1 Your loose-ends checklist
Tick as you go. A few of these have lead times, so they can't wait for handover day — start them now.
- Photograph every gas/electric/water meter on handover dayDated photos = your defence against estimated final bills.
- Do the check-out inventory + photograph every cleaned roomYour evidence if the landlord tries to make deductions.
- Give the landlord/agent a UK bank account + forwarding address for the depositYou'll be in France before the money lands — make sure they can pay you.
- Tell Westminster City Council you're moving out (with the date)Closes your council tax account and triggers a final bill or refund.
- Close/settle electricity, gas & water accounts with final readingsGive them your forwarding address for the closing bill.
- Cancel broadband (check the notice period — often 30 days)Start this today or you'll pay for a month you're not here.
- Cancel the TV Licence & claim a refund for unused monthsRefundable if you have 1+ full month left and won't need it.
- Set up mail redirection (≥5 working days before you go)Or just update the ~10 senders that matter — see section 4.
- Update your address: bank, HMRC, employer/payroll, pension, insurers, subscriptionsDo the bank and HMRC first.
- Register with a French bank / confirm your bank works from an FR addressSome UK banks close accounts for non-UK-resident customers.
- Tell HMRC you're leaving the UK (form P85 territory)Even staying UK-employed, your residence position changes — section 6.
- Ask your employer about an A1 certificate & French payroll obligationsThe big one. Book a Chartered Tax Adviser too.
- Defrost/empty the fridge-freezer; take out all rubbish & recyclingA full bin on handover day can cost you a cleaning charge.
- Keep passport, chargers, meds, keys & Eurostar tickets in hand luggageNot in the boxes going by courier.
2 Get your deposit back
In England your deposit is held in a government-backed protection scheme (TDP), not by the landlord directly.
Once you and the landlord agree the deductions, the deposit must be returned within 10 days. If you disagree, the disputed amount stays protected in the scheme and you can use its free adjudication service — you don't have to accept a deduction to get the rest back. Leave the flat clean, settle rent and utilities, and you're entitled to the full amount.
Challenge: you won't see this money before your train
Agreement + 10 days means the cash almost certainly arrives after you're in France. Don't leave it to a UK current account you might later close. Confirm a working account for the payment, hand over a forwarding address, and get the check-out report and your room photos in writing before you leave — chasing a deposit from abroad with no evidence is the worst position to be in.
3 Utilities, council tax & final bills
Meter photos and a move-out date are 90% of avoiding a phantom bill later.
Council tax — tell Westminster City Council online that you're moving out, with your move date and a forwarding address. They close the account and issue a closing bill (or refund if you've paid ahead). This is required even though you're leaving the country.
Energy & water — give final meter readings, request closing bills, and leave a forwarding address. Photograph the meters the moment the flat is empty.
Broadband — check the contract's notice period (frequently 30 days) — this is why it's a this-week job, not a handover-day one.
TV Licence — you can cancel and claim a refund for any complete months left, if you no longer need it.
4 Redirect your post
Royal Mail redirection is a safety net, not an address update — it forwards mail but never tells senders where you've gone.
The cheaper path
Paying for international redirection to catch a handful of letters is usually poor value. Update the ~10 organisations that actually write to you, and if you want a net, take the 6-month UK redirect (£66.50) to a trusted friend or family member who can scan anything that slips through. Apply at least 5 working days before you leave — you can set it up online up to 6 months ahead.
5 Change of address — who to tell
Order matters: money and government first, everything else after.
Do first: your bank(s) — and check whether they keep accounts open for customers resident outside the UK, as some don't; HMRC (tell them you're leaving the UK, usually via form P85); your employer's payroll and HR.
Then: pension provider, any UK insurers, DVLA if you hold a UK driving licence, your GP (deregister when you leave), the electoral roll, and ISA/investment providers.
Last: subscriptions, loyalty schemes, online shops — or let the redirect mop these up.
6 Working for a UK employer from France
This is the item hiding in "I'm still employed in the UK." It's the one with real money and legal weight attached.
Challenge your assumption here
"Still UK-employed, so nothing changes" is the risky read. Once you're living in France beyond ~183 days you're very likely French tax resident, which can move where your salary is taxed and — separately from tax — where your social security is owed. Under the UK–EU protocol you generally cannot stay in the UK National Insurance system if the arrangement is expected to last more than two years. Your UK employer may also pick up French payroll or reporting obligations, and needs to think about "permanent establishment" risk.
None of this is a reason to panic — it's a reason to get it set up properly rather than discover it at your first French tax return. This is not financial or legal advice; I'm not a tax adviser. Treat the list below as questions to raise, not answers.
- Estimate how long you'll be in France this tax yearThe 183-day line changes almost everything downstream.
- Tell your employer in writing and ask them to take advice tooTheir obligations (payroll, PE risk) are theirs to sort, but only if they know.
- Ask about an A1 certificate for social securityClarifies whether you stay in UK NI or move to French cotisations.
- Check the UK–France double tax treaty / split-year treatmentAvoids being taxed twice on the same salary.
- Book a Chartered Tax Adviser who does UK–France cross-border casesCheaper than getting the first French return wrong.
- Sort French healthcare cover & register in the systemYour UK arrangement won't follow you once resident.
7 Sources
- GOV.UK — Tenancy deposit protection (10-day return rule, scheme & disputes)
- Low Incomes Tax Reform Group — Working remotely for a UK employer while overseas (183 days, A1, 2-year NI limit)
- Royal Mail redirection 2026 — costs & lead time
- Royal Mail — Redirect your mail (official)
- Westminster City Council — Council tax
- GOV.UK — Tax if you leave the UK (P85)
Figures current as of July 2026. Tax and social-security rules are individual — verify with a qualified adviser before acting.