Apartment Utilities Start, Stop and Transfer Checklist

The short answer

Make a list of every service at your current apartment and every service you will need at the new one. Mark which services each lease already covers. Then give each remaining service one action: start, stop or transfer. Set each date directly with the actual provider. Write down a confirmation for every request. On move-out day, record final readings where you can. This process works whether you are moving within New York City, within California or anywhere else. Local rules, fees and lead times come from your lease, your building and the providers that serve your addresses. A generic checklist cannot supply them.

Start, stop or transfer: how to decide

Situation | Likely action | What to confirm with the provider or landlord

The same provider serves both addresses and you pay it at both | Transfer, if the provider offers it | That service ends at the old unit on your move-out date and begins at the new unit on your move-in date, and whether a new account, deposit or credit check applies

A different provider serves the new address | Stop at the old unit, start at the new unit | Two separate dates and two confirmations, plus any installation appointment or access the new provider needs

The new lease includes the service | Stop the old account only | In writing, which services the lease covers and who to contact if something stops working

The old lease included it but the new one does not | Start only | Whether you must open the account before move-in and what the provider needs from you

You will not need the service at all | Stop | The final bill address and whether any equipment must be returned

Information to gather before you contact providers

• Both leases, or the utility section of each, showing which services are included and which you pay for
• Your confirmed move-out date and move-in date, including any overlap or gap between them
• The full old and new addresses, including the unit number exactly as the building lists it
• Account numbers, account holder names and login details for every current service
• The names of the providers that serve the new building, which you can get from the landlord or property manager rather than assuming them
• Building rules that affect installers or meter access, such as appointment hours, elevator reservations or a requirement that management be present
• Whether each service is metered for your unit alone or shared and billed through the building
• Names of roommates or co-signers who appear on any account

How those details shape your timing and priorities

Start with the lease. A service included in the rent needs no new account. Anything left over is your task. Next, compare your two dates. Plan for paid services to begin at the new unit on or before the day you need them. Stop service at the old unit no earlier than your last day there, or the date the lease says your responsibility ends. When you call, ask each provider how much notice it needs instead of guessing. Services that need a technician or installation appointment often take more planning than a simple account change, so book those first. Also check your building's access rules, because they can limit which appointment slots will actually work.

If the move-out and move-in dates overlap, you may pay for two addresses for a few days. If there is a gap, ask the provider and landlord who is responsible for service at the old unit after you leave. Get that answer in writing, not just on a phone call.

Service-by-service checklist

• Electricity: Confirm whether it is in your name. Set the stop or transfer date. Ask whether a final reading will be taken and how. Confirm where the final bill will go.
• Gas: Check whether the unit has gas service at all and whether the lease covers it. Set dates the same way as electricity. Ask whether the provider must be present or needs access for start or stop.
• Water and sewer: In many apartment buildings this is handled by the landlord. Check the lease rather than assuming, and ask management if the lease is unclear.
• Trash and recycling: Ask the landlord whether this is part of the rent or a separate charge, and learn the building's collection rules.
• Internet: Ask which providers serve the new building. Book any installation early. Find out whether you must return a modem, router or other equipment, and by what date.
• TV or other subscription services tied to an address: Update the service address or cancel, and note any equipment to return.

Move-out day: final readings and records

• If your unit has its own meters and you can safely reach them, photograph each one with the date visible and note the reading.
• Keep every confirmation number, along with the date and time of each request and the name of the representative if you spoke to one.
• Confirm that final bills will go to your new address or to your email.
• Ask whether any deposit or account credit is refundable and how it will be returned.
• Return provider equipment, and keep the receipt or tracking number.

Move-in day

• Check that electricity, gas if present, water and heat or cooling are working, and report any problem to the provider or landlord, whichever is responsible.
• If you can reach the meters, record the starting readings so your first bill can be checked against them.
• Confirm that the internet installation appointment is still on schedule, and keep building access arranged for it.
• Update your mailing address with the postal service and with any accounts that send mail, separately from your utility accounts.

Moving in New York City or California

This guide has no verified, location-specific requirements for New York City, California or any other area. It does not say which companies serve a given building, what notice periods or fees apply, or which utilities landlords there must provide. Do not treat a generic checklist as a statement of local rules. Get those answers from your lease, your landlord or building management, the providers that serve your addresses, and your state or city utility regulator. Useful questions include: which services the rent covers, which providers serve the building, how much notice each provider needs, whether deposits or connection charges apply, and who is responsible for service at the old unit after you return the keys.

Copy-ready checklist template

Paste this into a document or spreadsheet. Fill in one block per service, then print it or save it as a PDF to keep with your moving papers.

APARTMENT UTILITIES CHECKLIST

Old address/unit: ______________________   Move-out date: __________
New address/unit: ______________________   Move-in date:  __________

SERVICE: ______________________
[ ] Included in new lease?   Yes / No / Unclear (ask landlord)
[ ] Action:                  Start / Stop / Transfer
    Provider: ____________________   Account #: ____________________
    Stop date (old unit):  __________   Start date (new unit): __________
    Confirmation #: ______________   Date/rep of request: ____________
    Final reading (old):   __________   Photo taken: Yes / No
    Start reading (new):   __________   Photo taken: Yes / No
    Equipment to return: ____________   Return by: __________
    Final bill sent to: _____________________________

Repeat for: Electricity | Gas | Water/sewer | Trash/recycling |
            Internet | TV/subscriptions | Other: ________

ACCOUNT UPDATES
[ ] Mail forwarding set up        Start date: __________
[ ] Address updated on accounts that send mail
[ ] Deposits or credits requested back from old providers