MoveNaraUtilities: stopped, started, and transferred on the right dates
Utilities are four or five small accounts with one shared failure mode: dates that almost match your move. Power that starts the day after you arrive is a dark first night; service that stops the day before you leave is cleaning by phone light; overlap in the other direction is paying for two homes.
Two rules cover most of it. Start dates at the new place equal your possession or move-in date, not the day after. Stop dates at the old place equal the day after you are fully out, because you will want lights while cleaning.
Electricity
The one that must be on before you sleep there. Start it for your possession or move-in date, not the day after.
- Confirm: Account number and start date in writing
- Confirm: Whether they need a deposit or id check
- Confirm: Meter photo at the old place on your last day
Gas or heating
Some providers need someone home to relight or inspect, which can add a week in winter.
- Confirm: Whether an in-person visit is required
- Confirm: The appointment window if it is
- Confirm: Final reading date at the old place
Water and sewer
Often billed by the city or included in rent. Check who is responsible before assuming.
- Confirm: Whether it is your account or the landlord's
- Confirm: Start date and how the bill arrives
- Confirm: Meter reading at both ends
Trash and recycling
Usually municipal, sometimes a private hauler. Pickup day and bin delivery are the two things that catch people out.
- Confirm: Pickup day at the new address
- Confirm: Whether bins come with the home or must be ordered
- Confirm: Any move-out bulk pickup rules at the old place
Photograph every meter, twice
One dated photo per meter at the old place on your last day, and the same at the new place on day one. It is the cheapest insurance in the whole move: your first and final bills start from numbers you can prove.
Moving in Canada
The same sequence applies with local names: hydro instead of electric in much of the country, and municipal water and garbage in most cities. Ask the final bill to go to your new address, and set up mail forwarding with Canada Post separately; it is paid and not automatic.
Questions
When should I schedule utilities to start at my new house?
For your possession or move-in date, not the day after. Book it about two weeks out, and read the confirmation back a few days before moving: mismatched dates are common and one call fixes them.
Do utility companies charge a deposit when you move?
Some do, or run an ID check, especially for new customers. Ask what is required when you schedule the start so it does not surface as a same-day surprise.
How do I avoid paying utilities for two places?
Stop the old service the day after you are fully out, keep the overlap to that one deliberate day, and photograph the meters at both ends so the final bills match reality.
Your dates change the order. MoveNara puts every step above on your calendar, next to the other services, and tracks what's actually confirmed, not just requested.
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