Moving in
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⚡ Quick answer
- Register for council tax with your local council. It's mandatory.
- Find your current energy supplier, then switch if you want a cheaper one.
- Set up water. Most of London is on Thames Water.
Congratulations on your new flat! 🎉
Now comes the worst part. You need to register and pay for all the services. And pay a lot… 💸
🏛️ Council tax
Council tax goes to the council where you live. Not sure which council is yours? Use gov.uk’s council tax page to find its website.
- ⚠️ It’s mandatory. You don’t want them opening a case against you.
- 💷 It doesn’t come out of your pay. You pay it yourself.
💡 Tip: If you live alone, you get 25% off.
📺 TV licence
Be careful with this one.
- You need a licence to watch live TV on any channel or device.
- You also need one to use BBC iPlayer at all.
- You don’t need one if you only use streaming services like Netflix.
They love to chase you about it 📨. If you don’t need a licence, you can tell them. You don’t have to let a TV Licensing officer into your home 🚪.
⚡ Energy
First find your current supplier at Find My Supplier. Then you can switch.
My contract says I can’t change the supplier without written permission. If you pay the bills, you usually have the right to choose your supplier. Compare prices on Uswitch 🔍.
In London you send gas and electricity meter readings yourself 📸. It’s usually easy in your supplier’s app.
💧 Water
Most of London is on Thames Water. Check your postcode, as a few areas use a different company.
You can register ahead of time on Thames Water’s new customer page. You only need your start date 📅.