Moving utilities - setting up in new house before in

[Mulledwineandmincepies]

Hi
We're due to move next week - I want to set phone/broadband in new property on new contracts as existing one expired. Can I do that in advance so it starts when we get in and if so will current owners get accidentally cut off? Presumably any hardware will go to address on advance - is that ok or considered rude? Contracts etc exchanged so just waiting on completion

phone/broadband set up usually takes a few days anyway so get a move on - you may already be too late. If it is BT, they understand about moving-in dates and will arrange to change the service (and cut off the old one) on the day of the move. If your sellers have a router, they take it with them so they will expect to lose service on completion day.

courteous to contact your sellers to advise what you are doing.

don't forget gas/electric/water meter readings at both properties on moving day.

FYI - I signed us up with a new phone and broadband provider between Christmas and New Year; today was the earliest date they could do the switch. The router arrived on Monday, as scheduled. I imagine it could depend where you are, but expect to wait a fortnight.

BT were abysmal when we moved house and because we only had two weeks between exchange and completion insisted that our phone would still be live at our old property for 2 weeks after we'd moved out, and we couldn't do anything if the new owners racked up a massive bill.

Switched to Virgin for everything and they had us set up within a few days of moving in. BT were absolutely awful at every step of the process and actively lied to us to try to stop us switching from them.

how strange. I moved three times taking my BT box and contract with me and had no trouble at all. Did make sure I spoke to the UK though, because the Indian call centre are incentivised to make things up if they don't understand/can't deal with you quickly.

We are completing on Friday, we called BT today and the earliest they can come to do an install is the 21st. So I'd get on with it if you have a completion date!

The woman I was dealing with was definitely in the UK. As soon as I mentioned we were considering moving to another provider, so many barriers were thrown up, the lies started and the rudeness was unbelievable.

But maybe I was just unlucky! But given that experience I'm thrilled to be shot of them.