Electricity, water and gas: why it pays to put them in your name
Leaving them in the landlord's name looks easier and costs more. What you gain and what you risk with each option.
It is one of those decisions taken in five minutes on moving in that shapes the years that follow.
What you gain by putting them in your name
- You can switch supplier and tariff, which is where the real savings are.
- You pay exactly what you use, with no middleman and no estimates.
- You can apply for social tariffs if you qualify: with the contract in someone else's name, you cannot.
- You have a bill in your name, which works as proof of address for many procedures.
What it involves
That you handle connections, faults and cancellations, and that when you leave you must remember to close or transfer the account. If you do not, you will keep paying for a home you no longer live in.
If the landlord prefers to keep them in their name and pass on the cost, ask for the original bill each month, not just the amount. It is the only way to know you are paying for what is actually used.
On arrival and departure
Note the reading on every meter the day you receive the keys and the day you hand them back, with a photo. It is an objective figure that prevents arguments later about consumption that was never yours.
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