Transferring Utilities When You Move
How to Transfer Utilities When Moving
Ah, the little details of moving. Little details that have the potential to take you by BIG surprise.
And one of those little things happens to be transferring utilities when you're moving — water, electricity, gas, cable/satellite, phone, internet, trash service etc. They all have to be shut off at your old home and turned on at your new home.
You'll find that almost every company has its own specific guidelines for lead-times to disconnect/connect utilities. My best advice is to contact the company's customer service department at least three weeks prior to your move to verify the procedure and schedule shut offs/connections.
Based on experience, we also suggest that you schedule the days for shut-off and turn-on the day after scheduled move-out and the day before scheduled move-in.
Case in point:
Almost eight years ago, my husband and I came home from our honeymoon trip, in August, to a new (to us) rental house. While my dear husband moved all of his stuff in before the wedding, he wanted to wait until our move-in day to have the utilities turned on…Seemed like a good money-saving idea at the time (to him). But when we opened the door to start carrying my boxes in, the heat almost knocked us down. No electricity…no air-conditioning. And if you've ever been to Arkansas in August, you know exactly what that feels like. Though connection was scheduled for that day, the company wasn't able to get to it until the end of the day. Not ideal for our plans to move in without suffering heat-stroke. Once it was finally turned on, it took the rest of the night to cool the house enough to move things in.
Other tips for transferring utilities:
- Leave your new address with the utility company in case there are outstanding bills OR if you're due a refund— which may be the case if you paid a deposit.
- Ask the utility company if you are due a refund.
- Make sure to get a meter reading on electric, gas and water meters before you move.
Utility Connection Services
If you're way too busy to make all of these phone calls on your own, there are several companies who'll do it for you…for a fee, of course. Here are a few to choose from:
Moveutilities.com
Connectutilities.com
WhiteFence.com
Utilityconcierge.com
Now, I can't stop without also reminding you to get a MoveBuilder moving estimate if you haven't already. If you're moving out-of-state, you'll find MoveBuilder offers great ways to build a move that fits your needs and budget. Just call or click for a free moving estimate.
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