Welcome Pack

It’s worth doing these a couple of weeks before your moving date, as they can take time to process:

1. Check Royal Mail has your address — Use the Royal Mail postcode finder to confirm your house number is listed. If it’s missing, submit an address update so mail reaches you from day one.

2. Set up a mail redirection — If you’re moving from an existing address, set up a Royal Mail redirection to forward post from your old address. This is especially useful in the weeks after moving before all your contacts have been updated. Note that if your address wasn’t previously listed (see point 1), you may need to wait a few days after submitting it before Royal Mail’s systems recognise it for a redirection.

3. Register for bin collections — Check whether your address appears on the Leeds bin day checker. If your house number isn’t listed, submit it via the Leeds cannot find your address form. Leeds City Council will reply to confirm your address has been added, copying in bin.deliveries@leeds.gov.uk who will then confirm you’ve been added to the collection route.

4. Order broadband in advance — Installations typically take one to two weeks, so booking early means you won’t be without internet on moving day. See our Broadband Providers page for full-fibre (FTTP) options available at Skelton Gate.

5. Sort your home insurance — Notify your existing insurer of your new address, or take out a new policy starting from your moving date and cancel the old one accordingly.

6. Notify your energy provider — Let your current supplier know you’re moving, and take meter readings at your old address on moving day. It’s also worth submitting opening readings for your new property (though your builder may have already done this). If you don’t already have a preferred supplier, please consider Octopus Energy — using that referral link gives us both a credit, and helps a little towards this site’s hosting costs. No obligation at all; shop around and pick whoever’s best for you.

7. Register for Council Tax — Register or update your address with Leeds City Council for your new home. If you’re moving from elsewhere in Leeds this counts as a change of address rather than a new registration, and you can submit it up to two weeks before your move-in date instead of waiting until you’ve moved in; if you’re moving from outside the Leeds City Council area you’ll also need to cancel your old account with your previous council. New builds often aren’t banded straight away — it can take 6–12 months, and the first bill is then backdated to your move-in date, so set aside the expected monthly amount from day one (our Property Data page shows what identical homes pay).

8. Money-saving tip — broadband, insurance, and energy sign-ups all tend to pay cashback if you go via a cashback site — typically £20–50 each. Cashback sites are free to join and simple to use: you click through to the retailer from their site before ordering, they earn a commission for sending you, and they pass most of it back to you. TopCashback is the one we’d suggest, and signing up through that referral link also helps a little towards this site’s running costs. One thing to note: cashback usually can’t be combined with a referral code, so for energy it’s one or the other. If you’re going with Octopus, use the referral link in step 6 (unless cashback happens to be offering more at the time). If you’d rather choose a different supplier, that’s where cashback comes in.

Your First Week

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When you first move in, here are the essential tasks to complete:

1. Take opening meter readings — on your move-in date, for both gas and electricity. Smart meters are fitted as standard. Your builder may have submitted readings already, but take your own so you have a record.
2. Register with your water supplier — easily missed, because it isn’t Yorkshire Water and you don’t get to choose it: Independent Water Networks (02920 028711) supply Avant and Countryside homes, Last Mile Water (0333 000 0113) supply Evans homes. All properties are metered. Contact yours to set up an account.
3. Note your builder’s customer service contact — your builder is the first point of contact for snagging, defects, and warranty issues. Details for all three are on our Contacts page.
4. Meet your neighbours — introduce yourself and join the Skelton Gate Facebook group to connect with the community

Updating Your Address

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Don’t forget to update your address with the following:

• Bank accounts — Update with each bank and credit card provider

• Driving licence — Update via DVLA (there’s a fine for not keeping it current)

• Car insurance — Your policy is tied to your address; notify your insurer to avoid invalidating cover

• Vehicle V5C (logbook) — Update the registered address with DVLA via GOV.UK

• Employer / payroll — So your P60 and any correspondence reaches you

• HMRC — Update via your personal tax account

• Online shopping accounts — Amazon, eBay, and any other sites with a saved delivery address

• Subscriptions & memberships — Streaming services, magazines, gym, loyalty cards, etc.

• GP and dentist — Register with a local practice or update your address (see our Healthcare page)

• Electoral roll — Register to vote at your new address. Worth doing promptly even if you don’t plan to vote — not being registered at your current address can negatively affect your credit score, as lenders use the electoral roll to verify your identity and address history

Property Information

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• Builder’s 2-year warranty — Your builder covers defects, snagging, and home emergency issues (boiler, plumbing, electrics) for the first two years. Report issues to their customer services team.
• NHBC Buildmark 10-year warranty — All new homes registered with the NHBC carry a 10-year Buildmark warranty. The first two years overlap with the builder’s own warranty; from years 3–10 the NHBC covers structural defects directly. Keep your Buildmark policy documents safe. More information at nhbc.co.uk.
• Home Emergency Cover — Not needed during the builder’s warranty period; worth arranging your own once that expires.
• Building Insurance: Usually included in service charges for apartments; homeowners should arrange their own

Post-Move-In Builder Visit

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Your builder should arrange a home visit a week or two after you move in to check everything is in order and answer any questions. This gives you time to have actually used the house and notice any issues before the visit.

• Log issues as you find them — keep a list as you go rather than trying to remember everything on the day
• Take photos — photograph any defects; you can show these at the visit or submit them afterwards
• Use everything — try all the taps, windows, doors, appliances, heating zones, and electrics so you’re not discovering problems after the visit
• Ask questions — it’s a good opportunity to understand how things like the heating system, ventilation, and stopcock work
• Follow up in writing — after the visit, report any outstanding issues to your builder’s customer services so there’s a paper trail (all three developers’ details are on our Contacts page)

Normal New-Build Quirks

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New builds behave differently from older properties in the first year or two. The following are all normal and not cause for alarm:

• Shrinkage cracks — As the structure dries out and settles, small cracks commonly appear in plasterwork, around door frames, and at wall/ceiling joints. These are cosmetic and your builder should touch them up as part of the warranty — log them and report at your post-move-in visit or in writing.
• Condensation — New builds contain a lot of moisture from the construction process that takes time to dry out. Good ventilation (opening windows regularly, using extractor fans) helps manage this in the first year.
• Stiff doors and windows — Timber can swell slightly with humidity; doors and windows that stick in the first year often settle on their own, but can be adjusted under warranty if needed.

Management & Maintenance

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There is currently no estate management company — this is expected to be established once phase 2 of the development is complete. In the meantime, direct maintenance and estate queries to your builder’s customer services.

Builder Information

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Three developers build on Skelton Gate. For snagging, warranty, and after-sales issues, contact the customer services team for whichever one built your home:

• Avant Homes (Greenlock Place) — CustomerServices.NorthYorkshire@avanthomes.co.uk
• Countryside Homes (Newsam Rise) — 0113 486 1764 or Customerservice.eastyorkshire@vistry.co.uk (Countryside Homes are part of the Vistry group)
• Evans Homes (Skelton Lakes) — skeltonlakes@evanshomes.com

Evans are also responsible for the Skelton Gate site as a whole, so estate-wide issues such as broken boundary fencing go to them whichever developer built your home.

Sales office phone numbers and opening hours are on our Contacts page. Residents’ consistent advice: report issues by email rather than phone so there’s a record.

Council Services

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• Leeds City Council: 0113 222 4444
• Council Tax: counciltax@leeds.gov.uk
• Bin Collections: See our Bin Collection schedule

If you have questions not covered in this guide:

• Ask Skelton — our AI assistant can answer questions about the estate any time, from bin days to bus times to local services
• Check our FAQs and Useful Links pages for common questions and external resources
• Contact your builder’s customer services for estate and property issues
• Ask neighbours — the community is friendly and helpful!

Welcome home!