Connecting Utilities

When you finally organise a place to live one of the first things you will need to do before moving is to arrange for all of the utilities to be connected and put in your name. By utilities we mean; telephone, electricity, gas and water.

As a tenant renting a property under the terms of the Residential Tenancies Act you are responsible for all the cost of utilities. The telephone, electricity and gas services are the total responsibility of the tenant, which is the usage and service charge. The water is different; where the property has its own water meter the tenant/s pay for their water usage. The service charges are billed directly to the landlord. If the property is older and has a shared water meter, the tenant does not have to pay for water usage at all.

In Victoria all services are now privatized which means you can organise your utilities connection with any provider operating in Victoria. This privatization does not include Water utilities, these are managed in regions and each region has its own water supplier.

For information on who your Water supplier is and which electricity, gas and phone companies operate in Victoria please refer to the front section of the White Pages Telephone directory.

Tips on saving money

Moving in

When you move into a new property you must arrange to have all utilities connected and the bills placed in your name.

Moving out

Arrange to have all utilities disconnected when you move out. Otherwise you could be paying bills for someone else after you have left.

Telephone services

• Shop around, don't just use the first provider listed in the phone book. All telecommunications providers have deals and packages that offer various benefits.
• Make sure you read the fine print before signing any contracts.
• If you make a lot of long distance or international calls, you want to consider purchasing phone cards to use when making those types of calls. The call rate per minute on a phone card in some instances can be much better than what your telecommunications provider can offer you. It will also help you control your spending as well.

Energy Savings - that save you money

• Keep your home warm in winter - close fitting drapes or blinds allow less heat to escape. When running heaters close off rooms that don't need to be heated; e.g. bathrooms, laundry, hallway etc.
• Keep your home cooler in summer - external blinds/shading devices are very effective at keeping the house cool. Windows should be shaded with external or internal blinds, or by keeping the drapes drawn. If the evenings are cooler allow the house to ventilate during these times by opening up all windows and doors to let the evening breeze flow through. By keeping all the windows, doors and drapes/blinds closed during the day will help keep the house cooler during the warmer times of the day.