Your first month in Manchester: the checklist
Moving · 6 min read · Reviewed
Moving is mostly logistics, and the logistics of a first month have a habit of being handled in the wrong order. A few items are time-limited by law, a couple have real money attached, and the rest are simply easier done early.
This is the list, in roughly the order it is worth doing. It is England-only in its legal detail, and it assumes you are renting privately, which is what the great majority of arrivals here are doing.
The first week: money and paperwork
Check your deposit has been protected. In England a landlord must place a tenancy deposit in one of the government-approved schemes within thirty days of receiving it, and must give you the prescribed information about where it sits. If neither has happened by day thirty, that is a serious failure with a statutory penalty attached, and it also blocks the landlord from serving a section 21 notice.
Read the tenancy agreement properly before you need it rather than after. The clauses that matter most are the break clause, whether the liability is joint and several, what the notice period is, and what you are responsible for maintaining.
Take dated photographs of every room, including the things you would not think to photograph — the oven, the seals round the bath, any marks on the carpet. Send them to the letting agent by email so that there is a timestamped record outside your own phone.
Documents your landlord must give you in England
- Deposit protection certificate and prescribed information, within 30 days
- A current gas safety certificate, where there is gas
- An Energy Performance Certificate for the property
- The government's How to Rent guide, in its current version
- An electrical installation condition report, on request
Council tax, and the discount people forget
Tell the council you have moved in. Every Greater Manchester authority does this online and it takes a few minutes; leave it and the bill arrives later as a lump sum covering the period you did not pay.
If you live alone, claim the single-person discount. It is 25% off the whole bill, it is not applied automatically, and across a year it is worth a meaningful amount at any band.
Full-time students are exempt entirely, and a household of all full-time students pays nothing — but the exemption has to be evidenced with a certificate from the university, so ask for it early in the term rather than when the reminder arrives.
Register with the council in your first week and claim any discount at the same time. The single-person discount is the most commonly missed 25% in British household budgeting.
| Borough | Band D per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Wigan | £2,153 | £179 |
| Trafford | £2,292 | £191 |
| Manchester | £2,312 | £193 |
| Bolton | £2,400 | £200 |
| Tameside | £2,447 | £204 |
| Bury | £2,555 | £213 |
| Salford | £2,594 | £216 |
| Rochdale | £2,601 | £217 |
| Oldham | £2,602 | £217 |
| Stockport | £2,619 | £218 |
Utilities, and the meter reading that protects you
Take a meter reading on the day you move in — photograph the meter, note the date — and give it to whichever supplier the property is with. That single reading is what stops you being billed for the previous tenant's usage, and it is the cheapest insurance available.
You are free to switch supplier from day one; you are not obliged to stay with whoever the landlord left in place. Water is different: in this region you have no choice of supplier, and in most rented properties it is billed separately from council tax.
Broadband is the one to start early, because an engineer appointment can be two or three weeks out. Check what infrastructure the building has before you order — several parts of Greater Manchester have full-fibre alternatives to the incumbent network that are cheaper and faster.
The rest of the first month
Register with a GP practice near where you live. You do not need proof of address or immigration status to register with an NHS practice in England, though many practices ask for it anyway; if you are turned away for lack of documents, that is not the rule and it is worth pushing back politely.
Register to vote, which also builds your credit file at the new address — a small thing that matters disproportionately if you later apply for anything requiring a credit check.
Find out your bin day and which bin is which. Greater Manchester's collection arrangements vary by borough and the recycling rules are more specific than most people assume, so the leaflet is worth the two minutes.
Get a travelcard rather than paying daily. Whatever your commute looks like, the capped and season options under the Bee Network are cheaper than buying as you go, and the saving compounds quietly all year.
Common questions
How long does my landlord have to protect my deposit?
Thirty days from receiving it, in England. Within that window the deposit must be placed in one of the government-approved schemes and you must be given the prescribed information about it. If that does not happen, you may be entitled to compensation and the landlord cannot serve a valid section 21 notice.
Do I have to tell the council I have moved in?
Yes, and it is in your interest to do it promptly. Every Greater Manchester authority takes the notification online. Registering late does not reduce the bill, it just delays it, and it delays any discount you are entitled to as well.
Can I register with a GP without proof of address?
Yes. NHS England guidance is clear that a practice cannot refuse registration because you lack proof of address, identification or immigration status. Practices often ask anyway, so it is worth knowing the position before you are turned away.