Chapter 04Moving · Tool and printable record
Utility transfer checklist
Count back from the first day either home changes hands. One gas utility asks for at least a week's notice to start, stop or transfer service. One city water department says a stop can take up to 7 business days. USPS says to allow 7 to 10 business days for a change of address. Make all the calls on one day, by the earliest of those dates, and file the mail change first.
Source: National Grid, Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service (Long Island home), checked October 10, 2026; City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026; USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, checked October 10, 2026.
Utility transfer checklist
Result Make the calls by Thursday, November 5, 2026
- Old home stops
- Sunday, November 15, 2026, the day after you leave
- New home starts
- Saturday, November 14, 2026, the day you get the keys
- Both homes on
- 1 day (both accounts open)
- Mail forwarding
- File by November 2, 2026; it runs 12 months, to November 14, 2027
In date order
- November 2, 2026 Last day to file the USPS change of address, with the move-in day as the start date
- November 5, 2026 Last day to call: Water and sewer
- November 7, 2026 Last day to call: Electric
- November 7, 2026 Last day to call: Gas
- November 7, 2026 Last day to call: Trash and recycling
- November 7, 2026 Last day to call: Internet
- November 14, 2026 Old home: read and photograph the meters (electric, gas, water and sewer)
- November 14, 2026 New home: service starts; read and photograph the meters
- November 15, 2026 Old home: service stops; ask when the final bill will come
- November 14, 2027 Mail forwarding ends; anything still coming to the old address needs your new one
Old address: ____________________ · New address: ____________________
| Service | Call by | Stop (old) | Start (new) | Provider, account no. | Confirmation no. | Meter readings, old / new |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | November 7, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | November 14, 2026 | |||
| Gas | November 7, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | November 14, 2026 | |||
| Water and sewer | November 5, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | November 14, 2026 | |||
| Trash and recycling | November 7, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | November 14, 2026 | no meter | ||
| Internet | November 7, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | November 14, 2026 | no meter | ||
| Mail (USPS) | November 2, 2026 | Forwarding November 14, 2026 to November 14, 2027 | no meter | |||
Business days here skip weekends but not holidays; add a day for each holiday in the count. Your provider's own notice period wins over these dates.
How to use this, in plain words
Enter two dates: your last day at the old home and the day you get the keys to the new one. Same day is fine.
Tick each service that is in your name now or will be at the new home: electric, gas, water, trash, internet, and mail forwarding.
Read the date at the top. That is the call day: make every call by then, and file the mail change first.
Print the list. Write each provider's name, your account number and the confirmation number in the boxes as you go.
On move day, photograph each meter at both homes and write the readings and the date on the list.
Before you start
- Note 01
Find the old bills first
Each bill has the provider's phone number and your account number. Pull up the latest one for each service before you start calling.
- Note 02
Ask the new landlord or seller who provides what
The landlord, the seller or the city's website can tell you which companies serve the new address.
- Note 03
Keep a forwarding address handy
Final bills go to the address you give when you stop service. San Diego's water department asks for one on the stop request.
- Note 04
Internet may need an installer
If the internet company has to send someone, you need an appointment near key day. Call them first on the call day.
Source: City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026.
How it works
- Old home: service stops the day after you leave, so the lights and water stay on for the last clean and the final walk. New home: service starts the day you get the keys.
- Electric and gas: call at least 7 days before the earlier of the stop and start dates. That is the notice one gas utility on Long Island asks for, so a crew can be booked.
- Water and sewer: call at least 7 business days before, counting back Monday to Friday. That is the most time the City of San Diego says a stop request can take.
- Trash and internet: no published notice period here, so the tool gives them the same week as electric and gas.
- Mail: file the USPS change of address at least 10 business days before move-in day, the top of the 7 to 10 business days USPS says to allow. Forwarding then runs 12 months.
- The call day is the earliest of those dates. Meter days are your last day at the old home and your first day at the new one.
Source: National Grid, Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service (Long Island home), checked October 10, 2026; City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026; USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, checked October 10, 2026.
Worked example
A same-day move on Saturday, November 14, 2026: out of an apartment in the morning, keys to a rented house in the afternoon. Electric, gas, water, trash and internet are all in the tenant's name, and the mail needs forwarding.
- Leave the old home Saturday, November 14, 2026; get the new keys Saturday, November 14, 2026. The old home stops the day after: November 15, 2026. The new home starts on move-in day, November 14, 2026.
- Electric and gas: at least 7 days before the first of those two dates, so call by Saturday, November 7, 2026. Trash and internet use the same week.
- Water and sewer: 7 business days back from November 14, 2026, skipping the weekends, lands on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
- Mail: 10 business days back from move-in day is Monday, November 2, 2026. Forwarding then runs 12 months, to November 14, 2027.
- Meters: read and photograph them at the old home on November 14, 2026 and at the new home on November 14, 2026.
- So the one date to keep is Thursday, November 5, 2026: make every call by then, and file the mail change first.
If the answer surprises you
The call day is earlier than you thought
Business days skip weekends. Seven business days back from a Saturday move lands on the Thursday nine days earlier, before the plain seven-day count.
The old home stops a day after you leave
That is on purpose. You may still be cleaning, handing back keys or doing a last walk on move-out day, and you want the lights and water on for it.
Mail comes first, not last
Mail needs the most notice of anything on the list: 10 business days at the top of the USPS range, against 7 for the water department and a week for the gas utility.
Source: USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, checked October 10, 2026; City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026; National Grid, Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service (Long Island home), checked October 10, 2026.
What to record
The printable utility list has one row per service, with the dates filled in from the tool and blank boxes for what each provider tells you on the phone. Print it blank here, or print your own list from the tool.
- Service
- Call by
- Stop date at the old home
- Start date at the new home
- Provider and account number
- Confirmation number
- Meter reading at each home, with the date
Variants
Same provider at both homes
Moving across town often keeps the same electric or gas company. Then it is one call: ask them to transfer the account, and give both dates, the stop at the old address and the start at the new one.
A gap between homes
If you leave on the 29th and get keys on the 8th, the tool still stops the old home the day after you leave and starts the new one on key day. The days in between show as days with neither home in your name.
Keys before you leave
If the new lease starts before the old one ends, both accounts run at once for the overlap. The tool counts those days, so you know how long you pay for two homes.
Landlord pays some services
Untick anything the lease puts in the landlord's name, in some apartments water, sewer and trash. Ask the landlord for the meter reading on move-in day anyway, and write it on your list.
Numbers this tool uses
- Notice one gas utility asks for to start, stop or transfer serviceat least a week (5 to 7 days for a crew visit) National Grid, Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service (Long Island home), October 10, 2026
- Time one city water department says a stop request can takeup to 7 business days City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, October 10, 2026
- How early that city takes a stop requestup to 30 days before move-out City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, October 10, 2026
- Time USPS says to allow for a change of address7 to 10 business days after approval USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, October 10, 2026
- Standard USPS mail forwarding12 months USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, October 10, 2026
Limitations
- Planning estimate; check the manufacturer's label on any modem you are handed, and each provider's own notice period, which wins over these dates.
- The notice periods come from one gas utility, one city water department and USPS. Your providers may ask for more or less time; ask on the first call and change your dates.
- Business days here skip weekends but not holidays. Add a day for each holiday inside the count.
- This is a list of dates and records. It does not compare providers, plans, rates or deposits, and it does not say what a lease requires.
Tips and tricks
- Tip 01
Make every call on one afternoon
Block an hour on the call day and work down the list. One sitting means one set of notes, and nothing gets left for move week.
- Tip 02
Write the confirmation number before you hang up
Ask for it on every call, along with the stop or start date they booked, and write both on the list while you are still on the phone.
- Tip 03
Photograph the meters with something dated
Hold the printed list or a phone showing the date in the frame, so the photo carries the date as well as the reading.
- Tip 04
Check the start the day before
Call or log in the day before key day and make sure each start is still booked for the right address.
- Tip 05
Keep the list until the final bills are paid
Put it in the binder or the moving folder with the condition record. You need the readings and confirmation numbers if a final bill or a deposit refund needs sorting out.
What we would do
File the mail first, then make every call on one day
Enter your dates and print the list. File the USPS change of address that day or the next, then make all the provider calls in one sitting by the call date, internet first. Write each confirmation number as you go. On move day, photograph the meters at both homes and keep the list with your moving papers until every final bill is settled.
Questions
How far in advance should I set up utilities when moving?
Start about two weeks out. USPS says to allow 7 to 10 business days for mail, one city water department says a stop can take up to 7 business days, and one gas utility asks for at least a week so it can send a crew.
Source: National Grid, Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service (Long Island home), checked October 10, 2026; City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026; USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, checked October 10, 2026.
Can I call too early?
Some providers take requests well ahead and some do not. The City of San Diego takes a stop request up to 30 days before move-out. If a provider says it is too early, write down the first day they will take it and put that on your list.
Source: City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026.
What do I need ready when I call?
San Diego's water department lists the account holder's name, the account number if you know it, the service address, a phone number and email, the date to stop, and a forwarding address for the final bill. The same list works for most calls. Have the new address and the start date ready as well.
Source: City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026.
Why read the meters myself?
So you have your own record of where the account changed hands. Take a photo of each meter dial or display on your last day at the old home and your first day at the new one, and write the number and the date on the list. If a final bill looks off, you have the reading to compare.
How long does USPS forward mail?
Standard forwarding lasts 12 months, and USPS also sells extended forwarding. Use the year to give every sender the new address; the tool puts the end date on your list.
Source: USPS, Standard Forward Mail and Change of Address, checked October 10, 2026.
Does the tool save my dates?
No. The list is rebuilt from the form each time and nothing leaves your browser. Print it, or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
Part of a system
This page is one part of a bigger job. The system page puts the parts in order.
Guides that go deeper
Know-howMeter readings to record on move dayRead and photograph the electric, gas and water meters at the home you leave and the one you move into. How digital and dial meters read, and what to write.Read the guide
Practical noteWhat to have ready when you call a utilityThe details a utility asks for to stop or start service, the papers a new account may need, and what to write down before you hang up.Read the guide
Practical noteHow to fill in a move-in condition checklistOne letter per row, then what, where and how big, plus the photo number. Notes a stranger can read a year later, and what to do with the copies.Read the guide
Related tools
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Chapter 01Home inventory sheetList what you own room by room, with what you paid, serial numbers and which items have a photo. See each room's total and print a one-page sheet.Open the tool
Chapter 01Appliance and warranty logRecord each appliance's model number, serial number and purchase date, see which warranty ends next, and print a one-page log for the drawer.Open the tool
Chapter 01Smoke and CO alarm plannerCount smoke and CO alarms level by level from NFPA's placement list, then get the replace-by date and the next battery change for your alarms.Open the tool- Chapter 04All moving toolsMoving tools with a printable sheet behind each one: a numbered move-in photo list, a condition sheet for renters, and the dates to call each utility.Open the chapter
Sources
- Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service, National Grid (Long Island, New York, residential gas). Checked October 10, 2026.
- Stop Water/Wastewater Service, City of San Diego Public Utilities Department. Checked October 10, 2026.
- Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address, United States Postal Service. Checked October 10, 2026.
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