Keep every utility on through recording
Do not schedule any utility to stop before the buyer takes possession. Form 21 requires you to keep the property in the condition it was in at mutual acceptance until possession, and the buyer's final walk-through, the appraiser's or lender's last look, and the buyer's own move-in all depend on power, water, and heat being on. A home with the power off in a Puget Sound winter can also mean frozen pipes, which is a problem you would own.
The right date for each service is the day after recording or the possession date, whichever your contract makes later. Jennifer, RexMont's transaction administrator, sends you the confirmed closing date as soon as escrow sets it, and you make the calls with that date in hand. If closing moves, you move the dates; a shut-off on the original date with a buyer who does not yet own the home is the most common move-out mistake.
Electric and gas accounts stop in your name and start in the buyer's. Water, sewer, and garbage often stay with the property and are handled through escrow, as the next section explains.
Each service, and who handles the final bill
Form 22K lists your providers so escrow can request final balances for the services that can lien the property under Washington law: water, sewer, and garbage. Escrow pays those from your proceeds at closing, so do not close those accounts yourself. Electric and gas are handled between you and the provider.
- Electric and gas: Puget Sound Energy serves most of the Eastside; Seattle City Light serves Seattle for electricity. Stop service in your name effective the day after recording and give a forwarding address. Ask for a transfer, not a disconnect, so the buyer starts service without a reconnection.
- Water and sewer: Bellevue Utilities, Seattle Public Utilities, Redmond, Kirkland, and the water and sewer districts bill by property. Escrow requests the final reading and pays the balance at closing.
- Garbage, recycling, and yard waste: Republic Services, Waste Management, or Recology depending on the city, billed through Seattle Public Utilities in Seattle. The account usually transfers with the property and escrow settles the final amount; confirm yours with your agent.
- Internet, cable, alarm monitoring, and propane or heating oil: private contracts in your name. Cancel or transfer them for the day after possession and return the equipment. If you have an oil tank, note the level for the buyer.
The condition the contract requires at possession
Form 21 sets three standards for what the buyer finds at possession. The property must be in the condition it was in at mutual acceptance, normal wear and tear excepted. You must clean the interiors of any structures and remove all trash, debris, and rubbish before the buyer takes possession. And any repairs you agreed to on the Form 35R must be complete, with receipts delivered as the response requires.
Clean means broom clean in ordinary usage: floors swept or vacuumed, counters and appliances wiped out, bathrooms cleaned, nothing left in cabinets, closets, the garage, the attic, the crawl space, or the yard. It does not require professional cleaning or repainting, although many sellers hire a cleaner for the final pass because the buyer's walk-through happens right after the movers leave.
The buyer usually walks through the day before or the morning of closing. Your agent attends when possible. Anything that does not match the contract at that point becomes a conversation on recording day, when neither side wants one, so do the walk-through yourself the day before with the same eye the buyer will bring.
What stays and what goes
Form 21 lists the items included in the sale unless the agreement excludes them. In the standard form these include built-in appliances, the range and oven, dishwasher, water heater, light fixtures, window coverings and hardware, garage door openers and remotes, installed television mounts, security system equipment, landscaping and irrigation, and anything else attached to the home. If you agreed to leave a refrigerator, washer, dryer, or anything not attached, it is listed on the agreement as an included item; if you excluded a fixture, it is listed as excluded.
Everything else is personal property and must be removed. Leaving furniture, a box of odds and ends in the garage, or a shed full of paint cans is not a favor to the buyer; under Form 21 it is trash and debris you were required to remove, and the buyer can require you to pay for its removal. If the buyer has agreed to take specific items, that agreement belongs in writing, typically through the items-left-by-seller clause in Form 22D or a signed amendment.
When you are unsure whether something is a fixture, ask your agent before you take it. A mounted television is personal property but the mount is a fixture; a chandelier you love is a light fixture and stays unless it was excluded in the agreement.
What to leave for the buyer, forwarding, and the HOA
The things buyers most appreciate on the first night cost you nothing. Leave appliance manuals and any warranties in a kitchen drawer. Leave touch-up paint labeled by room, spare tiles or flooring planks, and the filters and bulbs specific to the house. Leave every key, including mailbox, shed, and interior door keys, every garage remote and gate remote, and the alarm, garage keypad, and smart-lock codes written down. A one-page note with the trash day, the location of the water shutoff and electrical panel, and the names of the people who have serviced the furnace or septic system is a kindness that buyers remember in reviews.
File a change of address with the United States Postal Service effective your move date, and update your address with your bank, insurer, employer, the Department of Licensing, and any subscriptions. Escrow needs your forwarding address for the final settlement statement and any refunds, and the buyer needs a way to forward stray mail.
If the home is in a condominium or homeowners association, the association has its own move-out rules: elevator reservations, loading hours, fob and remote returns, and sometimes a move fee. The HOA guide covers those. Call your homeowner's insurance carrier the day after recording to cancel coverage effective the closing date; keep it in force until then.
Who provides what, by city
Providers for the cities we work in most. Confirm the exact provider for your address on the city’s own site; a few neighborhoods sit inside a different water or sewer district than the city name suggests.
| City | Electric | Gas | Water | Sewer | Garbage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle City Light and SPU are separate accounts. Garbage, recycling and food/yard waste are billed by SPU; the trucks are run by SPU's contracted haulers. The side sewer is the owner's responsibility to the main. | Seattle City Light | Puget Sound Energy | Seattle Public Utilities | Seattle Public Utilities | Seattle Public Utilities |
| Bellevue Water, sewer and storm drainage arrive on one City of Bellevue bill. Garbage is a separate account with the city's contracted hauler. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Bellevue Utilities | City of Bellevue Utilities | Republic Services |
| Redmond Some edges of Redmond are served by a neighboring water or sewer district; the seller's Form 22K will show which entity bills the property. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Redmond | City of Redmond | Waste Management |
| Kirkland Finn Hill, Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods annexed in 2011 are largely served by Northshore Utility District for water and sewer, not the city. Confirm by address. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Kirkland | City of Kirkland | Waste Management |
| Sammamish The north end of the plateau is served by Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District instead. Many Sammamish homes are on septic rather than public sewer; see the septic inspection guide. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | Sammamish Plateau Water | Sammamish Plateau Water | Check with the City of Sammamish |
| Issaquah Parts of the Issaquah Highlands and areas north of I-90 are served by Sammamish Plateau Water. Confirm by address. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Issaquah | City of Issaquah | Recology |
| Woodinville Many Woodinville properties, especially on larger lots, are on septic and some on private wells. Check the Form 17 disclosure. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | Woodinville Water District | Woodinville Water District | Waste Management |
| Bothell Bothell straddles the King–Snohomish county line. The Snohomish County portion gets electricity from Snohomish County PUD and water/sewer from Alderwood Water and Wastewater District, and garbage service differs. Confirm which county the address is in. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | Northshore Utility District | Northshore Utility District | Recology |
| Kenmore | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | Northshore Utility District | Northshore Utility District | Check with the City of Kenmore |
| Renton Some annexed areas on Renton's east and south edges are served by Soos Creek Water and Sewer District or another district. Confirm by address. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Renton | City of Renton | Republic Services |
| Mercer Island | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Mercer Island | City of Mercer Island | Recology |
| Newcastle | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | Coal Creek Utility District | Coal Creek Utility District | Check with the City of Newcastle |
| Kent Parts of Kent are served by Soos Creek Water and Sewer District or other districts rather than the city. Confirm by address. | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy | City of Kent | City of Kent | Republic Services |
| Snohomish County cities Everett, Lynnwood and Mill Creek. Everett runs its own water and sewer utility; Lynnwood and Mill Creek addresses are commonly served by Alderwood Water and Wastewater District or the city. Garbage haulers vary by city. | Snohomish County PUD | Puget Sound Energy | City utility or Alderwood Water and Wastewater District | City utility or Alderwood Water and Wastewater District | Check with your city |
- Puget Sound Energy — start, stop or move service
- Seattle City Light
- Seattle Public Utilities — water, sewer, garbage
- Snohomish County PUD
- City of Bellevue
- City of Redmond
- City of Kirkland
- City of Issaquah
- City of Renton
- City of Mercer Island
- City of Kent
- City of Bothell
- City of Kenmore
- Sammamish Plateau Water
- Northshore Utility District
- Woodinville Water District
- USPS — official change of address
Your checklist
- 1Get the confirmed closing date from your agent and set every utility change for the day after recording; adjust if closing moves.
- 2Keep electric, gas, water, and heat on through possession; never schedule a disconnect.
- 3Stop electric and gas in your name effective the day after recording and give your forwarding address.
- 4Leave water, sewer, and garbage to escrow, which requests the final bills under Form 22K and pays them at closing.
- 5Cancel or transfer internet, alarm, and delivery contracts and return the equipment.
- 6Remove all personal property and leave the home broom clean, including garage, attic, crawl space, and yard.
- 7Leave manuals, warranties, touch-up paint, all keys and remotes, and written codes in one place for the buyer.
- 8File USPS forwarding, update your address with your insurer and bank, and cancel homeowner's insurance effective the closing date once recording is confirmed.
What RexMont tracks for you
- The confirmed closing and possession dates, sent to you as soon as escrow sets them and again if they move.
- Form 22K provider information and escrow's requests for final water, sewer, and garbage balances.
- Completion of any repairs agreed on the Form 35R and delivery of receipts before the walk-through.
- The buyer's final walk-through appointment and any items raised against the Form 21 condition standard.
- Included and excluded items from the agreement, so there is no dispute about what stayed.
- Your forwarding address on file with escrow for the final statement and any refunds.
Jennifer Johansen, RexMont’s transaction administrator, coordinates every date and document from mutual acceptance to keys. Questions on price, terms, or strategy go to your RexMont agent.
Sources
This guide explains the process and the standard NWMLS forms in general terms. It is not legal, tax, or lending advice, and your contract controls. Talk to your RexMont agent, escrow officer, lender, or attorney about your specific situation.
