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How to Set Up Utilities in Your New Home
By Susan Doktor MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
You’re cooking dinner in your kitchen and, without warning, the lights go out. You turn on the faucet hoping to enjoy a nice long soak in the tub and all you get is cold water from the tap. Or an ominous bill arrives at your home telling you your water service is about to be terminated. That’s when most of us start thinking about our utilities and utility service providers.
But when you’re moving into a new home, suddenly utilities are front and center concerns. You want to be sure that when you move into your new place, you have all the creature comforts waiting for you. And you want that to happen quickly and without a lot of hassle. That’s why we’ve created a guide to how to set up utilities in your new home — to help you get the job done without any mishaps. Even if you’re setting up utilities for the first time, follow the steps we outline and all should go off without a hitch.
Table of Contents
- Guide to Setting Up Utilities in Your New Home
- How to Set Up Specific Services
- How to Set Up Utilities FAQs
- How We Chose the Best Way to Set Up Utilities in Your New Home
How to Set Up Utilities in Your New Home: A Guide
Create a utility checklist
Before you start a job, it’s important to know what’s involved in completing it. So the first step in setting up new utility services is to make a list of all of the services you’ll need.
If you’ve lived in apartments for all of your adult life but are about to become a homeowner, you may not have paid your utility bills yourself. Maybe utility services were included in your rent. And even if you’ve paid some utility bills, you likely were never responsible for paying your water bill. That’s typically up to your landlord. Even if you’re moving from apartment to apartment, your responsibilities — and your utility providers — may change.
Transfer your existing utilities if applicable
This tip is for people who are staying local and have existing accounts with one or more utility companies. Setting up utilities in your new home can be as simple as calling your service providers and providing them with your new address. There will be no need to open up new accounts — when you transfer utilities, you’ll simply need to tell your utility company the date you want service to shut off at your current home and when you want it to start up at your new address.
It’s worth mentioning that, in some cases, you have a choice of energy providers. When you’re moving to a new place, it might be a good time to compare gas or electric companies serving your area. Take note of your energy costs by rounding up some bills going back a few months. Check the price per kilowatt you’ve been paying or the CCF (cost per cubic foot) on your natural gas bill. You may find a better deal if you take the time to call competitive service providers in your area.
Locate your new service providers
If you’re moving to a new town, you’ll have to do a little research. Which utility companies provide service in your new neighborhood? If you’re buying a home, you can ask the previous owner to help you answer that question. Your real estate agent is also a good source of information. Your mover may even provide you with a list of preferred providers on the moving checklist they share with you. But if you’re moving to an apartment in a new town, you may have to do some extra investigating.
Make a list of the utility companies you need to contact — again, it’s worthwhile to comparison shop — along with their phone numbers. You should do this a few weeks before your moving date, just to get it out of the way. We can promise that you’ll have plenty of other things to do on moving day!
Cancel contracts with your current providers
Nobody wants to pay for services they haven’t used. That’s why it’s important to call your current providers and let them know that you’ll be vacating your old home. Provide your move-out date and ask the company to cancel service the next day, just to be safe. You never know whether you’ll have to return to your old place to retrieve something you left behind — as in “Ooops. Where’s the cat?”
Contact your new utility companies and schedule service
Once you have your utility contact information organized, start calling your service providers one by one. Some offer the opportunity to sign up for service online, but if you call, you have a chance to ask any questions that may be concerning you.
Have your account number handy. Provide the address where you will receive your monthly bills. Be prepared to tell them what date you want to start service. Double-check that they’ve noted the correct date. You want to avoid any delays in service start-up. If possible, it’s best to have service begin a day or two before your move-in date.
Utility companies may also ask for such information as your driver’s license number, mailing address (if different from your service address), your best phone number for contact, your social security number and some employment information. You can expect a utility company to make a soft credit check on you. It won’t affect your credit. But utility companies are like other creditors: they want to be reasonably assured that they’ll get paid.
Update your old address
When you leave your new home, your current utility companies will want to send you final bills for each account you have. It’s important to pay those bills. Left unpaid, they will go into collections and may affect your credit score. So it’s important that your utility providers know how to reach you by mail.
When you cancel your service with each company, be sure to update the address on your account. In addition, file a change of address form with the post office. It’s easy to do online at this website — https://USPS.com/move — and costs just $1.10. You can also register your new address in person at your local post office.
Make sure to keep copies of all receipts and confirmation numbers
When it comes to paying your final bills, it’s a good practice to document your payments.
If you’re paying by check, make a copy of your final bill and the check you write to your utility company. If you pay using the online bill pay feature of your bank account, print out the page that documents the transaction. If paying by phone, be sure to note the confirmation numbers provided by your utility companies.
How to Set Up Specific Services
TV
It’s likely that several companies offer TV services in your neighborhood. You’ll probably have a choice between cable, Wifi and satellite providers. Some may be national companies and others local. You’ll probably want to investigate which solution best suits your needs and budget.
For a long time, apartment complex landlords frowned on satellite providers. The dishes they provided were large and unsightly; to install them, it was necessary to drill holes in your apartment’s walls. Today, satellite companies have developed what’s known as an MFH, or multi-family housing solution. It’s now possible for one dish to provide service to hundreds of apartments.
Cable TV is also available for apartment dwellers. Sometimes, an apartment will be advertised as “cable ready”, which means that the apartment is already outfitted with the lines you need to receive cable service. But even if your apartment isn’t cable ready, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting cable service if you want it. As a renter, you’ll have to get permission from your landlord or property manager beforehand, since installing cable will involve drilling holes here and there.
For many people, WiFi is the optimal TV solution. It gives you access to a wide range of TV streaming services so you can choose the service that has the channels and shows you want to watch. And of course, you’ll then have access to the internet. Internet service is pretty much essential in today’s world.
Internet
Choosing an internet service provider (ISP) is an important decision. You’ll likely have a couple of ISPs in your neighborhood. A great ISP is distinguished by several factors. The first is reliability. When investigating ISPs in your area, be sure to inquire about their uptime, which is expressed as a percentage. The gold standard of ISP reliability is 99.999%.
The second factor is speed. Fast download and upload speeds make working (and playing) online much more pleasant and efficient. Speed is especially important to gamers who play against opponents online. At a minimum, you need an ISP that provides 25 Mbps service, but higher speeds are more desirable.
Price is another aspect of internet service you’ll want to consider. Many ISPs offer discounted introductory offers if you’re a new customer. But those low prices may expire in a few months and certainly after a year’s time. So be sure to check what your normal price will be after your introductory rate disappears. Sometimes you can save money by signing a contract for annual service. But many ISPs let you buy service monthly, especially if you sign up for autopay. Buying service from month to month gives you the opportunity to test an ISP’s quality without making a large financial commitment.
Getting recommendations from your neighbors is a good way to choose the best service. If your neighborhood has its own Facebook page, you can put up a post inquiring about available ISPs’ quality of service.
How to Set Up Utilities FAQs
How We Chose the Best Way to Set Up Utilities in Your New Home
Remember how we advised you to set up a utility checklist? We did, too. We chose the services most commonly needed in a home, from the essential to the optional. Then we researched requirements for canceling and establishing service in several states. And we relied on our own experience, as seasoned movers, renters and homeowners. Setting up utilities isn’t difficult. You just need to get organized by looking at your calendar and gathering contact information for all essential utility providers. From there, with just a few phone calls or website visits, you’ll be all set to enjoy living in your new home.
