When to look up utilities before the truck is booked

People wait until the closing date feels real, then discover the internet calendar is full and the water district needed two business days. The move was planned for a month. The call was not. Utility Connect can set up the non-local services as soon as the address is known, and can send the gas, water, trash, and regulated-electric information the same day. You still have to enroll in those local utilities yourself. The clock that matters for them is their clock.

A useful window

About two weeks before you will be in the home is the sweet spot. That is enough time for an internet install or a mover to land on the right day, and enough time for you to enroll the local utilities if the first start date is rejected. If you already know the address, beginning as early as 45 days out is reasonable. Earlier than that, plans and appointment boards change and you will do the call twice.

Starting the research is not the same thing as a local account. An early call gets deregulated electric, internet, TV, security, insurance, home warranty, and movers set up with you when you are ready for those start dates. It also gets you the local phone numbers. It does not open the water account. You should not ask a city to begin billing you for a house you cannot occupy, unless you mean to pay for that gap.

What takes longer than people think

Internet that needs a technician, which is why it belongs on the call early
Regulated electric or city water that needs a deposit review or a new premise in a subdivision
Trash desks that only work weekdays
Insurance a lender wants before closing, which we set up with you on the call
Mail forwarding, which you file with the Postal Service and which needs a few days to catch bills

The services we set up do not shrink a municipal waiting period. Enrolling sooner is what shrinks it. The notes remove the hours you would have spent finding the right water number.

If the date moves

When possession slips, call us about the services we set up so those start dates can be moved with you on the line. Separately, call each local utility you already enrolled and change those dates yourself. We cannot call the water department or a regulated electric company to move your order. Your name is on it.

If the new date is inside a few days, say so when you call (877) 587-9566. We will set up what the providers can still set up, and send the local information immediately. Whether the city can start that morning is their answer, after you enroll.

Common questions

Can I do the call before I am under contract?

You can ask what serves an address you are considering. Do not set up services, and do not enroll local utilities, on a house you have no right to occupy.

Who do I call first?

Call us first. We will set up what we set up, and you will leave with the local list. Calling a random electric advertiser before you know whether the market is regulated is how people order a plan the meter cannot take.

Does two weeks include weekends?

Count business days for water, trash, and regulated electric. A Friday possession with research that starts Monday is a weekend, not a window.

The last stretch is the week you get the keys.