider a small temporary data boost, so if the fixed connection is late, you are inconvenienced, not stranded, especially if you work from home.
4. Treat it as a transfer, not a rebuild
Move the service you have. Do not let the move become the moment you are signed onto a new contract or a dearer plan, unless you have genuinely decided to change. Review later, from calm, not during moving week.
Why a move is when the bill creeps up
Moving is one of the most reliable moments for a bill to quietly grow, and it is worth knowing why so you can guard against it. You are busy, distracted, and setting everything up fresh, which is exactly the state in which it is easiest to be moved onto a new contract, a higher plan, or extras you never had before. It rarely feels like an upsell; it feels like "getting sorted." Then the setup you rebuilt in a hurry costs more than the one you had.
The defence is a mindset: a move is a transfer of what already worked, not a reason to redesign your telco life. Keep your plan unless you have actively decided to change it. If the move does make you want to review, do that as a separate, unhurried decision once you are settled, when you can actually compare rather than just agree. Our guide on what quietly pushes a bill up is worth a look afterward, because moving-week changes are a classic cause.
If day one arrives with no internet
Even with early booking, delays happen, so it is worth having a plan that turns a missing connection into a mild nuisance rather than a crisis. Your mobile can share its connection to a laptop or tablet through its hotspot feature, which covers browsing, email and even video calls for a short stretch. A small temporary boost to your mobile data covers the gap without a large bill.
If working from home depends on being connected from the first day, make the fixed connection your earliest booking and keep the mobile hotspot as your safety net behind it. With both in place, a late technician is an afternoon of tethering, not a fortnight of driving to a cafe for WiFi. And once you are in and settled, it is the right time to check the new setup is priced properly, because the plan that suited the old house may not be the best fit for the new one.
Questions people ask
When should I book my internet move?
As early as you can, ideally a couple of weeks before you move. A connection at the new place can need a technician appointment or lead time, and those book out. Leaving it to moving day is the single most common reason people spend the first fortnight in a new home without internet. Early booking is the whole difference between a smooth move and a long wait.
Can I keep my same internet plan when I move?
Usually you transfer the service to the new address rather than start fresh, and often you keep the same plan. The catch is that the technology at the new place may differ, which can change what speeds are available. Ask your provider what the new address supports before assuming the plan carries over unchanged, so there are no surprises on arrival.
Will I keep my home phone number when I move?
Often, but not always. A home number can sometimes move with you within the same area, and sometimes cannot if you move far enough. If keeping the number matters, ask specifically before the move, because it is easier to arrange in advance than to recover afterward. A mobile number, by contrast, always moves with you anywhere.
Why is moving house a moment to watch the bill?
Because a move is when you are busy, distracted and setting things up fresh, which is exactly when it is easiest to be signed onto a dearer plan, a new contract, or extras you did not have before. Treat the move as a service transfer, not a reason to rebuild your plan, unless you have actually decided to change it. Keep what worked.
What if there is no internet at the new place on day one?
Have a backup ready so a delay is an inconvenience, not a crisis. Your mobile can share its connection to a laptop through a hotspot, and a temporary boost to your mobile data covers a short gap. If working from home depends on it, arrange the fixed connection as early as possible and keep the mobile hotspot as the safety net.
Should I switch providers when I move house?
A move is a natural time to review, because you are touching the service anyway, but do it as a deliberate decision, not in the rush of moving week. Sort the transfer first so you are connected, then, once settled, compare whether a better plan or provider suits the new home. Rushing a switch during a move is how people end up worse off.
Moving soon and want the telco side handled properly?
Send us your current bill before you move. We will make sure the transfer keeps what works, flag anything that would quietly cost more at the new place, and check the plan still fits. The audit is free.
Get a free bill audit