Find out what is yours
Ask the landlord or the seller two questions: which utilities you pay directly, and which company provides each one. The usual list is electricity, natural gas, water and sewer, trash, and internet. In apartments, water and trash are often billed through the landlord. Most addresses have exactly one electric utility and one gas utility, so there is nothing to shop. A number of states let you choose a separate electricity supplier, and there the utility's default rate is the safe choice, while door-to-door offers of a low variable rate tend to climb sharply after a few months.
The timeline
- Three weeks out, order internet service and take the earliest installation date on or after move-in.
- Two weeks out, open electric and gas accounts with a start date of the day you get the keys. Gas sometimes requires a technician's visit with an adult at home.
- At the same time, set up water and trash with the city or county, which may want a copy of the lease and a photo ID.
- One week out, schedule shutoffs at the old address for the day after you leave, so you are not cleaning in the dark.
- On move-in day, photograph the electric, gas and water meters, which protects you from the previous occupant's usage.
Deposits
A utility that finds little or no credit history may ask for a deposit, commonly $100 to $300. It can often be waived with a letter from your previous utility showing twelve months of on-time payment, or by enrolling in automatic payment. Deposits are typically refunded or credited after a year of paying on time.
Internet without overpaying
Check which providers truly serve the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map, because coverage changes block by block. A household of two or three that streams and works from home is well served by 100 to 300 megabits per second, and gigabit plans are rarely necessary. Fiber is worth choosing where available, since its upload speed matches its download speed, which matters for video calls. Before agreeing, ask for the price after the promotional period ends, usually at twelve months, along with the installation fee, any data cap, and the equipment rental charge. Renting a modem and router runs $10 to $15 a month, so buying compatible equipment pays for itself in about a year.
Tip Put the date the promotional rate expires in your calendar. A ten-minute call that month, asking for the current new-customer offer, usually keeps the bill where it was.
