Meter readings when moving house: gas, electric, water

General information for the UK as at October 2026, not legal advice. Water billing differs in Scotland and Northern Ireland; check with your supplier or Citizens Advice for your situation.

When you move house, read the gas, electricity and water meters on the day you get the keys (or hand them back), take a clear photo of each meter showing the numbers, and give the readings to each supplier straight away. This makes sure your first or final bill only covers the energy and water you actually used. If you're renting, put the readings and photos in the check-in or check-out report too.

Why take meter readings when you move?

Without a reading on the day you move, the supplier estimates. Estimated bills are often wrong, and you can end up paying for the previous occupier's usage, or the next one's. A dated photo settles any argument quickly. Citizens Advice recommends reading the meters on moving day and keeping a record in case you need to dispute a bill. See their guide to moving home and your energy supply.

Where to find your meters

• Gas meter: usually in a box on an outside wall (often white or cream, with a triangular key), under the stairs, in a kitchen cupboard, or in a communal meter cupboard in flats. The meter key for an outside box is worth adding to your keys list.
• Electricity meter: in a cupboard near the front door, under the stairs, by the fuse box (consumer unit), in an outside box, or in a communal cupboard or basement in flats. In blocks, check the meter's serial number matches your flat, not your neighbour's.
• Water meter: often under the pavement or by the front boundary, under a small cover (sometimes marked "water meter"), or indoors under the kitchen sink or where the water pipe comes in. Not every home has one.

If you can't find a meter, ask the landlord or agent, or check the last bill, which often gives the meter serial number.

How to read a gas meter

• Metric meter (shows "m³"): write down the numbers before the decimal point, usually the first five black digits. Ignore the red digits or anything after the point.
• Imperial meter (shows "ft³" or "cubic feet"): write down the first four black digits, and ignore any red ones.
• Smart meter: press the button shown on the meter (often "A" or "9") until the reading appears, or use the in-home display. If it isn't working in smart mode, take a manual reading.

How to read an electricity meter

• Digital meter: write down the numbers from left to right, ignoring anything after the decimal point or shown in red.
• Two-rate meter (Economy 7 or similar): there are two readings, often labelled "low" and "normal", or "night" and "day". Record both, and note which is which.
• Dial meter: read each dial from left to right. If a pointer is between two numbers, write down the lower one.
• Smart meter: scroll through the display with its button to find the import reading, or use the in-home display.

Citizens Advice has pictures of each type in how to read your gas or electricity meter.

How to read a water meter

Water meters show cubic metres. Write down the black numbers and ignore the red ones. Some meters also have a small dial that turns when water is flowing: if it moves with every tap off, there may be a leak, which is worth reporting to the landlord. If there's no meter, you'll be billed a fixed charge, and you still need to tell the water company you've moved in or out.

Prepayment meters

For a prepayment (key or card) meter, photograph the credit or debt shown on the display as well as the reading. Citizens Advice suggests not topping up a prepayment meter in a new home until you've contacted the supplier, so any debt left by the previous occupier isn't taken from your money.

Taking good meter photos

1. Clean the glass if it's dusty and use the torch if it's dark.
2. Get the whole reading in focus, with the serial number in the same shot or in a second photo.
3. Take a wider photo showing where the meter is.
4. Make sure the photo carries the date and time. A photo stamped with the date in the image itself is stronger evidence than a file date.

DIY Inventory has a step for each meter: photograph it, type the reading in large print, and the date and time are burned into the photo. At a check-out started from the check-in, the report shows readings then and now side by side. See it in the example report.

Telling suppliers you've moved

1. Find out who supplies the property. Ask the landlord, or use the steps in Citizens Advice's guide to finding your gas or electricity supplier. Gas and electricity can come from different suppliers.
2. Moving out: tell your suppliers at least 48 hours before you go, give the final readings on the day, and give a forwarding address for the final bill.
3. Moving in: contact the current supplier with your readings. You'll usually be put on their standard tariff until you choose a deal or switch.
4. Water: tell the water company for the area, with the reading if there's a meter.
5. Council tax: tell the council too.

In Scotland, household water and sewerage charges are usually collected with council tax. In Northern Ireland there are no separate household water charges.

Meter readings for tenants and landlords

Most tenancy agreements make the tenant responsible for the bills during the tenancy, and the landlord between tenancies. Recording readings at check-in and check-out, with photos, shows exactly where one person's responsibility ends. If you're the tenant, send the readings to the landlord or agent as well as the suppliers. More on the end of a tenancy in our check-out inspection guide, and on the start in how to do a check-in inventory.

Questions

Updated 27 October 2026