This Is When You Should Call to Set Up Utilities When Moving

updated Sep 30, 2024
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The scene: You move into a new apartment and discover it will take days before you can get your apartment’s electricity set up when you thought your landlord was going to handle it. Perhaps worse, you have to take a vacation day to wait around for the internet provider to show up during a liberal time window on top of that, and maybe you’re juggling a gas hook-up appointment, too. It’s a true modern day horror story; go ahead and name your new network Silence of the LAN to commemorate it. Of course, this could be even worse if you forgot how to set up electricity for your apartment altogether.

It doesn’t have to go down this way, though. If you’re making a move, here are some tips to help make sure you’re fully powered, and connected, when you move into your new digs.

Utilities You Need to Set Up in a New Apartment 

Before you even set up your new utilities, you need to know exactly what utilities you’ll be paying for. The Tenants Union of Washington State recommends looking at your leasing agreement to determine what utilities you’ll be responsible for paying, and whether those services need to be in your name. 

Ultimately, the utilities you’ll need to set up in a new apartment depend on where you live and if you rent or own. In some cities, for example, water is set up and paid for by your building owner. In other cities, you may need to sign up for trash and recycling services. Make sure you do your research on what your locality requires. 

Still, the basic utilities you might need to set up in your space include:

  • Electricity
  • WiFi
  • Gas
  • Water
  • Trash/Recycling
  • Cable/TV

How to Set Up Your New Utilities

For the most part, setting up your new utilities is as simple as understanding which providers operate in the area of your new home/apartment and calling them weeks before move-in day to schedule an appointment. Sometimes, all you will have to do is call the utility company and switch the bill into your name when you move in. 

But that’s not always the case. If you need to get WiFi, cable, electricity, and gas set up for the first time or it’s been disconnected, do your research and make sure you’re calling the correct provider. Call as soon as you can and as far away from your move-in date as possible, so you can get your utilities set up shortly after (or just before!) move-in.

Note: You may not need to set up every utility — a very common scenario is that a landlord will roll the important utilities like electricity or water into their name in between tenants to avoid frozen pipes and power from shutting off. So you may need to simply switch those utilities in your name. Also, some landlords are legally required to pay for certain utilities like water, so that shouldn’t be a bill you take on, depending on the laws in your area.

Some good follow-up questions to ask before you sign the lease: Is my unit on an individual or master meter? Are there any outstanding balances on the utility accounts? What’s the contact information for utility providers? That should make setup much easier.

When Should You Set Up Which Utilities?

If you’re setting up internet and television, it’s a good idea to call at least three weeks in advance to make an appointment with the provider, especially if you’re moving in your city’s busy season, suggests Logan Abbott, president of Wirefly.com, an online comparison engine that helps people save money on services and utilities. 

Sound extreme? Consider this: Providers usually are booked well in advance, and can’t get to your new home or apartment for two or three weeks, Abbott says, especially during peak moving season.

Calling a few weeks in advance means you get the best shot at picking out a prime time for your provider to come out to your new home. “I recommend scheduling the appointment on the same day you move in,” he says.

As for electricity, call to have your utilities set up at least five business days prior to getting the keys, suggests Cari Place, a customer relations specialist at Portland General Electric

This process is super easy if you’re using the same utility company and are transferring service from one address to the next, since they’ll have all your information on file. 

A pro tip from Place? Make sure you’ve got your new address written down correctly; people often give a wrong address or an address with missing information when they’re moving into apartments, condos, or complexes that have associated unit numbers.

When it comes to trash and recycling services, if you need to set that up yourself, check with your homeowner’s association or landlord to see if it’s included in your dues or rent. Also ask what you need to set up the services. Again, calling two to three weeks in advance to get set up can be helpful, especially if you need waste management to deliver you bins and to make sure your address has been added to the pickup route.

If you’re required to pay for your own water service, visit your town or city’s public works website for instructions two to three weeks in advance of your move.