Managing Your Mail When Moving: A Comprehensive Guide
Moving to a new place comes with a lot of work, and one job that’s easy to forget about is taking care of your mail. It’s really important that all your mail finds its way to your new address. That’s where the mail forwarding service from Canada Post comes in.
Here at M&M Movers, we want to help you understand your options and make your move as easy as possible. So, we’ve put together this guide to help you understand mail forwarding, how it works, what it costs, and what the pros and cons are.
What is Mail Forwarding?
Basically, mail forwarding is a service that makes sure your mail gets from your old address to your new one. It’s a safe and secure way to handle your mail during your move. However, remember that this service is only for mail and doesn’t cover forwarding packages.
How to Use the Service
To use the mail forwarding service, you need to sign up online. You do this by creating a profile on the Canada Post website and giving them your personal information. While most of the process can be done online, including checking your email and paying with a credit card, you might also need to visit your local post office.
Who Needs Mail Forwarding?
This service is really useful for people who get a lot of mail. If your family is big, or you live with multiple people, this service will make sure that everyone’s mail makes it to your new home.
The Cost of Mail Forwarding
For moving within your province, mail forwarding costs between $53.70 for 3 months and $86.80 for 12 months for residential use. For businesses, the cost depends on how much mail you get and how long you want to forward it. The maximum cost for business use is $1,464.09 for 12 months.
Length of Service
How long you can use the mail forwarding service depends on whether you’re moving temporarily or permanently. For a temporary move, you can use the service for a minimum of 3 months. For a permanent move, you can use it for 4 to 12 months. For businesses, the length of service is flexible.
Changing Your Address
Even though mail forwarding makes sure your mail goes to your new address, it doesn’t update your address with service providers or other organizations. You have to do this yourself to make sure you don’t have any problems in the future.
The Good and Bad of Mail Forwarding
Like any service, mail forwarding has its ups and downs. On the plus side, it stops your mail from going to strangers, it’s easy to sign up for, it’s good for short-term moves, and many people can use the same account if they live at the same address.
On the downside, the service doesn’t forward packages, it only offers 4 or 12-month options for residential forwarding, it may take up to 10 business days to start, and some private mail might not be forwarded.
Planning Your Move
To make the most of this service, you should start the mail forwarding process a month before you move. Since it takes 5 to 10 business days for the service to start, beginning early can save you stress later on.
You can extend or stop the service by logging into your Canada Post account and following the steps. Most government mail can be forwarded, but some important documents, like PR Cards, can’t. The service can be used for both short-term and permanent moves. After the service ends, the mail will go back to being sent to your old address.
Moving is a big job, but services like mail forwarding can make it a little easier. They help make sure no important mail gets lost during your move. Here at M&M Movers, our goal is to help you with all the details so your move goes smoothly.
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Author
Mikhail, also known as Michael, is the owner of M&M Best Movers. He was inspired by his family’s experience in the moving business and decided to start his own company in Edmonton. With over 20 years of experience, Mikhail and his team work hard to make moving stress-free for their customers by handling their belongings with care and ensuring a smooth moving process.
