How to set up utilities in your first home

When you complete as a first-time buyer, and now your job is to make your new place livable. But, have you remembered to sort out your utilities?

You'll definitely want your electricity and gas switched on when you move in: you'll want that all-important cuppa to celebrate, but managing home utilities as a first-time buyer can feel like a daunting task.

Let's break down exactly how to find your suppliers, take accurate meter readings on completion day, and avoid expensive deemed contracts to keep your new home running smoothly and affordably.

What utilities do I need to set up for my first home?

When you transfer from renting or living with family to becoming a homeowner, the number of accounts you need to manage can be surprising. For a first-time buyer, utilities are generally split into three categories:

These are your 'life-support' utilities. You cannot choose your water supplier, as it is determined by your property's location. However, you have control over your energy providers.

• Gas and Electricity: On completion day, you will automatically be placed on a deemed contract with the existing supplier. These are often the most expensive tariffs, so it is important to identify the current provider and switch to a competitive rate. Switching as soon as you move in can save the average homeowner between £150 and £300 a year.
• Water and Sewerage: You must notify the regional water board that you have taken ownership. They will handle both your fresh water supply and waste removal (sewerage).

While not a utility in a traditional sense, high-speed internet is essential for most modern households.

• Broadband: If you are moving to a new build, check if the infrastructure is already live.
• Landline: Even if you don't use a handset, a line rental is often bundled with your fiber package.

Failing to set these up can lead to legal penalties, making them just as vital as your power supply.

• Council Tax: You are liable for Council Tax from the day of completion, even if you don't move your furniture in immediately. You must register with the local authority to set up your account and check if you are eligible for any discounts (such as the 25% single-person supplement).
• TV Licensing: If you watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer, you will need to transfer your existing license or purchase a new one for the property.

If you want to stay organised during the transition, you can distinguish between your priorities for before you move and on your move-in day."

Finding your suppliers: who provides my utilities?

As a new homeowner, the responsibility to identify the current providers for your property falls on you. These are normally listed in the seller's property information form TA6, which is part of your contract pack. If for any reason they are not, you should ask your vendor about this or ask your solicitor to find out via the other side's solicitor.

How to identify your gas and electric provider

Your energy will be turned on when you move in, but you won't necessarily know which company is supplying it. Do not wait for the bill to arrive, as you may be charged for higher "emergency" rates.

Locating your water and sewage company

Unlike energy, you cannot switch water companies. Your provider is determined entirely by where your new home is located.

Step-by-step: Setting up utilities for the first time

Once you have the keys in hand, the clock starts ticking on your utility responsibility. Follow these three steps to ensure you aren't overcharged and that your transition to homeownership is as affordable as possible.

Taking meter readings on completion day

This is the single most important task to complete the moment you enter your new home. Taking accurate readings ensures a clean break between the seller's usage and yours.

• Evidence is key: Use your smartphone to take a clear, time-stamped photo of the gas and electricity meters. If there is a dispute later regarding the final bill of the previous owner, these photos are your "audit-proof" evidence.
• Identify the supply: Look for your MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) for electricity and MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) for gas. These unique identifiers for your property are usually printed on the meters themselves.



Contacting the existing suppliers

Even if you plan to switch immediately, you must first establish an account with the providers currently supplying the property.

• The deemed contract: From the moment of completion, you are legally placed on a "deemed contract" with the existing supplier. These are standard variable tariffs and are typically the most expensive rates available.
• Provide your details: Contact the supplier with your move-in date and the opening meter readings you took in Step 1. This prevents you from being held liable for any debt or usage accrued by the previous occupants.



Shopping for the best first-time buyer tariffs

Now that your "life-support" utilities are active, it is time to move away from those expensive deemed rates and find a deal that fits your new budget.

• Compare and save: Use an Ofgem-accredited comparison site to look at the whole of the market. As a first-time buyer, you might prefer a fixed-rate tariff, which offers price certainty. This is great for those navigating new monthly mortgage costs.
• The switching window: While the process has become much faster, it can still take up to 5 working days for a switch to complete. The sooner you initiate the switch after moving in, the less time you will spend paying the higher variable rates.

If you want to stay organised during the transition, you can distinguish between your priorities for before you move and on your move-in day.

When should you start preparing for the switch-over, and when should you start comparing quotes to decide on the best deal?

The best time to do this is as soon as is convenient after exchanging contracts

Before this point, you have much less certainty that you'll complete - either you or your vendor might pull out. However, once you've exchanged, you'll not only have reasonable certainty that you will complete but also you'll know the date of your intended completion, which is the date from which you'll be taking over the electricity and gas in your new property.

• When you've decided on which quote you want to take up, contact the energy company/ies to provide them with the information they need and, most importantly, your completion date, when the switch over will take effect.
• Let your electricity/gas supplier/s know that you're moving - you should give at least 48 hours' notice.
• Read your meters on the day you move out and give the readings to your supplier - keep a note of the readings and the dates and times you took them, in case you don't agree with your final bill.
• Give your supplier a forwarding address so they can send you the final bill - you’ll have 28 days to pay.

If your final bill states that you're in credit, you should claim the money back.

If you’re on a fixed-term tariff, you might be charged to break the contract early (this is known as an 'exit fee'). You can find this information on your energy bill. It may be cheaper to try to keep your existing supplier and move your tariff to the new property, but this isn’t always possible - check with your supplier.

What must you do immediately after you've moved in?

• Check all the meters, note down the readings, and report these to the appropriate existing suppliers. You're responsible for bills from the day when you take responsibility for the new property even if you don't move in on that day and by doing this, you're ensuring that you don't pay the previous owner's bill.
• Check that the heating and power are on by switching on the heating and putting the kettle on.
• If you're intending to switch supplier/s you should contact these. They can only start their switching processes - which may take up to 21 days - once you've officially moved in.

Disabled? Long-term illness? Over state pension age?

Ask your supplier to put you on their priority services register, which gives you extra support such as free gas safety checks.

NB - If you're not intending to switch supplier/s, be aware that unless you've agreed a more competitive tariff with the existing supplier/s, you're automatically put onto a 'deemed contract' which is likely to be one of the most expensive rates.

Pre-payment meter

If your new home has a pre-payment meter, you should contact the supplier before you add any credit because you may be paying for the debt of the previous owner. You should see if you can get the meter changed to a regular one as soon as possible.

New Build - how to set up utilities for the first time?

Your new build property should have gas and electricity meters within it, even if they are not connected to their supply when you move in. If you are already connected, then follow the above directions to ensure that you are billed properly etc. and can switch suppliers as swiftly as possible should you wish to.

It's more than likely that the building developers will have linked up with a nominated energy supplier even if you haven't actually been connected; you should check your documentation thoroughly to see if you have this information already and then contact the supplier/s.

In the event that you do not have this information, the key things you'll require to be connected to any supplier are the MPRN numbers (gas) and MPAN numbers (electricity) on the meters themselves. If you are unsure about what these look like, you should examine previous utility bills, however the MPRN number consists of one (reference) number, whereas the MPAN number has various figures on it - please look at our example above.