Buyer guide
How to set up utilities when you buy a house
When you buy a home, the seller usually stops service in their name around closing, and you start service in yours. Here’s who to call, when to call, and what to have ready, so the lights, water, and internet are on when you move in.
Rules and lead times vary by provider and region. Your agent, your closing company, and each provider have the final word for your home.
The short version
- Get the list of providers for the home. Your agent may already have it.
- Two to three weeks before closing, ask each provider to start service in your name on your closing date or the next business day.
- Book internet early, since installation dates can be a week or two out.
- Keep your closing documents handy. Some providers ask for proof of ownership or a deposit.
Find out who provides service
Start by asking your agent. Many agents and transaction coordinators collect a list of the seller’s providers before closing. If you don’t have one, ask the seller through your agent. They know who they’ve been paying.
You can also check the home’s town or county website for water, sewer, and trash, and the electric and gas companies’ websites, which usually let you check service by address. For internet, search providers by the exact address, because coverage can change from one street to the next.
In some areas you can choose who supplies your electricity or gas, while the local utility still delivers it and handles outages. The local utility can tell you whether that applies to your home.
When to do what
Once you’re under contract
- Get the provider list from your agent, or ask the seller for it through your agent.
- Find out whether the home uses propane or heating oil, a well, or a septic system, since those need their own contacts.
- Check which internet providers serve the address.
Two to three weeks before closing
- Contact each utility to start service in your name on your closing date or the next business day.
- Schedule internet installation. Earlier is better if you work from home.
- Ask whether a deposit or credit check is needed, so it doesn’t hold up your start date.
- Set up mail forwarding from your old address (in the US, through USPS).
Closing week
- Confirm each start date. If closing moves, move your start dates too.
- At the final walkthrough, check that the lights, water, heat, and air conditioning work.
- On move-in day, consider taking dated photos of the meters you can reach. They help if your first bill looks wrong.
After you move in
- Set up online accounts and autopay once each account is active.
- Note your trash and recycling pickup day.
- If the home uses propane or heating oil, set up deliveries with a supplier.
- Watch your first bills and check that the start dates match.
What to ask each provider
Every provider handles new service a little differently. These questions cover what usually matters.
| Utility | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Electric | Start date, whether a deposit is needed, whether you can choose a supplier where you live, and how to report outages. |
| Natural gas | Start date, whether a deposit is needed, and whether a technician needs to visit to turn service on or relight pilot lights. |
| Water and sewer | Who runs it, since it’s often the town or a water authority. Ask about the start date and how billing works. In some areas water accounts follow the owner and change at closing, so check with your agent or closing company. |
| Trash and recycling | Whether service is public or a private hauler, the pickup day, and whether the bins come with the house. |
| Propane or heating oil | Whether the tank is owned or leased, how deliveries work, and how fuel left in the tank is handled. Check your purchase contract too. |
| Internet and cable/TV | Which providers serve the address, the earliest installation date, and what equipment you’ll need. |
| Well, septic, security, and other services | Who the seller used for service, and whether any agreements pass to you or need to be set up fresh. |
What to have ready when you call
- The property address, including any unit number
- Your closing date
- Your phone number and email
- ID, and possibly your Social Security number if the provider runs a credit check (in the US)
- Proof of ownership or your closing documents, if they ask
Buyer utility checklist
- Get the list of providers for the home
- Check for propane, heating oil, a well, or septic
- Find the internet providers for the address
- Schedule electric, gas, water, and trash to start on closing day or the next business day
- Book internet installation
- Ask about deposits or credit checks
- Forward your mail
- Confirm start dates in closing week, and move them if closing moves
- Check the utilities at the final walkthrough
- Set up online accounts and autopay
- Note your trash pickup day
Questions
- Do I need to cancel the seller’s service?
- No. The seller stops service in their name, and you start yours. You only need to contact providers about your own accounts.
- What if the power or water is off when I move in?
- Contact the provider and ask them to start service. Many can do it quickly, but it isn’t guaranteed, which is why it helps to schedule ahead.
- Can I keep the seller’s internet service?
- Usually not. The account is in the seller’s name, so you’ll set up your own, even if it’s with the same provider.
- Do I need to be home when service starts?
- Often not for electric or water. Internet installation, and sometimes gas, may need someone there. Ask when you schedule.
- Who pays for propane or heating oil left in the tank?
- It depends on your contract and where you live. In some areas the buyer pays the seller for it at closing. Ask your agent.
Agents and TCs: send this with the buyer’s utility sheet
Share this guide with buyers along with their utility sheet. UtilitySheet collects the seller’s providers through one link and gives you a clean sheet and PDF to pass on. Free for 3 submitted sheets a month.