Why it's important to register yourself on the Electoral Roll
Moving into a new property can be a stressful time for anyone and we understand that you will have a million and one things to remember to do. Registering yourself on the Electoral roll at your new address may be at the bottom of your to do list and not seem like anything particularly important.
That’s not the case, it is an important part of your move. Not only does it allow you to vote but it is also a requirement by law and Veri-Check would recommend that you register yourself at the first opportunity. Failure to provide your registration details if requested could lead to a fine of up to £1,000!
But that’s not the only reason it’s important………………
When you move into a new property you will have had referencing undertaken whether it be by the agent directly or via a third party tenant referencing company and this is where the electoral roll registration can play a major part.
Tenant referencing agencies will carry out a credit check on you as the prospective tenant, however as they don’t have full access to your credit file because they aren’t offering credit, the ‘Risk Report’ is based on Electoral Roll information and postcode statistics. As such if you aren’t registered on the electoral Roll this could have an impact on your ability to meet the agents or landlords criteria, resulting in future references failing due to lack of information.
The following groups are able to register to vote:
- Anyone aged 16 or over can register to vote but you cannot vote until they are 18
- British citizens of qualifying Commonwealth countries
- Citizens of other EU member states resident in the UK can vote in local government elections but cannot vote in UK Parliamentary elections
Once you have moved into the property go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to register online as soon as possible. It's straightforward and only takes a couple of minutes. You will just need your date of birth and national insurance number. Alternatively you can contact the Local Authority Registration Officer.