4 Things to Know about Moving Utilities

Moving utilities can save you money, and transferring them is a better alternative to reconnecting new ones. If you time the transfer right, the utilities can be on in your new apartment a day before or the day that you move in. Your old ones can be shut off the day you’re moving out, and you won’t have to be without utilities in either place when you need them most. Here are some things to know about moving utilities so that you don’t waste money at either location:

1 – List of Utilities to Transfer

It’s helpful to generate a list of utilities that you need to transfer. You’ll have to call each company and ask them to cancel the utilities at your old apartment, and to reconnect them at your apartment. Some of the utilities you may need to transfer are:

• Residential phone
• Electricity
• Broadband Internet
• Satellite and cable television

You may also have to switch cell phone plans altogether if you don’t have the same service in the area where you’re moving to. When you’re dealing with moving utilities, it’s also good to make a list of the utilities that you can’t transfer and make plans for getting new service.

2 – When to Transfer Them

Try to reconnect services when you’ll be physically present at the new apartment. Some utilities don’t require a technician to enter the apartment, but some might. For example, the phone company may want to test the phone lines inside the apartment, and if you’re not there to let them in, then they won’t be able to deliver phone services.

Schedule services for the same day you plan to move in, so that you’re not without utilities. The two big ones you should schedule for move in day are electricity and telephone services. If the other utilities are delayed, then that’s not so much of a problem in most cases. However, if you run a business from your apartment and need Internet access, then add Internet connection to the list of must-haves for move-in day.

3 -When to Turn Off Utilities

Schedule disconnection of the utilities at your old apartment a couple of hours after you plan to move out. It’s important to schedule this weeks in advance, so that each utility company can accommodate your request. If you wait until it’s time to move out, then they may not be able to shut off utilities until days after.

It’s a problem when you have utilities on at your old apartment, because the landlord as well as a new tenant may use it before it gets shut off. For example, when the landlord hires a cleaning service to prepare the apartment for the next tenant, they’re going to use electricity which will show up on your final bill. You can avoid that issue by getting the utilities turned off in time.

4 – Over Lap in Leases

If you find yourself with leases that overlap, don’t worry about moving utilities to your new apartment until you’re ready to move in your items. There should be no more than a one week span between when you turn on the utilities and when you actually move in. You’ll end up wasting money otherwise.

Be aware of the deposits you already made with each company when moving utilities, so that you don’t end up paying a deposit twice. It’s also important to obtain any permission necessary from your landlord ahead of time when turning on utilities at the new apartment.