Moving house in the Netherlands in 2026? Here’s the utilities checklist nobody hands you

You’ve found a home in the Netherlands, and in this housing market, that practically deserves a medal. Now for the unglamorous bit: making sure the lights, heating and Wi-Fi actually work when you arrive.

Nobody hands you a utilities checklist along with your keys, so we made one. Here’s what to sort, in roughly the order you’ll need to sort it.

Your moving timeline at a glance

Short on time (or just a proud skimmer)? Here’s the quick version. You’ll find the details for each step further down.

4 weeks before you move

• Register your new address with your gemeente. You can do this from four weeks before your move.
• Check whether your new home has district heating.
• Check which internet providers can connect your new address, and book as early as you can.
• Past the fixed term on your old internet contract? Give notice now, as the notice period can be up to a month.
• Ask your energy supplier to calculate any early-exit fee if you’re thinking of switching.

2 weeks before you move

• Tell your energy supplier you’re moving. Two weeks before is the latest, according to ACM ConsuWijzer.
• Make sure you have an energy contract for your new address, so you’re not left in the dark.

Moving day

• Photograph the gas, electricity and water meters at both your old and new home.
• No power? Check the meter for a zegel (seal) before you panic.

After the move

• Pass your meter readings to your energy supplier within five working days.
• Register with your water company and, if you have district heating, your heat supplier.
• Haven’t told the gemeente yet? You have up to five days after moving.
• Update your address with your bank, employer, insurers and PostNL.
• Open any letters from the grid operator, even the boring-looking ones.

1. Register your new address with the gemeente

First up: tell your new gemeente (municipality) that you’re moving. According to the Rijksoverheid, you can do this from four weeks before your move up to five days after.

Miss that window, and the day you report it becomes your official moving date. Municipalities can also fine you up to €325 for not reporting important changes on time, which is an expensive way to learn about Dutch admin.

READ MORE | Utilities in the Netherlands: the ultimate guide to gas, electricity, and water

Most municipalities let you do it online with DigiD, the Dutch government login. Keep your ID and proof you live there (like your rental contract or deed of sale) to hand.

The upside? Your gemeente then passes your new address on to organisations like the Belastingdienst (the Dutch Tax Administration), pension funds and health insurers. 

2. Arrange your energy contract

In the Netherlands, your energy contract belongs to you, not the house. That means you can take it with you, or use the move as an excuse to shop around.

It also means you don’t inherit the previous occupant’s supplier. Their contract is theirs, and you’re free to pick your own.

Either way, the ACM ConsuWijzer advises that you tell your current supplier as soon as possible and no later than two weeks before you move. 

Planning to switch? Watch out for the opzegvergoeding (early-exit fee). Here’s how it works depending on your contract: 

• Fixed-term contract that hasn’t ended yet: you’ll often pay a fee, even if you’re cancelling because you’re moving.
• Variable or dynamic contract: no exit fee.
• One combined contract for gas and electricity, but your new home has no gas: you can’t cancel just the gas, so the whole contract ends and your supplier may charge a fee for both.

3. Check whether your new home has district heating

Some Dutch homes are hooked up to a heat network, known as stadsverwarming (district heating). Your heating and hot water come through pipes from a shared source, rather than from your own boiler.

However, you can’t choose your heat supplier. Each network has its own provider, and your heat supply is woninggebonden (tied to the home).

So there’s no comparing and no switching. You simply register with the heat supplier for your address when you move in. 

And don’t worry, to stop suppliers taking advantage of that monopoly, the Warmtewet (Heat Act) caps prices. Every year, the ACM sets maximum heat tariffs linked to gas prices, so you shouldn’t pay more than the average household on gas.

Your electricity, on the other hand, is still yours to choose. And if your new place has no gas connection at all, remember the combined-contract catch from the section above.

4. Register with your water company

Just like district heating, you can’t choose your water supplier. It depends on where you live. You do need to let the water company know you’ve moved in and pass on your meter reading. 

Not sure which company supplies your new address? You can use the Vewin website to check this. 

5. Make sure the gas and electricity are actually switched on

If a home has been sitting without an energy contract, the power may be off. This is because grid operators are legally required to disconnect addresses that have no supplier. 

No power on move-in day? Before you panic, check the meter for a zegel (seal). No seal usually means something simpler, like a tripped switch or a closed gas tap.

If there is a seal, you’ll need the netbeheerder (grid operator) to reconnect you. That’s Liander, Stedin or Enexis, depending on your region, not your energy supplier. 

However, there is a catch: they’ll only help once you have an energy contract. 

Once your supplier has registered your contract, you can book a reconnection appointment with the grid operator. And, yep, they’ll likely charge you for it.

Moral of the story: Don’t leave your contract until the last minute.

6. Don’t ignore the letters from the grid operator

Moved in without arranging a supplier? The lights may stay on for a while, but that’s not a free pass. Every connection has to be registered with an energy supplier, and without one, the grid operator is legally obliged to cut you off.

You’ll get warning letters first, so open the post, even the boring-looking envelopes. You’ll also get a bill for the energy you used while you had no contract, according to Liander.

The fix is simple and the same message as above: sign up with a supplier straight away. One way that you can get your contract to start sooner is by waiving the legal cooling-off period.

Once you’ve signed up, your supplier then passes the details on to the grid operator for you.

7. Set up internet and TV

Not every provider works at every address. As the Consumentenbond explains, glasvezel (fibre) hasn’t reached everywhere yet, and for cable internet, there’s only one provider per area.

So check what’s available at your new address and book as early as you can. Providers set their own lead times, and working from home via mobile hotspot gets old fast.

You also have to deal with your old connection:

• Past your fixed term? You can cancel with a notice period of no more than one month, according to ACM ConsuWijzer. Time it right so you’re not paying for two connections.
• Still in your first term? Moving usually isn’t a valid reason to cancel. You may be able to take your subscription with you, or pay moving costs or a fee.

8. Photograph the meters on move-in day

If your meter doesn’t send readings automatically, write down the gas and electricity readings at both your old and new home on moving day. ACM ConsuWijzer recommends taking photos too, so you have proof.

Pass the readings to your supplier within five days of moving. Otherwise, they’ll estimate what you used — and estimates rarely go in your favour.

While you’re down there with your phone, snap the water meter as well. It takes two seconds and could save you an argument later if the figures are ever disputed.

9. Update your address everywhere else

Your gemeente handles the government side, but plenty of organisations don’t get your new address automatically. Here’s what’s left:

• Your post: PostNL’s verhuisservice (moving service) lets you notify companies of your new address for free. Forwarding your post costs extra, from €1.50 per week.
• Your bank, employer and insurers: tell them yourself. Only organisations with access to the BRP (the Dutch population register) get your new details automatically.
• Your toeslagen (benefits): the Dienst Toeslagen (Benefits Agency) gets your new address from the gemeente, but if you receive huurtoeslag (rent benefit), you have to report your new rent yourself in Mijn toeslagen. Buying instead? Then stop your huurtoeslag.
• Your home insurance: send your contents insurer your new address in time. Your premium depends on where you live and how big your home is, so it may change.

Do all that, and you’ve officially out-organised most people in your new street. Now go and find out which neighbour has the good drill.

What’s the most chaotic utility surprise you’ve found in a new Dutch home? Tell us in the comments. Bonus points for sealed meters.