utilities for house to rent

silvercar

I am completing on a house next week that is going to be rented out. Chances are it will be empty initially (hopefully not for long). Should I arrange to take over the utilities just for a few weeks/days until a tenant takes them on? Or should I leave the empty with the utilities switched off?

silvercar

Anyone know?

Jo_anne_2

Why not phone the utilites companies and tell them the property will be empty until a tenant moves in? There should be nothing to pay if the property is unoccupied. The utilities are not switched off as such. There will be a form from the council to fill in about council tax - again nothing to pay but they do need to be informed.

sooz

take meter readings as soon as you get the keys - gas, electricity and don't forget water if it's on a meter.

if you do not have alot of work to do before renting the place out, i would not bother informing the utilities, just make sure you keep the meter readings safe, and then call with new tenant's details and meter readings from when they move in - and ask for the difference between the two readings and dates to be billed to you.

however, the previous poster is not quite right, even if you are not using any of the utilites, you will still have to pay the daily standing charges, so there will be some small bills. also the council tax will not be free. unless you are doing substantial works to the property, and it is uninhabitable, you will have only a 10% discount. i would call the council to confirm the date you take over the property and that it is vacant, and then write to them with your new tenant/s names when they move in.

Jo_anne_2

sooz wrote:

however, the previous poster is not quite right, even if you are not using any of the utilites, you will still have to pay the daily standing charges, so there will be some small bills. also the council tax will not be free. unless you are doing substantial works to the property, and it is uninhabitable, you will have only a 10% discount. i would call the council to confirm the date you take over the property and that it is vacant, and then write to them with your new tenant/s names when they move in.

It may vary from council to council, but for the area where my BTL is the council sent me a form to complete and there was no council tax to pay while the property was unfurnished and unoccupied.

silvercar

There should be no council tax to pay as I can prove I'm not living there.

With the utilities, I don't know who the gas and electric company are which poses a problem.

for BT, I guess I just don't take over the service. I can't really phone them and ask NOT to have a line!

We are in a compulsary metering area so The water board will fit a meter as soon as we complete.

We are completing on this house the same day as we complete on our new home (same chain, hence the purchase) so I really want to be sorting out my new home not this house.

clutton_2

if you phone your own gas/electric companies they can give you a number which lists all suppliers for all properties in the uk.

Dan29

silvercar wrote:

There should be no council tax to pay as I can prove I'm not living there.

It depends on the council but Hammersmith and Fulham are currently charging me 90% "second home" council tax rate for a flat I'm selling. The fact that no one lives there is irrelevant unless, as stated above, the property is undergoing major renovations - which they might well want to check.

It would be cheaper to get 25% single person discount on this property and 25% on my own home but this could have credit record implications as well as being a bit dishonest.

Dan29

sooz wrote:

you will still have to pay the daily standing charges

Might be worth switching to zero standing charge tariffs if possible?

irnbru_2

Dan29 wrote:

Might be worth switching to zero standing charge tariffs if possible?

Providing it doesn't prevent the tenant from switching to something else.

silvercar

Phoned my current electricity provider intending to arrange service at the house we are moving into ourselves. He said everyone normally takes over the service with the current provider at that address. If we wanted to change we may find we are stuck with the original provider for 20 days. As far as the BTL goes, we willtake on whoever provides there at the moment and the tenants will just follow suit.