Moving House Utilities Checklist

Are you considering moving house soon? Or perhaps you’re nearly there and the moving date is just around the corner? Don’t worry, we’re here to help by providing all the information you could need. There are so many things to do when moving house that it’s easy to get overwhelmed and stressed. Choosing a company that specialises in house removals in London to work with, creating a house moving plan, and other tasks can quickly make you feel trapped and confused.

But not if you have a plan. You’re about to discover everything you need to know about organising utilities when moving house. At the end of this article, you’ll find a downloadable checklist for moving house utilities that will help you tick the boxes and ensure you’re taking the right steps towards a successful house move.

What do you do with utilities when you move?

When moving home utilities are one of the most important factors to keep and mind and add to your to-do list for moving house. You want to make sure that you no longer have to pay for the electricity, water or other utilities used at your old address and instead, make amends for moving house bills. Especially if this is your first time going through a house move, it’s natural that you have a lot of questions. We’ll answer them all!

In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about who to notify when you move and what you need to do with utilities before and after the move. We’ll go over the type of utilities that you need to set up or cancel and share what the process is in detail.

Мoving house – when to notify utilities?

To ensure a smooth house relocation process and make sure that your utilities are either cancelled, set up, or transferred on time, it’s advisable to follow a guide on time frames that you should follow. Leaving moving house utilities for the last minute could result in additional fees or penalty charges, no utilities set up in your new location, or continued billing for your old address.

Taking the steps for setting up utilities for your new address, here are the time frames that it’s best to follow:

TIMEFRAME FOR MOVING UTILITIES WHEN MOVING HOUSE

What utilities do I need to set up when I move?

Oftentimes, changing utilities is somewhere far down on your moving house checklist on who to notify. You’ve probably already prepared for Royal Mail moving house and you’re probably planning to notify your insurance company and other service providers about your change of address. In addition, there are a few separate utilities that you need to keep in mind when moving out of your old home and settling into a new home. Let’s see what you need to know about each one of them:

• Gas & Electricity
• Water
• Phone
• Broadbandc
• TV License

Gas and Electricity

When moving into a new house gas and electricity should either be freshly set up or transferred from your old address. It’s important to note that gas and electricity are privatised in the UK, meaning that following the steps to transfer utilities when moving house is a bit more challenging. A lot of people choose to combine their gas and electricity contracts with the same provider in order to cut down the expenses of changing utilities when moving house.

Before you move home

Here are the steps that it’s advisable to take before moving home for gas and electric:

Step 1 – Notify existing energy and gas supplier
Step 2 – Moving gas and electric meters – take a meter reading on the day that you move
Step 3 – Provide your suppliers with your new address

Step 1 – Call your gas and energy supplier at least 2 days before the actual move. Inform them about your moving date and let them know what your new home address will be. This will allow them to send you a final bill. Moving house meter readings are important and your provider will most likely instruct you to take a meter reading on moving day.

Step 2 – If you want to only pay for what you’ve consumed, make sure you take a meter reading on moving day to avoid any overcharging. Note it down for your safekeeping and inform your supplier about the reading. You will receive a final statement that will allow you to make a payment and settle your account after you’ve moved out.

In case you were a tenant at your last address, notify your landlord about the meter readings before moving out. You can also leave a note behind for the new tenants or homeowners about who the gas and electricity suppliers are for the property.

Step 3 – Don’t forget that to send you a final bill, your suppliers need to be informed about your new address. Let them know where you will be moving and keep in mind that you’ll have 28 days to cover the expenses and pay your bills.

After you move home

Once you’ve moved into your new home, here is what you need to do to set up gas and electricity:

Step 1 – Find out who the new house energy supplier is
Step 2 – Provide gas and electricity meter readings
Step 3 – Ensure you’re getting the best gas and electricity deal
Step 4 – Consider new moving house energy and gas suppliers
Step 5 – Finalise your energy supplier switch

Step 1 – By moving to a new property, you will automatically be provided with a ‘deemed contract’ with the provider that has been supplying gas and energy to the property before you moved in. Take the gas and electricity meter readings of the new property and provide the existing supplier with the information. If you’re unsure who supplies electricity to your property, use the contact details and online search tools from above.

Step 2 – Next, make sure you give the property’s existing supplier the meter readings that you’ve already taken down. Also, provide the date on which you’ve moved into the property to allow them to create your new account.

Step 3 – Ensure you’re getting a good deal with your gas and electricity provider and if not, consider changing your energy supplier when moving house. You can discover the best energy deals for your new home by using Which? Switch. When moving house a new energy supplier may not always be an option. If you’re a tenant at your new address you may need to discuss this with your landlord. If switching suppliers is not an option, you can opt for another tariff that will result in lower monthly bills.

Step 4 – If you’ve decided to change utility suppliers by using a partner like Which? Switch, simply inform them about your chosen new supplier and wait for further instructions.

Step 5 – For a stress-free and easy switch, you can help by noting down your meter reading on the date of the switch and provide it to both your old and new supplies and pay your final bill quickly.

Leaving your contract with gas and electricity suppliers after moving

In case you’re on a fixed-term tariff, there is a chance that you could be asked to pay in order to cancel the contract before its expiration date. This expense is also called an exit fee and it can be found on your energy bill. In the long-term, you may find that it’s more affordable to continue working with your existing supplier and moving your tariff to your new address. Ask your supplier if this is an option you could explore.

Top gas and electricity providers in the UK

If you’ve recently moved and you’re about to indulge in setting up gas and electricity in a new home, it’s worth knowing who the top gas and electricity suppliers are and explore their tariffs:

• British Gas
• EDF Energy
• E.On
• nPower
• Scottish Power
• Scottish and Southern Electric

Water

Water is another utility that should be on your list of who to notify when moving house. UK water suppliers are responsible for certain areas. In other words, you are usually limited to the water company that works in your area and you don’t have much choice. However, you can always choose the right tariff for you to ensure you’re getting a fair deal. Moving home and water bills don’t have to be a mystery anymore. Here is what you have to do:

Step 1 – Notify your current supplier about your moving plans
Step 2 – Check if your provider supplies your new location
Step 3 – Take a final meter reading before leaving your old property
Step 4 – Take a meter reading on the day that you move into your new property

Step 1 – Get in touch with your current water supplier and let them know that you are planning to move. Notify them about your moving date and let them know what your new change of address is.

Step 2 – In the UK, water providers serve specific location areas. If you’re relocating to an area where another company is responsible for the water supply, you may not be able to continue working with your previous provider. Your current water supplier will likely inform you about this once they receive your new address. You can find your local water supplier by using Water UK’s postcode checker.

Step 3 – Before leaving your old house or flat, make sure you’ve taken one last meter reading and you have provided the information from it to your existing supplier. This will guarantee that you will only have to pay for what you’ve consumed.

Step 4 – If a water meter is present at your new property – take a meter reading on the day that you move in and provide the information recorded to your new water supplier.

There are also additional sewerage charges that you must be aware of. Oftentimes, the sewerage company is different from the water supplier.

Water bill change of address is advisable to take place two weeks before the moving date. The majority of utility companies will be able to make amends in 2 days but it’s always best to provide enough time for changes and appropriate reactions.

Phone

• Your existing provider is Sky
• You’re relocating to an area with a different area code
• There are external complications that make the process impossible or too challenging

If you’ve received confirmation that you can take your old phone number with you to your new home after moving, you can do this by contacting your broadband or phone provider.

Broadband

Next up, moving home requires that you notify your broadband provider about the change of address. The first thing that you’ll need to decide is whether or not you’re happy with your current broadband provider or would rather explore a new option for your new home.

The majority of broadband contracts have a duration of 12 to 18 months but there are also options for a 3, 6, or 9 months rolling contract. It’s essential to check when your contract is due to expire as there may be penalties or extra charges for cancelling the contract before its expiration.

There’s a useful guide on broadband and moving home that explains the process of moving house with different broadband providers in the UK that you could check out. Keep in mind that the price for broadband offered by a provider will differ based on location. You should also consider the speeds that the network can provide.

Some of the top internet providers in the UK include:

• Virgin Media
• BT Broadband
• Plusnet
• TalkTalk
• Sky

Regardless of whether you choose to set up a new broadband contract when moving house or you would rather continue working with your existing provider, make sure you’ve notified your supplier between two weeks and a month before you move. Different broadband providers will have different recommendations for notice periods.

TV License

The last one on our list is moving your TV License when you move home. You can either do this online by logging into your TV License account or contact our provider for additional help on the steps that you need to take. Generally speaking, here are the actions you need to take to transfer your TV License to your new home address:

Step 1 – Sign in to your TV License account online or contact your provider
Step 2 – Request to update your address
Step 3 – Update any other relevant details

Keep in mind that you’ll need a TV License number in order to make any changes to your account. Most providers will be able to direct you in finding your license number if don’t have it written down. You can notify your provider up to three months before the actual moving date. Remember that it’s always best to act as soon as possible in order to give yourself enough time to make the right decisions. Perhaps you’re looking to change your provider and giving yourself enough time to research potential partners will guarantee that you make the right choice.

Check your TV License contract and find out when it expires. There may be cancellation fees if you request to terminate the contract before its expiration date.

How to set up utilities for your new home

Now that we’ve covered in detail everything you need to know about moving house and utilities, we’ll offer a quick summary of setting up utilities in your new home. Although the choice of packing materials for moving house and dilemmas around how to choose the best removals company are somehow higher up on the list of things to do when moving house, utilities certainly deserve some attention too.

Here is a short and simple step-by-step process that you can follow. Remember, different types of utilities will have their own moving home procedures. In general, taking care of utilities when moving house looks like this:

• Establish who the providers are in your new home
• Take a meter reading in your new address and inform suppliers
• Get in touch with utility companies serving your area
• Decide whether you will continue working with existing suppliers or will switch to another company
• Make sure utilities have been turned off in your old address and have either been redirected to your new home or your contracts have been terminated

There’s a useful video that you can watch created by a person who has experience moving houses. The video goes through the process of setting up utility bills in the UK when relocating and provides a lot of detail about moving house and utility bills.

Moving checklist utilities

To make moving your utilities to your new home address easy and convenient, we’ve created a printable moving house utilities checklist that you can download, print, and fill out. It will help you stay organized, tick off the process step-by-step, and keep track of your progress with the task.