Step 4 of 4
Set up utilities
Set up and manage the electricity, gas, and water services used by your home.
Overview
Utility arrangements depend on your property, location, landlord or management company, and the service available at the residence. Confirm which services you must arrange yourself, understand how bills are paid, keep provider information available, and complete the appropriate procedures when your circumstances change.
Requirements
- Confirm which utilities you are responsible forCheck your lease, landlord, real-estate agency, or management-company information to determine whether electricity, gas, or water is included in your housing arrangement or must be contracted or activated separately.
- Confirm the applicable procedure for your addressThe organization and procedure for electricity, gas, and water can depend on the property and location. Follow the instructions applicable to your residence.
- Understand your payment arrangementsConfirm billing dates, available payment methods, and how you will receive bills or usage information for each service.
Documents and items
- Service addressKeep the complete address of the residence available when starting, changing, or terminating utility services.
- Customer and contract informationKeep customer numbers, contract references, bills, notices, and provider contact information so that you can identify the account when requesting support or making changes.
- Payment informationKeep the information needed for your chosen payment method and update it when necessary.
- Landlord or management-company informationKeep property-management contact information available in case a utility issue involves building equipment, shared infrastructure, or access to the property.
Actions
- Confirm electricity arrangementsCheck the electricity arrangement for your residence and complete any required start, change, or payment procedure.
- Confirm gas arrangementsIf your residence uses gas, follow the applicable start-of-service and safety procedures. Depending on the service and property, an appointment or access to the residence may be required.
- Confirm water arrangementsFollow the procedure of the municipality, water authority, or other organization responsible for water service at your residence.
- Review bills and usageCheck bills and usage information regularly so that unexpected charges, missed payments, or unusual consumption can be identified.
- Know where to report problemsKeep the appropriate utility and property-management contact information available for outages, leaks, equipment problems, billing questions, or other service issues.
- Complete procedures when movingWhen changing residence, check which utilities must be stopped, transferred, or newly started and complete the relevant procedures for both the old and new addresses.
Practical notes
- Utility arrangements are not identical across Japan and may differ by municipality, building, property, and provider.
- If a utility problem appears to involve building-owned equipment or shared infrastructure, contact the landlord or management company as appropriate rather than modifying equipment yourself.
- Gas requires particular attention to provider safety instructions. Follow the applicable instructions if you smell gas, suspect a leak, or have a problem with gas equipment.
- Keep payment and contract records so that account details can be confirmed if a billing or service issue occurs.
- Before moving or leaving Japan, check termination procedures early enough to settle final bills and arrange any necessary service appointments.