# Utility transfers at move-in and move-out for landlords

By James Grokman, CEO, TapeAndFloat · 2026-10-25 · Canonical: https://pm.tapeandfloat.com/guides/utilities-move-in-move-out-transfers.html

**A utility transfer checklist is one row per unit, per utility, per move: who holds the account after the move, when the transfer or stop was requested and confirmed, the meter reading with a dated photo, the final bill and any bill-back the lease allows.**
**Free download:** [Utility transfer checklist / log (Excel)](https://tapeandfloat.com/downloads/TapeAndFloat_Utility_Transfer_Checklist_Log.xlsx). A Transfers sheet with one row per unit, per utility, per event (move-in, move-out or vacant make-ready): provider, account number, who holds the account after, date the transfer or stop was requested, confirmed and proof, meter reading, reading date and photo link, final bill date and amount, bill-back amount, date sent and date paid. A Units sheet lists which utilities the lease says the tenant pays and which the owner pays, and Settings has example reminder days you can change. It flags transfers not requested before the move, moves with no confirmation, missing meter readings or photos, final bills not in yet, and bill-backs not sent or not paid. Example rows are labeled; delete them before you start. No email required.

## 1. Why utilities slip at turnover

Move dates shift, and utilities are easy to forget in the middle of keys, inspections and cleaning. A new tenant moves in without putting electric in their name and the owner keeps getting the bill. A tenant moves out, stops service a few days early, and the make-ready crew shows up to a unit with no power or water. A final bill arrives weeks after the deposit is settled, and nobody remembers the meter reading. Each one is small; together they cost money and calls. One row per utility per move fixes most of it.

## 2. Write down who pays each utility, per unit

Before you can check a transfer, you need to know where each account should end up. For every unit, list the utilities (electric, gas, water and sewer, trash, internet, anything else) and who pays each one: the tenant, or the owner (sometimes included in rent). Copy it from the lease into the Units sheet, and put the same list in your move-in letter so the tenant sees it in writing. Your lease and local/state law set who pays which utility and what can be billed back to a tenant; check them or ask an attorney.

## 3. Move-in: same message, same steps, every tenant

A set number of days before move-in (the number in Settings is an example; pick your own), send the tenant the list of utilities they need in their name and the date service should start. Ask for something you can save: a confirmation number, an email from the provider or a screenshot. Use the same message, the same deadline and the same steps for every tenant. On move-in day, read every metered utility and take a dated photo of each meter, at the same time as your [move-in inspection with dated photos](move-in-move-out-inspections-photos.html). For utilities the owner keeps, the reading still goes on the row so the first bill can be checked.

## 4. Move-out: line up the stop and the handoff

When notice comes in, add move-out rows for each utility. Ask the tenant to schedule their stop or transfer for their move-out date and to tell you when it is done. For utilities that should go back to the owner during the vacancy, request service in the owner's name starting the same day, so the make-ready work has power and water. How transfers, stops and final readings work depends on the utility company; ask yours what it needs and how much notice it wants, then put that in your own checklist. Log the date you asked and the confirmation you got.

## 5. Meter readings with dated photos

On the move-out day, read every metered utility again. Take a photo that shows the meter number and the reading, keep the date on the photo, and put the reading and photo link on the row. Save the photos with the unit's inspection photos, not on one person's phone. If a final bill looks wrong later, the reading and the photo are what you check it against.

## 6. Final bills and bill-backs

Final bills often come after the move-out. Settings has an example number of days to wait before the sheet flags a final bill that has not come in. If the lease has the tenant pay a utility that stayed in the owner's name, or a share of one, enter the amount on the row and keep the math with it: the bill, the readings and the dates. Bill back only what your lease and local/state law allow; check them or ask an attorney. Send the tenant a short itemized message with a copy of the bill, and log the date you sent it and the date it was paid. Whether unpaid utility charges can come out of a security deposit also depends on your lease and state law; see [how small landlords track security deposits and move-out deductions](security-deposit-move-out-tracking.html) and ask an attorney before you deduct anything.

If you manage for owners, the final bills and any bill-back payments belong on the [owner statement](owner-statements-small-property-managers.html) and in your [rental bookkeeping per unit](rental-bookkeeping-per-unit-schedule-e.html), with the bill attached.

## 7. A weekly check

Once a week, filter the Transfers sheet for: moves coming up with no transfer requested, moves that happened with no confirmation, missing meter readings or photos, final bills not in yet, and bill-backs not sent or not paid. Each one gets a message, a call or a date. The utility rows sit next to the rest of the turnover work on your [unit turnover checklist](unit-turnover-checklist.html), and the messages to tenants can use the templates in [tenant communication for small landlords](tenant-communication-small-landlords.html).

This is general information about running an office, not legal advice. Your lease and local/state law set who pays and what can be billed back; check them or ask an attorney.

## Where an assistant helps

Move dates, utility confirmations and final bills arrive by email and text at different times for every unit. During the pilot, TapeAndFloat logs the move dates and utility emails you forward into your own Google Sheet, flags transfers not requested before a move, moves with no confirmation and missing meter readings, and drafts the reminders to tenants and owners and the itemized bill-back message for you to approve. It is set up one piece at a time, nothing goes out until you approve it, and during the pilot a real person reviews everything. Calls to utility companies and decisions about charges stay with you.

**Free 60-day pilot:** keep working in your own email and Google Sheet. [Request a pilot spot](../#pilot).

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a utility transfer checklist include?

One row per unit, per utility, per move: provider and account number, who holds the account after the move, the date the transfer or stop was requested and confirmed, the meter reading with a dated photo, the final bill, and any bill-back amount with the date sent and paid.

### Who pays utilities between tenants?

It depends on your lease and your arrangement with the owner, so check them. Many landlords put owner-paid service back in the owner's name for the vacancy so the make-ready work has power and water, and log the date and reading.

### Why take meter readings at move-in and move-out?

A reading with a dated photo on each move day shows exactly what usage belongs to which tenant or to the owner, so you can check final bills and any bill-back against it.

### Can I bill a tenant back for utilities?

Only what your lease and local/state law allow; check them or ask an attorney. If you do, send an itemized message with a copy of the bill and the readings, and log the date sent and the date paid.

### Can unpaid utilities come out of the security deposit?

That depends on your lease and state law, so check them or ask an attorney before you deduct anything. Keep the bill, readings and messages on the row either way.