Annual Canvass

Each year The London Borough of Harrow conducts the Annual Canvass to make sure the Electoral Register is accurate and up to date. This involves us contacting residents in the borough to check who resides at each property. We do this by:

• Inviting unregistered residents to register
• Removing the names of voters who no longer live at each address

The results of the annual canvass will be included in the publication of the revised register on 1st Feb 2025.

People who should be registered at your address:

• Residents aged 16 and over
• Residents who are British, Irish, European Union (see link for changes to EU residents) or Commonwealth citizens
• Permanent residents of the property (i.e. no visitors or landlords)

Please note 16 and 17 year olds should still be added to the register to enable them to vote on or after their 18th birthday.

What do you need to do?

All residential properties in Harrow will either be sent an email or a form to confirm the occupants of the property.

The email or form will clearly state whether you need to respond. Please read the communication carefully to ensure you do what is asked of you.

How to inform us of a change 

To inform us of a change you will need to complete the online Household Response Form. 

You will need to enter the security codes provided in the email or form. The codes are unique to the property and may only be used once.

How to confirm your details 

To confirm that the details in your email or form are correct, you can:

• send a SMS text message to 80212 - you will need to text the message together with the two security codes shown in the email or form.
• call the automated telephone service: 0800 197 9871
• complete the online Household Response Form - you will need to enter the security codes provided in the email or form. The security codes are unique to the property and may only be used once.

What happens if you don’t respond?

If you have been requested to respond and don’t do so, we will send you a reminder.

You must respond to the Canvass Form even if there are no changes. Alternatively, you can post the form back to us in the pre-paid envelope provided.

For those households still outstanding mid-late October we may send a member of staff to visit your property to confirm the information. These visits could be made at evening or weekends.

It is important that you tell us about any changes in your household so that we can make sure you are able to vote in any elections.

If you don't want to register

The law requires eligible residents to register when requested. There are benefits of being on the register that are unconnected with elections. Credit referencing agencies are entitled to receive the electoral register. They use the information as verification of an individuals address.

If someone is not on the electoral register it may affect their ability to:

• get credit
• get a mortgage
• access other financial services

If you are not registered or you have recently moved, you can register here:

www.gov.uk/register-to-vote