Registration, banking and utilities in London

National Insurance and payroll

A National Insurance number is the reference your tax and contributions are recorded against. You can start work before it arrives, but payroll will apply an emergency tax code in the meantime and you will be overtaxed until it is corrected. HMRC operates PAYE, so income tax is deducted at source and most employees never file a return.

• Apply for the NI number through GOV.UK as soon as you have an address.
• Give your employer your start details so they can set the right tax code; a P45 from a previous UK job speeds this up.
• You receive a P60 after each tax year, which runs 6 April to 5 April.

Banking and the address loop

High-street banks want proof of address and proof of identity; the classic bind is that new arrivals have neither. A signed tenancy agreement, an employer letter or a council tax bill usually breaks it, and app-based banks will open an account from your passport and a selfie in an afternoon. Many landlords and agents will only accept rent by standing order from a UK account, so this is worth doing in week one.

• Take passport, visa or share code, tenancy agreement and employment letter to a branch appointment.
• Set up a standing order for rent rather than paying manually.
• Direct Debit runs council tax, utilities and most subscriptions.

Council tax and the electoral roll

Council tax is a household charge levied by your borough, banded by property value and payable by the occupier, not the landlord. Register with the borough as soon as you move in; a single adult household gets a 25 per cent discount and full-time students are exempt, but both must be applied for. Registering to vote where you are eligible also puts you on the electoral roll, which is one of the fastest ways to make a UK credit file look real.

• Council tax is billed over ten or twelve months and varies by borough and band.
• Single-person discount: 25 per cent, applied for online.
• Your credit file sits with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — check it, and expect it to be thin at first.

Immigration status and everything that checks it

Landlords are legally required to carry out a Right to Rent check before granting a tenancy, employers must check your right to work, and both are usually done through the Home Office online share code rather than paper. Rules on status, fees and health surcharges change frequently and depend entirely on your route into the country, so treat forum advice as gossip and confirm current requirements with GOV.UK or a regulated immigration adviser.

• Generate a share code before you start viewing; they expire, so regenerate as needed.
• Keep any biometric or digital status document accessible — you will be asked for it repeatedly.
• If you hold a driving licence from abroad, check the exchange and time-limit rules with the DVLA early.

In order

1. 1Apply for a National Insurance number once you have an address.
2. 2Open a UK bank account and move your salary to it.
3. 3Sign the tenancy and keep a copy — it is your primary proof of address.
4. 4Tell the borough you have moved in and set up council tax.
5. 5Register with a GP practice.
6. 6Register to vote if eligible, to build the credit file.
7. 7Put utilities and broadband in your own name and keep the first bills.