Before packing your first box, make sure to notify your utility and service providers of your move date and new address. This includes essential services like gas, electricity, water, internet, phone, and cable or satellite TV. Notifying them in advance ensures you receive a final bill for service at your old address so you can pay any remaining balance.
Provide the exact date the service should stop and your new address where the service should start. Also give them a forwarding address for the final bill, which may come later. Taking these proactive notification steps alleviates headaches from missed bills or payments during a busy move.
Avoid Bill Surprises While On The Go
Constantly traveling or relocating for extended periods can make paying and keeping track of utility bills a real headache. Set your accounts for automatic and paperless billing to avoid missing payments or getting hit with late fees. Have electric, gas, cable, internet, phone, and other bills set to autopay directly from your bank account every month while you are away, and make sure you have enough funds available to cover those payments?
Also, set up your accounts so that bills can be viewed and managed electronically online through each provider’s website. Retail expert movers recommend routing all bills and statements to a trusted relative or P.O. box that will forward your mail to wherever you end up. With a few preparatory steps before locking up and heading out, you can travel worry-free knowing vital services won’t be disconnected.
Forward Important Mail During Transitions
Whether you’re moving across town or traveling overseas for months at a time, don’t let lapses in mail service leave you in the dark on important communications. Before an upcoming move, submit a change of address to the post office so mail gets routed to your new residence or a trusted contact.
This ensures you receive mail from utility companies, banks, insurance providers, and other services during the transition process. If taking an extended trip, have the post office hold your mail until you return or forward it to a friend or family member who can scan and email you anything urgent.
This way bills, legal documents, and other correspondence don’t pile up unchecked at your empty house while you’re gone for weeks or months. Staying up-to-date on mail prevents unexpected issues.
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Streamline Services While Away
When you’re preparing for an extended time away from home, look at temporarily suspending non-vital home services to save money. Cable TV and internet packages often tack on fees, so you end up paying for services never used.
Before an extended trip or during slow relocation periods:
Put cable TV services on seasonal hold – once reactivated, retain your previous channel package without added fees
Suspend internet if wireless access is not essential during your time away
Stop newspaper delivery which will pile up unread
Place gym memberships on hold status so monthly fees aren’t wasted
Disable alarm monitoring systems with the assurance of quick reactivation
Pausing unnecessary utilities and home services over weeks or months gives savings that add up. Most providers let you conveniently pick up where you left off for seamless transitions.
As the Federal Communications Commission notes, be aware of any terms or conditions associated with temporarily discontinuing services. With some advanced planning, you can streamline the services you actually need and forego the rest while you’re away.
Get Seasonal Utility Rates For Long Trips
When planning for an extended trip spanning multiple seasons, take advantage of many utility providers’ seasonal service plans to maximize savings. Call your gas, electric, and water companies to inquire if they offer special rates for customers who will be away for months at a stretch–common for snowbird travelers and those holding up somewhere warm for the frigid winter months.
Oftentimes providers give breaks on standard bills when they know in advance you won’t actually be occupying the home to use services for a fixed duration. Find out what options are readily available for putting gas, electric, water, and even cable on hold status just until your return, even if you come back at a different time annually.
Checking on special cost-saving programs specific to extended seasonal gaps in service can pay off. This allows flexible travelers focused on warm weather destinations to save a little more towards their next adventure on the road.
Reconnect Services Upon Returning Home
Don’t come home to a property full of shut-off notices! Be proactive by scheduling and confirming the reactivation of utility and home services shortly before your return.
A few days ahead:
Call the cable company to reopen service on your scheduled move-in date – this prevents lagging connections.
Have the power company resume electrical service by your designated date to avoid dark, warm apartments.
Reactivate your home internet modem and wireless router to get back online for work and entertainment needs as soon as you arrive.
Resume your garbage pickup on the day you move back to prevent waste pile-ups.
As cautioned by USA.gov’s household services guidance, don’t assume providers will automatically switch your accounts back on. After lengthy absences, directly request all services be transferred or started at your location effective on the precise date of your arrival to avoid any lapses.
Scheduling ahead alleviates having to reboot utilities one by one after coming home tired from travel. Instead, enjoy seamless access to functioning appliances, climate control, and amenities.
Planning Ahead Minimizes Headaches
Whether you’re frequently on the go or planning an extended getaway, don’t let utility billing and services fall by the wayside. With some advance preparation before transitions, you can redirect mail, suspend non-essential accounts, take advantage of seasonal rates, and seamlessly reconnect everything upon returning home. Staying actively informed and visible to providers while away reduces the chances of penalties, confusion, or disruptions down the road.
A few simple proactive tasks like automating payments or consolidating bills to one trusted advisor can alleviate countless headaches. Embrace solutions that simplify managing obligations from afar. The little time invested upfront in organizing your affairs makes for smooth travels every step of the journey.
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