Setting Up Utilities When You Move House

Meter readings on moving day

Before anything else — before the kettle goes on, before the removal van is unpacked — take meter readings at your new home. Do it on the day you get the keys, or the day your tenancy starts. This single habit prevents the most common and most expensive dispute in the whole moving process.

Photograph every meter. Gas and electricity meters both, showing the serial number and the digits clearly in one frame. If you can, take a short video panning slowly across the meter so nobody can argue about which property it belongs to. Save it somewhere it will not get lost in the chaos — a cloud album, or message it to yourself.

For electricity you are reading kilowatt hours. For gas you are reading cubic metres, or the older imperial units if the meter is a very old one. Note down whether the reading is metric or imperial, because that detail matters enormously when the bill arrives.

The same applies to your old home. Take a final reading as you leave, after the furniture is out. Your old supplier needs that closing reading to produce a final bill, and without it they may estimate — usually generously in their favour.

If you are buying, the seller should ideally be present or have left readings with the estate agent. If you are renting, ask the letting agent for the check-in inventory, which should record meter readings already.

Telling suppliers you have moved

Your old supplier needs two things: your forwarding address and a closing meter reading. Give them both, even if you are on speaking terms with nobody. A final bill sent to an address you have left will eventually become a debt with your name on it, and it will follow you.

At the new property, you have a choice. You can stay with whoever currently supplies the place — this is called a deemed contract — or you can switch. If you do nothing, the deemed contract applies automatically from the day you move in, usually on the supplier's standard variable rate.

That is not a disaster, but it is rarely the cheapest option. Standard variable rates move with the market and are subject to the price cap. In practice they are often more expensive than the best fixed deals on offer at any given moment.

The good news: a deemed contract carries no exit fee and no minimum term. You can switch away from it whenever you like, without penalty. Ring the existing supplier, register your name and details, and give an opening reading. Then start comparing.

• Have your opening readings ready before you call.
• Ask for the account to be set up in the name of everyone named on the tenancy or deeds.
• Ask whether you are being placed on a fixed tariff or a variable one.
• Ask about the Priority Services Register if anyone in the household is disabled, chronically ill, or has young children.

Water, council tax and the less obvious bills

Water is the forgotten utility. In England and Wales you cannot usually switch supplier, so you simply need to open an account with the regional provider and give them a reading. In Scotland the market works differently and switching is possible. Either way, tell them you have moved in — unmetered properties can be charged on rateable value, and metered ones need an opening figure.

Council tax is the one people forget until a demand lands. Contact the local authority within days of moving. Tell them the date you became responsible for the new address and the date you left the old one. If you live alone, ask for the single person discount of 25 per cent — it is not given automatically, and it is worth several hundred pounds a year.

Check the council tax band too. Bands are occasionally wrong, and a successful challenge can mean a refund stretching back years.

Other things to sort in the first fortnight: a TV licence at the new address, broadband and landline if you want them, and any insurance policies tied to the property. Contents insurance is usually worth having, particularly in rented homes.

Should you fix, and when to compare?

Compare tariffs as soon as you have the opening readings and the postcode. Prices vary by region, by payment method, and by how you pay — direct debit is almost always cheapest. A fixed tariff gives certainty for its term, usually twelve or twenty-four months. A variable tariff can fall as well as rise.

There is no universal right answer. Fixed tariffs suit households that want a predictable monthly figure and cannot absorb a sudden rise. Variable tariffs suit those willing to watch the market and switch when it moves.

If you are tying into a new fixed deal, remember the fourteen-day cooling-off period. You can cancel within it without charge. After that, leaving early may trigger exit fees — commonly around £30 per fuel, though it varies. Always ask before signing.

Do not get caught by an expiring contract

If you are already on a fixed deal at your old address and moving within the same supplier's area, ask whether the tariff can transfer. Some can, many cannot. If it cannot, you may face exit fees unless you are moving because of a relationship breakdown, a job relocation, or certain other circumstances the supplier accepts.

Set a reminder for roughly six weeks before any fixed contract ends. That is the sweet spot: long enough to shop around, short enough that you still have options. Rolling onto a standard variable rate after a fix ends is the single most common way households quietly overspend on energy.

Keep a simple folder — digital is fine — with every opening reading, closing reading, account number and contract end date. When you move again, and you probably will, that folder will save you hours.

If money is tight or you are between homes

Nobody should be cold because of a bill. Every supplier offers payment plans, and all of them have schemes for people in arrears. Ask about a repayment plan, a prepayment meter, or the Warm Home Discount, which is applied automatically via the supplier if you qualify.

If you are without a fixed address, tell the local authority housing team immediately. You have a right to advice, and in many cases to temporary accommodation. Utilities can still be arranged — a correspondence address, such as a friend's home or a solicitor's office, is usually acceptable, and it keeps the bills in one place.

Speak to a free advice service before things escalate. Debt charities, citizens advice bureaux and the housing team at your council deal with this every day, and they will not judge you. Getting help early is always cheaper and calmer than waiting for a final demand.