So, you've bought a brand new house, and are all ready to start turning your new house into a home. As you begin to pack up everything you own to move it down the street, across the state or even across the country, there is one thing you won't want to leave behind: your mail. Making sure you've properly updated your address with your bank, utility companies, loan institutions, credit card companies and even the credit bureaus is important to keeping your credit and identity safe.

Before you move, fill out a change of address form with the post office. Instead of waiting until you're settled in and potentially missing important mail or letting your important mail fall into the wrong hands, fill out the form in advance and schedule the date you want your forwarding service to take effect. 

However, just because all of your mail is being forwarded, don't assume that the senders have your new address; it is your responsibility to update your address with all of your creditors and anyone else you do business with.  Otherwise, you could end up in a situation where you are being penalized for late payments on bills you never received.

Before or right after you've moved, you'll also want to update the address in your credit file, and there are two ways to do this:

1. You Should:

Update your address with all of your open credit accounts. Then, the next time these lenders report any updates to the

three main credit bureaus

, they will also include updates on your account information. 

2. You Should:

Send two proofs of address such as a bank statement, driver’s license or utility bill, etc. along with a note stating you have moved to each of the credit bureaus.

The process to update your address with all three credit bureaus can take time, so be sure to check back when them after 30 days to see if the correct changes have been made.

With PrivacyGuard's

credit monitoring services

, you will be notified as soon as your updated credit reports reflect your new address. This acts as a safeguard to make sure your new address is not only reported correctly, but also as a warning sign of potential identity theft if your address is inaccurate or changed without your knowledge.