Moving House Utilities Checklist
Complete Your Utilities in One Place
When you’e moving home you need to update your address across all of your accounts, organise your home move and setup your home.
One of the biggest to-do’s is organising your utilities as you move home. In this guide we will cover everything you need to do with your energy, broadband, water & sewerage and council tax for both your previous and new property.
When it comes to organising your utilities when you move home there are four areas you need to cover.
Council Tax
We need to inform both your previous & new council
Water
There is a requirement to setup water & sewerage
Energy
Close down previous account and setup a new one
Broadband
Close down previous broadband & setup another
We’ll go through each of them and show you exactly what you need to do for both your previous & new home.
However, you need not read on.
At SlothMove we challenge the status quo and set out to simplify the entire home moving experience.
Through our free-to-use home setup service you can setup and close down your council tax, water & sewerage, energy, and broadband at once.
We’ll let these institutions know that you’re moving home and setup everything for your new home.
And whilst you’re at it, you can update your address across all of your accounts (Boots, Tesco, TV Licencing etc…)
Online Utility Home Setup
STEP 1
About you
Enter your previous address, new address and the date you moved home
STEP 2
Home Setup
Setup your council, water & sewerage, energy, broadband and more
STEP 3
Submit
Click submit and we'll take care of the rest, sharing any next steps by email
Council Tax
One of the first items to cross of your list will be sorting your council tax about your home move.
We want to make sure that your accounts are up to date, your bills are settled and you get a refund (when you’re owed one).
As we know, the amount of council tax you pay is dependant upon the size and location of your property.
It’s important to remember that it’s based on the value of your property as of 1980.
With new build developments the local council will typically come out and make an assessment.
When it comes to moving home and council tax there are two scenarios: you move within the jurisdiction of your current council or you move to a different area.
In both circumstances you need to inform your council about your change of address. If you will have the same council we need to let them know you’ve moved. They will close down your previous address and set you up at the new address.
If you are moving out of the area we will need to close down the account with your previous council & set one up with your new council.
You can contact those councils directly via phone.
You can also use our home setup service. It will actually tell you who your local council is based on your postcode and then inform both your previous and new councils that you’re moving home.
It’s free to use and you can get started here.
Could you be due a refund?
Don’t forget, you may be eligible for a refund. For instance, if you’re a single occupant and haven’t been claiming a 1st person’s discount (25% reduction) you will be due a refund.
We have a full and complete guide on council tax refunds here.
You may also find this Youtube video beneficial.
Water & Sewerage
As we know, water suppliers are responsible for bringing the water to the property and sewerage suppliers take away the excess.
When it comes to water & sewerage most people are actually unaware that you can have a different supplier for each. In some cases they will be billed separately and in others you will receive just one bill.
Water boundaries can cross across postcodes, as do sewerage supplies.
When moving home, as with everything else we must complete change of address notifications.
If you use our home setup service your new council, water & sewerage supplier will be populated based on your postcode.
Alternatively you can also check on Water.org’s website.
Perhaps surprisingly, water bills differ throughout the UK. As we know, moving home utilities checklist would be complete without a graphic. So, here are some averages based on your area:
So, what do you need to do across your water & sewerage?
For your previous address:
You will need to contact your water supplier and let them know your move-out date. If you have any meter readings, you will also need to provide those too. It’s best practice to take the meter readings on the day you’re leaving the home so that they can generate an accurate bill for water bill.
For your new address:
You will need to find out who supplies the water & sewerage at your new residence and setup an account with them. You may have a water meter in the property, but you are usually able to request to switch to a fixed DD should you prefer.
Energy
When moving home you need to inform your previous energy supplier. You may need to do additional things if you use a prepayment meter (one that requires you to put money into it to use it).
Before you move home
There are two things to do when dealing with your energy supply when moving home.
- Let your energy provider know that you’re moving home. This is typically best done within a week of your home move. If you’re not sure who your energy supplier is, you will need to contact your DNO. You can find out who it is on ENA‘s website. Your supplier will ask for meter readings on the day you move out. They will also try to sign you up in your next property.
- Provide meter readings. It is best to provide meter readings on the day you move out. This will ensure that you are billed accurately for your usage and can get a refund, if you eligible for one. If you’re using our home setup service, you can actually just text us your meter reads on your move out day and we’ll update those for you.
Good to know: If you are on a ‘fixed-rate’ tariff you may need to be an exit fee if you don’t take that tariff with you to your new property. However, it may still be a lot cheaper for you overall to cancel the contract and setup with a new supplier. We can help you find a low cost supplier with our home setup service
After your move
Now you’ve moved into your new property there are a couple of things you’ll need to do with your energy. If you’ve used your home setup service you can skip past all of this, but if not:
- Find our who your new gas and electricitity suppliers are. There can be different suppliers for gas & electricity and let them know that you have moved in.
- Take a meter reading the day you move in. Share this with your new energy suppliers and they can start billing you from the accurate meter readings and the date at which you moved in
- Pay your final energy bill. Clear the bill at your previous property now that you have moved in
Moving home with a pre-payment meter
If you have a pre-payment meter there are a couple of additional things to do.
If you have moved into a home with a prepayment meter, make sure you contact the supplier before loading any money onto it. This is because the meter may have a debt balance on it and you may be paying that off. Of course, if you do need the energy put some money on and the supplier will refund you and debt charges.
You should call the energy supplier and ask for a prepayment top up card, instructions on how it works and for any debts on there to be cleared.
It’s important to do this earlier rather than later – ideally the day you move in.
You may then wish to consider changing your pre-payment meter. It may surprise you to learn that the cheapest pre-payment meter tariff is usually a lot more costly than paying by DD with most suppliers. Tiy can start this process by speaking to the supplier who owns the pre-payment meter.
If you do want to keep the prepayment meter you can find your nearest pay stations for Payzone or Paypoint.
Reduce the cost of your energy bills
When you move home you will be automatically placed on a ‘deemed contract’ or ‘standard variable tariff’ which are notoriously expensive. Therefore, it’s important to compare the market and find a lower cost deal.
Below is a graphic covering the average price of gas & electricity in recent times. We can see that generally the prices increase, as does our usage. It is therefore important that we establish a good energy deal to reduce the cost of our bills.
Broadband
The final element of our moving home utility checklist is your broadband.
It’s the most exciting.
The first choice you need to make is whether or not you’d like to keep the same broadband provider.
Firstly, moving home is the best time to get a broadband deals. Companies actually reserve their best offers for those who are moving home.
As part of SlothMove’s home setup service you can compare broadband offers across the entire market and get setup in seconds.
There are couple of things to consider.
Your current contract term
Most broadband contracts are across 12-18 months. The first thing you need to do is check how long your broadband contract is for and how much time you have left.
Some broadband companies will have penalties and fees for cancelling the contract early.
Dependant upon whether or not you want to setup broadband with a new supplier will dictate your next actions.
Contact your broadband provider and understand what your terms are. Some providers have terms that enable you to get out of the contract if you move to an area which is out of their service region.
Good to know: most broadband contracts are 12-18 months long. However, you can actually get broadband on 3, 6, 9 and even rolling monthly contracts.
Are you moving out of their network area?
The first point to think about is that provider’s prices differ based on location.
You will get a different price in leeds than you will in Manchester.
It could be the case that the geography you’re moving to has higher prices than the previous, making a switch a much better option.
Beyond the network area, you should think about speeds relative to that network. Again, you will have varying speeds based on location and what’s good in one area may not be the same in the other.
If you’d like more detailed guides, we have pulled some together to help with moving home with Sky, Virgin & Talk Talk.
So, what is the best broadband deal?
Well, here’s a handy graphic that shows how some of the big players stack-up.
As we can see, when choosing broadband when moving home it’s important to look at the total amount not just the headline cost. We must consider connectivity, speed strength, service and of course price, when making our decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now, let’s turn to some of the frequently asked questions when moving home:
What happens to utilities when you move home?
The three utilities in the home are broadband, energy and water & sewerage. Your broadband contract will continue unless you cancel it or port it over to your new home. Both your energy and water bills will continue unless you inform them that you have moved. You need to update them all, including your council about your home move. Slothmove’s home setup service let’s you update them all simultaneously at no charge.
How do I find an energy supplier for my new home?
You can find an energy supplier for your new home up to four weeks before you move in. You can find a market leading suppliers by using SlothMove’s home setup service which compares the entire market to find you the best supplier. Whilst you’re there you can also sort your broadband and update all of your institutions that you’re moving home.
What utilities do I need to setup when I move home?
When moving home you will need to setup your energy, broadband, water & sewerage, and council tax. If you’re moving from another property you will need to close those accounts down. You can either call these institutions up or use our home setup service that will update & setup all of these for you automatically at no charge.
Can you use uswitch when moving house?
uswitch is an online comparative tool which you can use to compare deals. When moving though, you may find it beneficial to use a home moving service which uses the same comparative technology but will transfer the energy, broadband & insurance across to your new property. SlothMove can support you in doing that simultaneously and will compare the entire market to find you the best deal when you move home
Moving house utilities for a first time buyer
If you a first time buyer, the utilities you will need to setup are: broadband, gas & electricity, water & sewerage, and council tax. SlothMove’s home setup service is actually perfect for first time buyers and will setup all of these utilities for you simultaneously through the free-to-use home setup service.
Moving house utilities checklist
A moving house utilities checklist is a must for anyone moving home. Check out this page for everything you need to do with your utilities when moving home. It is the ultimate utilities checklist.
Setting up gas & electricity in a new home
You can setup gas & electricity in your new home from 4 weeks before you move into the property. You can use SlotMove’s moving home service that will compare the market for gas & electricity deals and setup your water, broadband, council tax, TV licencing and much more. It’s done within just a few clicks.
Moving house and overlapping utilities
When you’re moving home your utilities may overlap, namely your energy & broadband contracts. Some of those utilities will have ‘get-out’ clauses if you move home, move out of their catchment area or out of an area they can service. You will be able to ‘port’ those contracts over to your new place. You can also cancel the utilities at your previous address and get your final bill. To avoid utility overlap, try your best to organise your home move a few weeks ahead of the move in date.
Moving into a house with a pre-payment meter
If you are moving into a home with a pre-payment meter do the following: on move-in day contact the energy supplier for the meter and ask that all debt be removed as you are a new occupier. If you wish to keep the pre-payment meter, ask for a key card and instructions and where you can top it up. If you wish to have a regular meter (which is advantageous as it’s much cheaper to pay by DD) then make this request known to the energy supplier.
Your Moving Home Utilities Checklist
And that is your entire moving house utilities checklist completed. We have covered absolutely everything you need to do with your utilities when moving home. We’ve covered your gas & electricity, water & sewerage, broadband and council tax. We’ve also covered what you need to do for both your previous and new property as well as our moving home service that can manage the entire thing for you in one place.