Moving house utilities checklist: every bill and when to act
Short answer
Before you move, give your energy supplier at least 48 hours' notice, sort broadband for the new address and find out who supplies its energy. On move day, read the meters at both homes. Once you are in, tell the energy supplier, the water company and the council. You can switch energy from the day you take over.
Updated
48h
Notice to give your energy supplier before you move out
5 working days
Notice to give on a water meter at the home you leave
Day 1
You can switch energy from the day you take over
This is the running order for taking over a home where the supply is already running. If you have never set up bills before, the first-time renter guide explains what each one is. This page is the order to do them in, bill by bill.
The moving house checklist: every bill and when to act
| Bill | When to act | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Energy supplier at the new home | Before you move | Find out who supplies the address. From the day you take over you are on their deemed contract, on their default or standard variable tariff. |
| Gas and electricity | 48 hours before you leave, then on move day | Tell your old supplier you are moving and give it final readings. Give the new home's supplier your move-in readings, then switch if a better deal is available. |
| Water | Five working days before you leave a metered home, then when you move in | Find the company for the new postcode and tell it the date you moved in, with a reading if there is a meter. |
| Council tax | When you move | Tell the council for your new address, which registers you and sends the bill. Living alone takes 25% off. |
| Council tax discounts and student exemption | When you register | Households where everyone is a full-time student do not pay. You still need to apply for a discount or an exemption. |
| Broadband | As soon as you have a moving date | Check what the new address can get. Ask your provider to move your service, or order a new one with a start date in time for the move. |
| TV Licence | When you move | Update your address on the TV Licensing website, or cancel and apply for a refund if the new home is already covered. |
| Mobile | When you move | Update your billing address and check signal at the new address on Ofcom's checker. |
| Splitting bills with housemates | Once the accounts are open | Agree whose name each account is in and how each bill is split. |
Setting up energy at a new address?
The cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not your total bill, so what you pay still depends on what you use. For a typical dual-fuel home paying by direct debit it is £1,862 a year from 1 July to 30 September 2026 and £1,935 from 1 October to 31 December, or £1,663 and £1,723 on Ofgem's own consumption basis. If you move in close to a change date, take a meter reading on the day so your first bill splits correctly.
Turn the checklist into your next step
Start with the bills your new home needs. Taupia helps you set up household bills when moving home. Supported categories and supplier availability vary by address.
If a move-in bill or connection is wrong
Resolve responsibility and activation problems with dated evidence.
- Keep opening meter photos, responsibility dates and provider confirmations. Never invent a reading for a day you missed.
- If broadband misses its promised start, retain the order date and complaint reference.
- Ask whether the flat uses a heat network before treating communal heating like a gas account.
Moving into a flat with communal heating
Get the heat supplier and charging terms separately from electricity.
- A communal heating account can have different charges and complaint routes from an ordinary energy account.
What happens to my energy supplier when I move house?
Two accounts change hands on moving day: the one you leave and the one you inherit. Both are settled on meter readings.
- Before you go, tell your gas and electricity supplier at least 48 hours before you move, read the meters on the day you move out, and give it a forwarding address. The final bill comes within six weeks, and you have 28 days to pay it.
- On a fixed tariff you might be charged an exit fee for leaving early. Ask first: Citizens Advice says your supplier might let you keep the same contract and tariff at your new home without charging a fee.
- At the new home you are automatically on a deemed contract with whoever already supplies it, on their default or standard variable tariff. Tell them you have moved in and give them your readings from the day you moved in.
- You can switch supplier or tariff from the day you become responsible for the property. A new supplier should switch you within five working days, so expect at least one bill from the current one.
- Renting? If you pay the supplier directly you can switch, including on a prepayment meter. If your landlord pays it, you cannot switch yourself: ask your landlord, who can agree but does not have to.
- If the new home has a prepayment meter, contact the supplier before you top up. Otherwise you risk paying extra for debts owed by the people who lived there before you.
Where Taupia fits
Add your new address and move-in date before you move, and Taupia tells you which supplier already serves the property, compares what you could move to, and gets a switch ready for the day you take responsibility.
Nothing changes without your approval.
Sources: Citizens Advice: moving home, dealing with your energy supply (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: switching energy supplier or tariff if you're renting (read 28 September 2026)
Does my rent already include any bills?
Check before you open any accounts, so nothing gets paid twice.
- Read your tenancy agreement for who pays each bill. If you pay your landlord for water rather than the water company, Citizens Advice says you should not be charged more than the company would charge, plus a reasonable administration fee.
- If broadband is included where you are moving and you already have a contract, you might pay a fee to leave yours early. Explain your situation to your provider, which might reduce or remove the fee.
- Your tenancy agreement might say you cannot switch internet, landline or TV provider, so check it before you order.
- Keep the landlord's or letting agent's answers in writing.
Sources: Citizens Advice: paying your water bills if you're renting (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: cancelling a phone, TV, internet or mobile contract (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: check how to switch your internet, phone or TV provider (read 28 September 2026)
In what order should I set up bills when I move in?
By lead time. Broadband goes first, the meter readings that settle your first bills happen on the day, and switching comes once you are responsible for the property.
- 1
Sort broadband first
Check what the new address can get on Ofcom's checker, then ask your provider to move your service or order a new one with a start date in time for the move.
- 2
Give your energy supplier notice
Tell your gas and electricity supplier at least 48 hours before you move, and give it a forwarding address for the final bill.
- 3
Read every meter on move day
Note the gas, electricity and water meter readings at the home you leave and the home you move into, with the date you took each one.
- 4
Tell the new home's suppliers and the council
Give the energy supplier and the water company at the new address your move-in date and readings, and tell the council for the new address so it can register you for council tax.
- 5
Join the Priority Services Register if you qualify
If anyone at home qualifies, for example by having reached State Pension age, being pregnant, having young children or living with a disability or long-term medical condition, ask the new home's energy supplier and network operator to add you. If you switch, ask the new supplier too.
- 6
Update your TV Licence and mobile address
Update your address on the TV Licensing website, or cancel if the new home is already covered, and change the billing address on your mobile account.
- 7
Compare and switch energy
From the day you take over you can switch supplier or tariff. A new supplier should switch you within five working days.
Sources: Citizens Advice: moving home, dealing with your energy supply (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: moving home and water bills (read 28 September 2026); GOV.UK: start paying Council Tax (read 28 September 2026); GOV.UK: TV Licence (read 28 September 2026); Ofcom: moving home, top tips for keeping connected (read 28 September 2026); Ofgem: join your supplier's Priority Services Register (read 15 October 2026)
What goes on a moving day checklist for bills?
The meter readings and handover jobs that settle the last bill at the home you leave and the first bill at the home you move into.
- At the home you leave, read the gas and electricity meters on the day you move out, give the readings to your supplier, and keep a note of each reading and the date you took it.
- Smart meter? Check it is working in smart mode before you go. If it is not, take a final reading yourself, and leave the in-home display for the next people who live there.
- Give your old supplier a forwarding address. It should send your final bill within 6 weeks, and you have 28 days to pay it.
- If the home you leave has a water meter, give the water company at least 5 working days' notice so it can arrange a final reading.
- At the new home, read the meters on the day you move in and give the readings to the current supplier, so your first bill is accurate.
- If the new home has a water meter, take a reading as soon as you move in.
- If it has a prepayment meter, contact the supplier before you put any money on it, or you risk paying extra for debts left by the people who lived there before you.
Sources: Citizens Advice: moving home, dealing with your energy supply (England) (read 15 October 2026); Citizens Advice: moving home and water bills (England) (read 15 October 2026)
What should I check on my first bills?
Three things to check: the start date, the readings, and any balance from before you moved in.
- Check each first bill starts on the date you moved in and uses your readings.
- Your old energy supplier should send the final bill within six weeks, and refund any credit within 10 working days of sending it.
- A water bill for dates before your tenancy began goes to your landlord, Citizens Advice says, not to you.
- Keep confirmation emails, account numbers and contract end dates together, so nothing rolls onto an out-of-contract price unnoticed.
Sources: Citizens Advice: moving home, dealing with your energy supply (read 28 September 2026); Citizens Advice: paying your water bills if you're renting (read 28 September 2026)
Moving house utilities: common questions
How do I take over utilities when moving house?
Contact whoever already supplies each one at the new address: the energy supplier with your move-in readings, the water company for the postcode, and the council for council tax. Broadband is the exception. Order it before you move, with a start date in time for the move.
What utilities do I need to set up when moving house?
Gas and electricity, water, council tax and broadband, plus a TV Licence if anyone will watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer, and the billing address on your mobile. Check your tenancy first, because some rents include water or broadband.
Do I need to tell my energy supplier I am moving house?
Yes. Citizens Advice says to give at least 48 hours' notice, read the meters on the day you move out, and give a forwarding address for the final bill.
Can I keep my energy supplier when I move house?
You can ask. Citizens Advice says your supplier might let you keep the same contract and tariff at your new home without a fee. Otherwise you start on a deemed contract with the new home's supplier, and you can switch from the day you take over.
Do I need to set up every bill on moving day?
No. Broadband is ordered before you move and the meters are read on the day. The energy supplier, the water company and the council can be told once you are in, and you can switch energy from the day you take over.
Can renters switch energy supplier?
Yes, if you pay the supplier directly, including on a prepayment meter. Check your tenancy agreement, which might say the account must go back to the original supplier when you leave. If your landlord pays the supplier, ask them to switch: they can agree, but they do not have to.
Official checks and next steps
The renter guide explains each bill in a first rented home. The rest cover the bills on this checklist in more depth.
Start here
Setting up bills when renting
RecommendedThe first-time renter guide: what each of the five bills is, who charges it, and what drives the price.
How to set up gas and electric in a new home
Move-in readings, the supplier and tariff you inherit, and when you can switch.
Who is my energy supplier?
How to find out who supplies gas and electricity at an address, before or after you move.
Does the price cap apply when you move in?
What the tariff you inherit is capped at, and what the cap does not cover.
Council tax discounts and exemptions
Check the discounts and exemptions you could claim, including the student exemption.
Manage bills after move-in
Where the renewal dates, shares and paid status live once setup is done.
Moving out bills checklist
The other half of the move: every account to close at the home you leave.
Move home with Taupia
Every move-in guide in one place.
Official references
Cite this page
Taupia. "Moving house utilities checklist: every bill and when to act". Last updated 15 October 2026. https://taupia.com/move-home/move-in-bills-checklist
Every move-in guide in one place
Each bill on this checklist has its own guide, from finding the energy supplier at your new address to council tax discounts.