It is very important to research utility companies in your new area prior to moving there. Find out if you will have propane, gas, forced air, electric heat, oil fire furnace, coal furnace or how water heat. You can call your future utility company and ask them what the average monthly costs are in the area. Again, you may need an address or postcode to obtain this information. Ask what additional start up fees or costs there are. My husband and I were very caught off guard once by a large mandatory deposit just to get our gas turned on. We had just paid a large mandatory first month rent and security deposit, and we were not prepared for the large gas deposit!
We also did not have our garbage picked up once for three weeks after moving into an apartment. I learned that we needed to call the rubbish removal company and place an order to have our garbage picked up. We also learned that if it was not in specific garbage cans, it would not be picked up, and boxes had to be broken down and bound with string! Ask a lot of questions when you call utility service organizations. Most utilities are paid monthly, and for this reason, this is an area of extreme concern. You definitely do not want any surprises in the area of utilities. Utilities are part of your monthly financial puzzle, and they absolutely need to fit. Research and be sure you know the costs!
