Moving utilities when buying a house

Moving home involves juggling multiple tasks at every stage of the process, from finalising your mortgage to arranging the removals. At the same time, you'll want to track progress from the point your seller accepts your offer, through exchanging contracts and on to completion.

It's very easy to forget some of the more mundane but nevertheless important tasks, and one of those often overlooked until the last minute is transferring utilities when buying a house. If you're a first-time buyer, this is particularly worth getting right, as you won't have a previous move to draw on for reference.

Getting this wrong and delaying these jobs can leave you without power, water or broadband in your new home once you get your keys on completion day, and it may take some time to sort out.

Here's everything you need to know about transferring your utilities at both the old and new properties, from the milestones of exchanging contracts to completion day.

You don't need to do anything until you have successfully exchanged contracts, since this is the point at which you and your seller and/or buyer are legally obliged to see the transaction through to completion.

Attempting to sort out your utilities before the critical stage of exchange of contracts is a pointless exercise until you know that you are going to reach the planned completion.

When you have successfully exchanged contracts, your conveyancing solicitor will confirm the agreed completion date in a statement, which is an essential piece of information for the task of transferring the utilities.

It also helps to understand how long conveyancing takes so that you can plan for the following target dates to avoid last-minute rushes.

After exchange of contracts

• Research the broadband providers for the location of your new home
• Notify the electricity and gas suppliers and the council tax providers of your intent to move and the planned date of completion
• As early as possible, contact the water supplier because they need longer notice than the providers of other utilities
• If you require a landline, contact a supplier to ensure accessibility at the property and begin the process of setting it up

On completion day

• Take meter readings at both properties
• Within 48 hours of completion, confirm the readings with the suppliers at both properties

To help you with your plans to inform the utility providers, your solicitor will provide the following:

• The Property Information Form (TA6) from the seller, which lists the current suppliers of the utilities
• The completion statement, which confirms the agreed completion date, which can then be used as the exact cut-off date for the liability at the current property and the start of your liability for utilities at the new home
• Confirmation of the exchange of contracts, which triggers your arrangements for the utilities

While the exchange of contracts is the point where you are legally obliged to complete the purchase of your new home, you are not yet the legal owner of the property.

Between exchange of contracts and completion day, you will be responsible for continuing to pay the utility bills at the home you are selling, but you will not be liable for any bills arising at the new home until successful completion.

The single-most important task on the day of completion, where you move out of your current home and pick up the keys to the new property, is to record your final meter readings. This protects you from being billed for the next occupant's usage.

For each meter at your old property:

• Note the reading from the display
• Take a clear photograph showing the reading you've taken, along with the date (mobile phone and digital cameras will automatically date- and time-stamp the photographs)
• Record the meter's serial number
• Store these details safely with all your important moving documents
• Send all the recorded information to the utility supplier and include the date of completion

Once you have access to your new home, repeat this exact process for each meter.

In both cases, it is quite likely that the homes will have modern smart meters which will send readings automatically to the utility suppliers; however, you should always verify that these automated readings match what the display currently shows and highlight the discrepancy if not.

The date-stamped photographic evidence will help you in cases where the utility supplier questions your readings.

If your seller has not paid the bill for utility usage in the period between exchange of contracts and completion, contact the utility supplier to confirm the person named on the bill no longer lives at the address. Whatever you do, don't feel obliged to pay whatever is outstanding since this is not your responsibility. Provide a copy of your proof of ownership to the supplier (the solicitor's completion statement, which clearly states the legal transfer date of ownership of the property).

Each utility supplier has a dispute process, which they should manage to protect you from inappropriate billing, even if it stretches back up to twelve months. You can raise a formal complaint. If the utility company is threatening debt recovery or liens (legal claims) against the property, you should seek legal advice as to your next steps.

To help you with switching the various suppliers, here is our brief guide. The Property Information Form (TA6) from the seller lists their current supplier details which can be used to facilitate the transfer.

Electricity and gas

Most properties receive electricity and gas from the same supplier, which simplifies the transfer process.

At your old property — give at least two weeks' notice prior to your moving date, and provide the final meter readings on completion day. Remember to request final bills to be sent to your new address.

At your new property — contact the supplier(s) listed on the TA6 form once you have the completion date to confirm when you will take ownership. You don't have to stay with the current supplier, but you must inform them that you will be the new owner. You can then research the tariffs of other suppliers for a better deal once you have moved in.

Water and sewerage

Water and sewerage are usually managed by the same supplier — this information will be on the seller's TA6 form.

Generally, water companies require longer notice periods, so contact them as early as possible after receiving the confirmed completion date. At the same time, inform the suppliers at both the old and new properties to confirm the completion date.

Council tax

Council tax and specific items you pay extra for (for example, garden refuse bin pick-up) are often forgotten in the move. Your solicitor's completion statement will also show the apportionment of council tax, so you can see precisely what you owe up to the transfer date and what the seller is responsible for.

At your old property — contact the local authority to inform them of the completion date. They will calculate the residual council tax and other bills, and they will either send a final bill or a refund. Be sure to inform them of your new address.

At your new property — register with the local authority covering your new home. They will provide details of the council tax band (which should match the local authority search from the solicitor's conveyancing process) and the payment options.

Broadband, fibreband and landline number

Broadband and landline numbers can take several weeks for installation and set-up, particularly if no service is currently available at your new property, so will need early notification. However, wait until exchange of contracts before arranging the installation as this is the point you receive your completion date.

Nevertheless, you can start your research earlier in the process to seek out the best deals and packages. There is also a move towards fibreband in many places but be aware that this may not be in place yet and will need additional work for installation.

Because many homes no longer have an active landline telephone, favouring mobile telephones instead, if you need a landline, this is achieved through the broadband router following the recent digital changeover.

Provide the completion date to the suppliers at the old and new properties. If it's the same provider, the transfer will be simple, while a new provider will co-ordinate the switch.

At the same time as organising all these requirements, don't forget to inform your mobile phone provider of your change of address.

Most transfers of utilities are straightforward as you move from one home to the next, but there are some specific cases which need particular attention.

Leasehold properties — because you don't own the property and its grounds outright when you buy a leasehold (that lies with the landlord or the freeholder), certain elements may be provided as part of the service charges. For example, the heating and other utilities made available in communal areas will be paid for by the landlord but charged in some way through the service charges. This information will be in the leasehold pack obtained by your solicitor, so you should verify what your specific utility responsibilities are before contacting suppliers and providers.

New-builds — when you buy a new-build property, you should be aware that the utilities probably won't be connected until post-completion. This means that you don't have any utilities to transfer as such, but you should contact the providers of the utilities to the new-build as soon as you have a completion date (at exchange of contracts) so that connection can be planned as part of your moving into the property.

Buy-to-let properties — if you are buying the property with a view to letting it out to tenants, it is your responsibility to pay the bills until it is let out. As part of the tenant agreement, too, you should make it clear whose responsibility it is to pay for each utility usage and when the tenants' responsibility ends according to the tenure of the rental.

There is so much going on that it is difficult and stressful to ensure everything is successfully managed — and that includes looking after the utilities at both your old and your new properties. Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid:

• Not checking the TA6 form for supplier details — this is an important source of information and not taking account of the information could lead to delays in getting set up or potential disputes over bill payments.
• Arranging transfers before exchange of contracts — prior to this point, you won't know the confirmed completion date and might still be open to the transaction falling through. And you'll be potentially liable for bills.
• Not taking meter readings — failure to take the meter readings in both properties might result in disputes over the final bills.
• Accepting the previous owner's tariff — you are not obligated to stay with either the supplier or (if you do stay) the tariff that the previous occupant was on. Always research and compare the various deals just as you would when comparing conveyancing quotes for the best deals.
• Forgetting about final bills — the final bills from your old property can take 6 weeks or more to arrive at your new home. Ensure the suppliers have your forwarding address.
• Leaving broadband/fibreband too late — because it takes time to set up broadband/fibreband, particularly if there is no current connection, start your planning for it after you formally receive the completion date at exchange of contracts.
• Overlooking council tax registration — late registration with the local council can result in backdated charges and penalties.

If you have any questions about the conveyancing process or want to get a quote, our team is happy to help. Call us on or use our quick quote tool to get instant pricing.