Set Up Internet, Utilities and Your Address After a Move

Two to three weeks before you move

• Find out which electric and gas utility serves your new address and start service in your name for move in day.
• Ask your landlord or seller who handles water and sewer, since it can be a town or a private company.
• Check which internet providers serve the exact address. The FCC National Broadband Map lets you search by address.
• Book internet installation early. Popular dates fill up near the end of the month.

Choosing internet

• Check which technologies reach your building: fiber, cable, fixed wireless or others.
• Ask about the regular price after any promotion ends, not only the first year price.
• Ask about equipment fees and contract length.
• If you work from home, ask about upload speeds, not only download speeds.

Change your address

• File a change of address with USPS so mail follows you.
• New Jersey: report your new address to the MVC within one week.
• New York: change your address with the DMV within 10 days.
• Update your voter registration. Vote.gov links to each state.
• Tell your employer, bank, card issuers, insurers, doctors and subscriptions.

Moving week

• Schedule your old utilities to stop the day after you move out.
• Take meter photos at both places on moving day.
• Keep the router, modem and power cables in a box that travels with you.
• Test the heat, hot water and outlets the first day.

If you have a utility problem

In New Jersey, the Board of Public Utilities oversees electric, gas and water utilities. In New York, the Department of Public Service does. Both explain how to file a complaint if your utility does not resolve a problem.

Renters and buyers have different steps

Renters should ask the landlord which utilities are included in the rent and which you set up yourself. Some buildings include heat or water. Others bill you separately.

Buyers should ask the seller for recent utility bills to estimate monthly costs, and confirm the final meter readings at closing. If the home has oil heat, ask how the oil left in the tank is handled at closing.

Your first month checklist

• Confirm your mail is arriving through the USPS forward.
• Check that the first utility and internet bills show the right address and start date.
• Update your address with your car insurance and renters or homeowners insurance.
• Register your car and update your license in the time your state requires.
• Save your moving receipts. Ask a tax preparer whether any are useful at tax time.

Working from home after the move

If you work from home, treat internet like a utility you cannot live without. Ask the provider for the earliest install date, and have a backup plan such as a phone hotspot for the first days. Ask your building whether any providers already have wiring inside, since that can make installation faster.

Set up your router in a central spot, away from thick walls and appliances. If your home is large or has several floors, ask your provider about equipment that covers the whole space.

Do not forget these

• Trash and recycling pickup days, which your town's website lists.
• Parking permits, if your street or building requires one.
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: test them on day one.
• Renters or homeowners insurance that starts on your move in date.