Do I pay bills on two homes when I move?
Short answer
Usually yes, for the overlap. Council tax runs on each home from the day you become liable, normally completion or the tenancy start, until your liability there ends; an empty home still pays unless the council gives a discount. Energy standing charges and water charges run from the day you take responsibility. Give each council and supplier the exact dates.
Updated
Daily
How council tax liability is counted, so an overlap costs by the day
1 year
Empty before a council can add an empty-home premium, GOV.UK says
48 hours
Minimum notice Citizens Advice says to give your energy supplier
A notice month after completion, a fortnight of decorating before you move in, two tenancies that overlap: for a while you hold two homes, and the forums are full of conflicting answers about what that costs. This guide gives the rule for each bill, from the body that sets it, then the dates to give.
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Which bills you pay on both homes during an overlap
| Bill | During the overlap | The rule, and the dates that start and stop it |
|---|---|---|
| Council tax | Both homes, by the day | From the day you become liable at the new home until your liability at the old one ends. An empty home usually still pays; any discount is the council's decision. |
| Energy | Both homes | The standing charge runs every day at each home, used or not, from the day you become responsible until your final reading at the old home. |
| Water | Both homes | The company bills whoever is responsible for the property, including an empty one. Unmetered charges run by the day; a metered home pays a standing charge plus use. |
| Broadband | One contract | Move the contract to the new address or end it. There is no second bill unless you keep both lines running. |
| TV Licence | One licence | The licence is for your home address: tell TV Licensing the new address and the move date. |
| Mobile | No change | The contract carries on wherever you live. Change the billing address. |
Which bills do I pay on both homes during the overlap?
Council tax, energy and water each run at any home you are responsible for, so during an overlap they run at both. Broadband, the TV Licence and your mobile follow you.
- Council tax: section 2 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 says liability is determined on a daily basis, so you pay at each home for every day you are the liable person there. GOV.UK says you will usually have to pay council tax if you are 18 or over, and that spouses and partners who live together are jointly responsible.
- Energy: Ofgem says the standing charge is one you pay every day even if you do not use any energy on that day. At the old home it runs until your final reading; at the new one it starts the day you become responsible.
- Water: Thames Water says that, as a property owner or tenant, you are responsible for water charges at your property, including empty or vacant ones. The new home's company bills from the date you register as responsible.
- Broadband is one contract, moved or ended. The TV Licence is for your home address. Your mobile contract does not change.
Sources: Local Government Finance Act 1992, section 2: liability is determined on a daily basis (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: who has to pay Council Tax (read 24 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 24 October 2026); Thames Water: moving home (read 24 October 2026)
What does an empty home cost before I move in?
Completing weeks before you move in, or decorating first, means paying for a home nobody lives in. The rules are the council's for council tax and the supplier's for energy and water.
- Council tax: GOV.UK says you will usually have to pay council tax on an empty home, and that your council can decide to give you a discount, with the amount up to the council. Ask the new council what it does for a home that is empty while you move in.
- A premium, not a discount, applies once a home has been empty for at least one year: GOV.UK says you can be charged additional council tax from then, rising to up to four times the normal bill after ten years. A home empty for a few weeks between owners is nowhere near it, but a home bought from a long-empty state may already carry one.
- Energy: the standing charge runs every day the supply is live, whether or not you use it. Keep the account in your name from completion, give opening readings, and you pay the daily charges plus any use.
- Water: Thames Water includes empty and vacant properties in what the owner or tenant is responsible for. Register the date you took on the home; a metered home with nobody in it costs the standing charge.
- Readings and dated photos on the day you get the keys separate your usage from anyone else's, whichever supplier bills first.
Sources: GOV.UK: Council Tax on second homes and empty properties (read 24 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 24 October 2026); Thames Water: moving home (read 24 October 2026)
From which date does each bill start at the new home?
Not the day the furniture arrives. Each bill starts on the day you become liable or responsible for the home, which for most buyers is completion and for most renters the tenancy start. These six steps give each account its date.
- 1
Note the two dates for each home
Completion or tenancy start at the new home, and the day your liability ends at the old one: the sale's completion or the tenancy's end. Council tax liability is counted by the day, so these two dates decide every bill.
- 2
Tell the old council and the new council both dates
Register at the new home with the move-in date and the tenancy or completion date, and tell the old council the day you leave and where to send the final bill. Brent Council, for example, asks for exactly those.
- 3
Tell your energy supplier at least 48 hours before, and read the meters
Citizens Advice says to give at least 48 hours' notice before you move and to read the meters on the day you leave, keeping a note of the readings and the dates.
- 4
Open the energy account at the new home from your date
The existing supplier puts you on a deemed contract from the day you become responsible; give it your opening readings. Ofgem says you can choose a new tariff or supplier after you have moved in.
- 5
Register with the water company for the new home and read any meter
Register the date you took on the home. Thames Water, for example, takes the move from 28 days before the date. Citizens Advice says to read a water meter as soon as you move in.
- 6
Give the old water company notice
Citizens Advice says a metered home needs at least 5 working days' notice so the company can arrange a final reading, or you could be charged for water used after you leave. An unmetered home needs the leaving date.
Sources: Local Government Finance Act 1992, section 2: liability is determined on a daily basis (read 13 October 2026); Brent Council: register or tell us you are moving (read 13 October 2026); Citizens Advice: moving home and dealing with your energy supply (read 24 October 2026); Ofgem: switch your home energy supplier (read 24 October 2026); Thames Water: moving home (read 24 October 2026); Citizens Advice: moving home and water bills (read 24 October 2026)
What do I pay on the home I have left but not sold or ended?
Until the sale completes or the tenancy ends, the old home is still yours for billing, and the final bills follow once it is not.
- Council tax continues until your liability ends, by the day. GOV.UK says an empty home usually still pays, with any discount the council's decision, and that the empty-home premium starts only after a year empty.
- Energy: keep the account open until your final reading. Citizens Advice says the old supplier will send the final bill within 6 weeks and must refund any credit within 10 working days of sending it, and that it might owe you compensation if it misses either.
- Water: tell the old company the date you leave. Citizens Advice says a metered home needs at least 5 working days' notice for a final reading, or you could be charged for water used after you move out.
- Broadband and the TV Licence move with you, so there is nothing to keep paying at the old home once the contract has moved and the address is updated.
Sources: GOV.UK: Council Tax on second homes and empty properties (read 24 October 2026); Citizens Advice: moving home and dealing with your energy supply (read 24 October 2026); Citizens Advice: moving home and water bills (read 24 October 2026)
Renters: what happens in the notice period and the overlap?
Most private renters in England now give two months' notice, so an overlap between the old tenancy's end and the new one's start is common. Rent and bills run at both until the old tenancy ends.
- Shelter says that from 1 May 2026 most private renters in England have a periodic tenancy and must usually give 2 months' notice, unless the landlord agrees to a shorter period in writing. You keep paying rent until the tenancy ends.
- Council tax liability is daily, and a tenant can stay liable for the old home until the tenancy ends even after moving out, so give the old council the tenancy end date, not just the day you left.
- The deposit: GOV.UK says the schemes make sure you get it back if you meet the terms of your tenancy agreement, do not damage the property and pay your rent and bills, and that your landlord must return it within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you will get back.
- Shelter also says a landlord cannot take more than one month's rent in advance under the Act, which limits what the new home costs before you move in.
Sources: Shelter: Renters' Rights Act changes for private renters (read 24 October 2026); Shelter: how to end your tenancy (read 24 October 2026); GOV.UK: tenancy deposit protection (read 24 October 2026); Local Government Finance Act 1992, section 2: liability is determined on a daily basis (read 13 October 2026)
Does it work differently in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
The daily-liability idea holds across the UK, but water and empty-home rules differ by nation.
- Scotland: water and sewerage charges for most homes come with the council tax bill, mygov.scot says, so an overlap means two council tax bills that each carry water. Empty-home rules are the council's, under Scottish guidance.
- Wales: the Welsh Government sets the framework for empty and second-home premiums and councils apply them, so ask the council for its rule. Welsh Water bills water and sewerage directly, from the date you give it.
- Northern Ireland: domestic rates replace council tax, and nidirect sets out how empty homes are rated. NI Water's 2026-27 charges confirm domestic water charges remain deferred, so there is no second water account.
Sources: mygov.scot: public water and sewerage services (read 22 October 2026); mygov.scot: council tax on empty and second homes (read 13 October 2026); Welsh Government: council tax on empty and second homes (read 13 October 2026); nidirect: rating of empty homes (read 13 October 2026); NI Water: 2026-27 charges (read 22 October 2026)
Where does Taupia fit?
- Pick your new address above and Taupia shows the bills for it from your start date: the council tax band and the council's charge, the water company and its average bill, the energy supplier with its default price on the home's usage, and broadband deals. It is free, and nothing changes without your approval.
- Taupia does not set up council tax or switch water: use the council's and the water company's registration routes linked above for those. Water is tracked, never switched, because households cannot choose their company.
- The address picker covers Great Britain. Scotland returns the council but not the band, the water figure is the company's average rather than a quote, and broadband is checked at the exact address only for Virgin Media.
Questions about paying bills on two homes
Can I set up council tax before I move in?
Yes, within the council's window. Brent Council, for example, takes its moving-in form once your move-in date is less than 28 days away, and asks for the tenancy start date or the completion date as well as the day you move in. Liability runs by the day from the date it begins, whenever you register, so registering early does not start the charge sooner.
Do I pay standing charges on an empty house?
Yes. Ofgem says the standing charge is paid every day even if you use no energy that day, so an empty home with a live supply still costs the daily charge for each fuel. Keep the account in your name from the day you are responsible, give opening readings, and you pay for no usage but your own.
Does the single person discount apply to both homes?
The 25% discount is for the home you live in when you are the only adult who counts, so it cannot cover two homes at once. An empty home has no residents: what applies there is the council's own empty-home rule, which GOV.UK says is the council's decision. Tell both councils which home is your main residence.
When does the old council stop charging me?
On the day your liability there ends: completion of the sale, the end of your tenancy, or the day a new occupier becomes liable. Liability is worked out by the day, so give the old council the date and keep your completion statement or tenancy agreement. If you have paid past that date, ask for the difference back.
Do I pay water on an empty home?
Usually. Thames Water, for example, says the owner or tenant is responsible for water charges at the property, including empty or vacant ones. An unmetered charge runs for every day you are responsible; a metered home pays a standing charge plus any use. Tell the company the date you took on the home and the date you leave.
Can I avoid paying twice by registering late?
No. Council tax liability runs by the day from the date you became liable, whenever you register, so a late registration only delays the bill and risks a backdated one. The same goes for energy and water, which bill from the date you took responsibility. Register promptly, give both dates, and ask the old council about its empty-home rule instead.
The dates and bills on both sides of the move
The council tax rules in full, the renters' version of the overlap, and what the first bills look like once you are in.
Start here
Council tax when you move house
RecommendedClosing one account, opening the next, refunds, and the dates the councils ask for.
Bills between tenancies for renters
Who pays for energy, water and council tax while a rented home is empty, by nation.
Buying a house: which bills to set up, and from which day
Exchange to completion, the seller's readings, keys released late and a home bought before you move in.
Your first bills after moving
What arrives in the first weeks, which bills are estimates, and what to check before you pay.
Who to tell when you move, and by when
The printable checklist, with the timings and penalties that come with each.
The moving-out bills checklist
Final readings, final bills and refunds at the home you leave.
Official references
Cite this page
Taupia. "Do I pay bills on two homes when I move?". Last updated 24 October 2026. https://taupia.com/move-home/bills-on-two-homes
See the new home's bills from the day they start
Pick your new address above to see its council tax band and charge, the water company's average bill, the energy supplier and its default price, and broadband deals, from your move date. The old home's accounts you close yourself with the dates above.