Moving Checklist: Changing Utilities

One moving project you'll want to start early is changing utilities. Since you'll have both your old place and your new place, you'll want to make sure you handle both:

• Arranging shut-off in the old place
• Coordinating turn-on in the new place

This includes:

c Cable/satellite television
c Cell phone service
c Electricity
c Gas
c Internet/ broadband
c Local phone service
c Long distance phone service
c Propane
c Recycling pick-up
c Sewer
c Security system
c Trash pick-up
c Water

NOTE: It's a good idea to have utilities shut off at the old place the day after the move, and the utilities at the new place turned on at least a day early, and to have the old utilities turned off the day after Moving Day.

One other suggestion: you can change many of your utilities online on a single site, http://www.WhiteFence.com. In about 20 minutes you can knock out 1-2 hours of work you would have spent going from one provider to another.

Here's why:

• The last thing you'll want to do on Moving Day is trying to coordinate with utility providers needing your scattered attention.
• If something goes wrong on the new utility hook-up, you'll have a bit of extra time to get things fixed so you're not stuck when you move in.
• If you need to finish any last-minute tasks at the old place, you'll be able to have access to lights, heat and/or air conditioning

Have any utility stories, hook-up or disconnect, to share? Please post a reply- I'd love to hear from you.