The data trail you leave when you move

House hunting and rentals

Sites like Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and Apartments.com keep your saved searches, the homes you viewed, and your contact details. When you ask to tour a home or message an agent or landlord, your name and phone number go to them directly, and those copies stay with them.

• Delete your account on each site you used. Start with Zillow.
• Rental applications usually include a tenant screening report with your credit, rental history, and sometimes background checks. Screening companies are consumer reporting agencies, so you have the right to a copy of what they reported about you.

Mortgage and loan shopping

Rate comparison sites pass your request to multiple lenders, which is why the calls start within minutes. See how to limit sharing and stop the calls from LendingTree.

There is some good news. Since March 4, 2026, a federal law called the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act generally stops the credit bureaus from selling "trigger leads," alerts that told other lenders you had just applied for a mortgage. Lenders you applied with, your current servicer, and companies you already bank with can still contact you.

Financial information from loan applications is covered by federal financial privacy law, so lenders generally don't have to delete it. You can still ask them to stop marketing to you.

Movers and quote sites

Many "get free moving quotes" sites are lead generators. Your details go to several moving companies, and sometimes to other marketers. When a mover you didn't choose calls, ask it to add you to its do-not-call list and delete your information.

Your change of address

A permanent change of address with the Postal Service doesn't just forward your mail. The USPS licenses change-of-address data to companies so mailers can update their lists, and they can match your new address if they already had your old one. Reporting on this program has noted that temporary forwarding requests aren't included in that data, though a temporary request only lasts up to a year.

The accounts you leave behind

Old utility, internet, and renter's insurance accounts, the old gym, and local delivery apps all keep your information after you cancel. Closing them is a good start. Asking for deletion is better.

Your after-the-move cleanup checklist

1. Delete accounts on house-hunting and rental sites you no longer use.
2. Limit sharing and ask for deletion at loan comparison sites, and tell lenders who call to stop.
3. Ask movers and quote sites that contacted you to delete your information.
4. Close old utility, internet, and service accounts, and ask for deletion where your state's law allows.
5. Opt out of prescreened credit and insurance offers at optoutprescreen.com. A new address often brings a wave of them.
6. Check your credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com to make sure only the accounts you opened appear.

Your legal right to deletion

If you live in a state with a consumer privacy law, such as California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, or Oregon, covered companies generally have to honor your deletion request within the deadline your state sets. Information covered by federal financial privacy law is generally exempt. See what your state's law requires.

A move leaves accounts everywhere

DataTrail scans your inbox (read-only) to find every company you signed up with, including the ones from your last move, flags the ones with data breaches, and writes the deletion requests for you.

Become a tester

Sources: Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act takes effect, USPS NCOALink, Consumer Federation of California on change-of-address data, and LendingTree State Law Privacy Notice. This page is general information, not legal advice.