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Why is it important to change your address when moving?

Last updated on: December 17, 2024

Silly question; obviously, to get mail delivered at home. But what if, like the seven million other young adults in Canada, you do not receive much mail anymore? Well it is still important that you notify the organizations you do business with, and I am about to tell you why.

Before we get to that, did you know that even if mail volumes are decreasing, there are still 100,000,000 (yes, one hundred million) pieces of priority mail in Canada that do not reach their intended recipients every year, simply because of people moving? This is a huge amount of paper, postage, manpower and fuel wasted.

Now, here is 4 reasons why it is still important that you notify the organizations you do business with of your new address.

1. For identity verification

You probably noticed when subscribing to Netflix that you were asked to enter the address linked to your credit card. This is not because Netflix still ships a few video tapes here and there, but because credit card companies want to make sure you are who you say you are. When you registered with VISA to obtain a credit card, you also gave them your residential address. When you buy online, they compare this information with the billing address you provided. If you moved but did not notify VISA, they won’t be able to identify you and your purchase may be declined. Credit card companies are not the only ones to do this; telecommunication companies, police, motor vehicle licence and registration departments, insurance companies, etc. all use the same tactic.

2. You still receive mail even if you think you don’t

Some documents are sent through mail because they need to be. Card renewals, for instance, cannot be emailed. The same applies to drivers’ licences and passports. Documents that require original signatures cannot be emailed either. You will always receive your insurance and registration via mail. Do you read newspapers or receive magazines at home? Did you subscribe to monthly clothing & accessories boxes? The point I am trying to make is that even if you chose the e-bill option with your bank, phone and utility providers, you still receive documents in your mailbox every month. Oh, don’t forget about Christmas cards too! You don’t want any of this personal mail ending up in the hands of strangers.

3. It’s the law

This is dependent on the province you live in, but most of them have laws that require you to update your personal information with the motor vehicle licensing and registration departments, health care and other public organizations. These laws are important for governments to ensure they keep accurate records on citizens for voting and other requirements. Not only will wrong information end up in a failure in the identity verification process, but it is also really expensive. This leads me to the fourth reason.

4. To help evil businesses avoid “dirty data”

I will not get too deep on this subject, but I think everyone should at least be aware of this since it is a big problem in many large organizations. “Dirty data” is caused when business databases become inaccurate. It can be anything from duplicate data to missing fields, and of course, invalid email or physical addresses. This creates huge inefficiencies in the work environment as well as unnecessary expenses, amounting to billions of dollars each year. Completing your change of address is not going to solve the whole problem, but it can sure reduce the amount of undelivered mail – 70% of which is due to people moving.

In conclusion

We understand how difficult it can be to keep your address up-to-date when moving. It is time consuming at a moment when we have many other priorities. If you need help to tackle your move, you should take a look at our free moving tools available to all.

Update accounts
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We bring together more than 700 organizations across Canada with a single and simplified form.

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