Moving In or Out? The Meter Reading Checklist That Prevents Disputes

The short answer

Take opening and final meter readings on the day responsibility changes, photograph the full meter and serial number, and preserve the handover date. This creates a defensible boundary between occupants even if the provider processes the account later.

Provider workflows differ, but the evidence principle is consistent. Ecotricity’s moving guidance, for example, asks for a reading near the responsibility date and recommends a photo that also shows the serial number; see its moving-in guidance.

Before moving in

• Confirm who is responsible for each electricity, gas and water account.
• Ask whether any meter is shared, prepaid, dual-rate or linked to solar.
• Locate every accessible meter without opening a sealed enclosure.
• Identify common-area and landlord-controlled supplies separately.

Do not inherit an informal label such as “top meter” without verifying the serial number against a bill, portal or responsible party.

On the handover day

For each meter, capture:

1. Property and unit.
2. Utility type.
3. Full meter serial number.
4. Every required register—for example Rate 1 and Rate 2.
5. Cumulative value and unit.
6. Date and local time.
7. A clear photograph of the whole face.

If the key handover occurs at a different time, note that fact. False precision is less useful than an honest note such as “reading taken at 18:20, keys received at 16:00.”

A practical photo set

Take one wider image showing which meter you photographed and one close image where the serial number, unit and register are legible. Avoid glare, fingers covering labels, and a crop that shows digits but not identity.

Share the readings through the provider's accepted channel and save the confirmation. When appropriate, include the landlord, agent or incoming/outgoing occupant in a written handover record.

Moving out

Record the final values before access ends. Do not delete the property history after sending the readings: final bills, adjustments and deposit questions can arrive later.

Check the final bill for:

• The correct account end date.
• The correct meter and register.
• Actual versus estimated status.
• Previous and final reading dates.
• Any credit, arrears or adjustment handled separately from usage.

Common dispute patterns

“The first bill includes the previous occupant”

Compare the bill's opening value and date with your handover evidence. A current photo alone cannot prove the earlier boundary if the opening reading was never saved.

“The agent's inventory has a different number”

Check whether one record captured a decimal digit, a second register or the wrong meter. Preserve both originals while the responsible party investigates.

“The smart meter should have done it automatically”

Remote communication can fail independently of the physical meter. Confirm the final account used an actual reading instead of assuming transmission succeeded.

A clean MeterPilot structure

Create the property explicitly, add each verified meter, and use the first handover value as a dated starting observation. At move-out, preserve the final observation and export the relevant record if it must be shared. The history stays attached to the meter rather than to a vague household note.

Workflow visual reservedOpening and final responsibility boundaries

Reserved for an anonymized handover workflow with meter identity, timestamps and evidence status. No unrelated screenshot has been substituted.