The contract you did not sign
That is the single most useful thing to know, because the default behaviour, doing nothing for a few months, is also the expensive one.
What actually happens in the first hour:
- You are supplied by whoever supplied the previous occupant. There is no gap and nothing to switch on.
- You are billed from the moment you take occupancy, which is why the meter reading you take on arrival matters so much.
- You can leave that contract at any time, because deemed contracts do not carry exit fees.
- Nothing carries over from your old address. Your previous tariff, your account and any credit balance all stay behind.
Day one: readings, and who to tell
- Read the meters at the old property before you leave, and photograph them clearly. Include the serial number if you can.
- Read the meters at the new property as soon as you get keys, and photograph those too.
- Find out who supplies the new property. Ask the seller or letting agent, or look for paperwork left behind. If nobody knows, the supply number lookup services exist for exactly this.
- Contact that supplier with your move-in date and the opening reading, and set up an account.
- Close the old account with the final reading and a forwarding address for the closing bill or refund.
Where the meters are is worth asking about in advance. In an Edinburgh tenement they are frequently in a communal stair cupboard or a hall press rather than in the flat, and finding yours on moving day with a crew working around you is not the moment you want to be doing it.
Thinking about your own move?
Send us both addresses and your date. You will get a fixed written quote, usually within one working day, and an honest answer about whether your date is a busy one.
Switching away from the deemed contract
The sequence that works:
- Register with the incumbent supplier using your opening reading. This establishes you as the account holder.
- Compare tariffs once you are registered. You now know your supply numbers and can get accurate quotes.
- Switch when you are ready. There are no exit fees on a deemed contract, so there is no penalty for doing it in week two.
- Give a reading on the switch date, so the handover between suppliers is clean.
One caution. If you are a tenant, check your tenancy agreement before switching. Most Scottish tenancies allow it where you are the bill payer, but some require you to return the property to a named supplier at the end.
Broadband is the one with a lead time
Order it as soon as your date is fixed, meaning once missives are concluded rather than when you get keys. What decides how long it takes:
- Whether the property already has a working line. A live connection can transfer quickly. A property with nothing needs an engineer visit.
- Whether you are staying with the same provider. Moving an existing account is usually faster than starting fresh.
- What is available at the address. Full fibre availability varies street by street in Edinburgh, including within the same postcode.
- Whether the building needs permission. In a shared tenement, new cabling can need factor or owner agreement, which adds time nobody warns you about.
Plan a bridge if it will not land in time. A mobile hotspot for a fortnight is cheaper and calmer than working from a coffee shop, particularly if you work from home.
Water, which is where Scotland saves you a job
This trips up anyone arriving from England, where a separate water supplier has to be contacted. In Scotland that step simply does not exist for domestic customers, and looking for the account is a waste of an evening.
What you do need to do is the council tax notification itself, which we cover in detail in our guide to cancelling council tax when moving house.
The full utilities list, in order of urgency
| Utility | When | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Gas and electricity | Day one | Readings and photographs at both properties |
| Broadband | Weeks before | The only one with a real lead time |
| Council tax | Two to four weeks before | Handles your Scottish Water charges too |
| Water | Nothing to do | Billed with council tax in Scotland |
| TV Licence | Within the first weeks | Tied to the property, free to update |
| Mobile | Any time | Address only, no service change |
Two things to locate on the first day, before you unpack anything: the stopcock and the consumer unit. Neither is urgent until it is, and hunting for a stopcock during a leak at eleven at night is a bad evening.
When this will not apply to you
- Bills-included tenancies. Common in student and some furnished lets. There is nothing to set up and nothing to switch, but check what the cap is.
- Prepayment meters. A different process, and you will need the key or card left by the previous occupant or issued by the supplier.
- A landlord-nominated supplier. Some tenancies require a specific supplier, so check before switching.
- New build properties. The developer usually nominates the initial supplier, and there may be a period before you can move away from it.
- Business premises. Entirely different contracts, with no automatic right to switch out of a deemed rate on the same terms. That is covered in our office move checklist.
Common questions about taking over utilities
How do I take over utilities when moving house?
Take meter readings at both properties on the day and photograph them, find out who currently supplies the new address, contact them with your move-in date and opening reading to set up an account, and close the old account with a final reading and a forwarding address.
What is a deemed contract?
The arrangement you are automatically on when you move into a property, supplied by whoever supplied the previous occupant. You did not agree the terms and they are usually more expensive than a chosen tariff, but there are no exit fees, so you can switch away whenever you like.
Do I need to contact a water company when moving in Scotland?
No. Domestic water and waste water charges are collected on your council tax bill based on your band, so there is no separate account and no supplier to contact. Telling the council covers it.
How long does broadband take when moving house?
It varies from days to several weeks, depending on whether the property already has a live line, whether you are staying with the same provider, and what is available at that address. Order it as soon as your date is fixed rather than after you move.
Can I switch energy supplier as soon as I move in?
Yes, but set up an account with the existing supplier first. A switch usually fails if you have no account to transfer from. Once registered, you can move away from the deemed contract at any point without exit fees.
Before moving day
Order broadband as soon as your date is fixed, find out who supplies the new property, and put your phone camera on the meters at both ends. Those three things cover almost everything that can go wrong, and only one of them has to happen on the day itself.
More practical guides to moving in and around this city are collected in our Edinburgh moving guides.
Arrangements described here reflect published UK energy and Scottish water billing guidance as at 3 August 2026. Tariffs, availability and tenancy conditions vary; confirm your own position with the supplier, your landlord or your factor.
