Sheffield property: The nine most-asked questions on Google when moving home revealed by experts

Moving house is known to be one of the most stressful things so experts at Barratt Homes decided to find the most questions asked on Google and have come up with some answers.

In 2021, there were 145,200 Google searches for council tax when moving house. Here's what you need to know.

If you’re over 18 and living anywhere in the UK, by law you need to pay council tax. This is a general bill that you should be accustomed to paying whilst living in your old house but, moving house might mean the amount you pay is subject to change.

The amount of council tax you pay can be impacted by the area or ‘band’ in which you now live and how much your local council charges. This information can be found by entering your new postcode into the gov.uk website.

There are discounts for students and exemptions if all people in the house are students. There are also discounts for people who are disabled in a home, and you can even end up paying less or more if you own a second premises.

What do you need to do about council tax when moving house?

When moving, you must alert the local council that you have moved and they’ll be able to cancel your current payments and get you registered at your new property. Failing to report your move may result in an overlap of payments.

With 12,000 searches, was who do you need to inform and what happens if you don't? When moving house, you are faced with the pain-staking task of updating everything and everyone with your new address.

Banks, the DVLA if you drive, GPs, car insurance, friends and relatives, gas, electric, water, and internet providers should be told.

The query how to take over utilities when moving house increased by 1,500 per cent since last year, while the search phrase temporary internet when moving house increased by 143 per cent.

How to pack when moving house

How to pack when moving house got 7,080 searches in 2021. Starting early means less stress, and going from top to bottom, will mean that you can remove everything down the stairs without a rush.

Pack the most difficult room first. For example, if you have storage in a spare room, start there. Make sure you pack heavier items in smaller boxes and label them clearly.

If you're moving now, pack things that are needed in the summer, first. That way, they will be the last to unpack, and you can have a fresh idea of what you're using versus what you're not when you move into the new house.

Packing seasonally means everything that you won't be using right now will not be in a rush to unpack when you move.

The other top Google searches around moving home were a list of addresses to change when moving house, moving in with a partner who owns a house, how long to keep a cat in after moving house, and how much does moving house cost.