Tips to Disconnect Utilities When Moving



If you are moving to a new house, you are probably stuck in the difficulties of disconnecting utilities. It is not quite difficult to disconnect these utilities and avoid future hassle. But the thing that matters the most is how to do it efficiently and keep your sides safe. You can research a bit and find professionals like electrician western suburbs to assist in moving your utilities to the new home. Plus, you also need to plan your connected utilities and disconnect them safely to avoid any accidents.

These utilities include electricity, gas, and water services, which should be disconnected once you leave your home. Moreover, you also don’t want to pay double bills for the services that are no longer yours. For that, you will have to contact each service provider to disconnect these utilities or either transfer them to your new house. You also need to be ensured of the safety precautions to avoid any injury. For that, a knowledge of disconnecting the utilities is extremely important. You might not want to spark things up on yourself and end up in the hospital. With that said, let’s discuss some tips to disconnect utilities when moving to a new home.

  • List the Utilities

The first and most important thing to do before moving is to list all the connected utilities in your house. Then decide the utilities which you want to disconnect earlier or at the end of the day. Later on, you will have to make the list of the phone numbers of utility contractors and make appointments for disconnection. The common utilities installed in your house include electricity, water, gas, internet or TV, lawn care, and sewerage.

  • Plan Earlier

In the final hours, you will be packing and putting everything in your sight to move away as quickly as possible. With that, you will forget most of the things besides, which can later put you in jeopardy. However, early planning is always a prestigious practice to avoid ignoring the disconnection of the utilities. You can make a folder by putting all your utility bills to confirm all the connected services in your house. After that, you can call the service providers one by one to disconnect your utilities permanently. You will also need to make the list of contacts of service providers’ contract utilities for the future.

  • Schedule Disconnection

It is not difficult for a utility company and they can quickly disconnect your utilities within 48 hours. However, you have to make sure that your packing is ready so you can move stuff once after the utilities are disconnected. It is recommended to make appointments two weeks earlier and notify them that you are moving to a new place. You will have to assign the disconnection before the day of moving. The reason for that is to avoid any difficulties just in case if you have to head back to the previous house. The same thing you can do for the gas and AC connection, to make sure you have a running heater or AC in harsh weather.

Some service providers require a person of age of more than 18 years old to perform the disconnection. It is recommended that you supervise the disconnection of the house. Get your documents like shut off and leaving dates ready to avoid the hassle after shifting to a new house.

  • Update the Address

Meanwhile, you will be moving away means you don’t have to pay bills for that house anymore. For that, always acknowledge your utility contractor with your new address to avoid double bills in the future. You can also ask your property manager to update your billing location for the new house and remove the previous address. You will need a new connection for the house, so also inform the utility contractors for that. They will need to know the previous and new address to make sure there is no residency in the last location.

  • Check HOA Fees

Apart from updating your address, you may have to check the homeowner association fees before moving out of the community. These fees regard with the disconnection of the utilities like electricity, water, lawn service and also the trash pickups. If you have already contracted their services then you don’t have to make appointments with separate providers. Acknowledge them about your transfer and disconnect any utility services.

  • Pay overdue bills

You also don’t want to pay for the bills of the previous house when you have already moved to a new one. For that, you will have to pay your overdue bills and clear out your documents for the previous address. Call the service providers and ask them about your overdue bills for the utilities. Moreover, also inform them that you are moving away and want overdue clearance on priority. In this case, the utility providers will look up for the previous bills payment with all overdue charges. Once you have paid these charges, you are all good to move freely to the new house.

  • Return Equipment

Also, return the equipment that was provided by the services providers. These equipment include meters, routers, or any other device that was provided on time of connection. Whether you are moving to a new house or renting the previous house, you need to make sure to inform the utility providers.

  • Take the readings

Last but not the least, you want to record the readings of the utility services to make sure you don’t receive unexpected bills. Utility providers may also take the reading and then disconnect the services. But it is recommended that you do it too, so you don’t have to worry about unplanned bills.

Final Words

While moving away, you will have to worry about a lot of things. However, in the case of disconnecting the utilities gives you a peace of mind and settles your wallet. Disconnecting the utilities beforehand hastens the disputing bills and ensures the safety of the house. It is recommended to contact your utility service providers and plan the disconnection that suits your schedule of the transfer.