Why arrange your utilities early when moving home?

One of the challenges with moving home is the number of tasks you have to complete. It’s not simply a case of packing your belongings and moving to your new home on moving day, there is a lot of administration that you have to carry out too.

At Removals Unlimited, we’re well aware of everything that goes into a successful house or flat move, which is why we pack, move and store, to help make the transition to your new property as simple as possible.

While we’re happy to do the heavy lifting as your removals company in Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Ringwood or elsewhere in Dorset, Hampshire or even nationwide, there are certain tasks that you’ll need to plan for yourself. Among them is switching your utility bills from your current home to your new one.

Earlier this year, a survey carried out by Just Move In found that 52% of Brits now find moving one of the most stressful life events. The research also discovered that 44% of house movers spend up to three hours just swapping their utility bills over.

This is one of the reasons why it pays to start thinking about and organising the switch of your utilities sooner rather than later when you know you are going to be moving.

Transferring services and updating existing utility providers was revealed to be the second most stressful element of moving home, with only packing proving more stressful. With our full packing service, we can take that stress off of your plate, so that you can focus your energy on the likes of switching your utilities.

So, how is it best to approach moving your utility suppliers when you move? The following steps from Citizens Advice should help:

Before you move:

●       Make sure you give all of your utility providers at least 48 hours’ notice of your planned move.

●       Read your meters at the home you’re leaving on the day that you move and keep a note of the readings, as well as the date you took them. This will allow you to compare them to your final bill.

●       Give your utility supplier a forwarding address so they can send your final bill and any other correspondence.

After you move:

●       Get in touch with the current utility provider(s) at your new home to let them know you’ve  moved in.

●       Read the meters at your new home on the day you move in and give that to your suppliers so that you receive accurate bills from day one.

It’s also important that you check what tariff you’re on when you move, because often you are automatically put onto the most expensive tariff with a provider. It is certainly worth using a switching service to compare your utility charges and see if you can reduce them.

Our blog about the important documents you need to have available when you move home will give you some tips about what paperwork you should pack carefully in a place that’s easily accessible on or just after moving day.

At Removals Unlimited, we’re here to make the physical part of your house or flat move as stress-free as possible. Contact us for a free, no-obligation house survey and quote. We can even conduct these via video for your safety and convenience.