Gas is the only service for which the cited guidance explicitly says a final meter reading is obtained, and it links that reading to account closure—not necessarily to the handover date. For electricity and water, the cited details concern account closure, a final electricity bill, and deposit refunds, but do not explicitly state that a final meter reading is required. Sellers should confirm the current rules rather than assume every meter must be read at handover.
What Each Service Confirms
| Service | Confirmed in the cited material | What remains unconfirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity | A residential account-closure process includes a final bill and deposit refund. | Whether a final meter reading is taken or required, and its timing relative to handover or sale completion. |
| Water | A form covers termination of consumership and refund of the water deposit. | Whether a final meter reading is taken or required, and its timing. |
| Gas | The account-closure process includes obtaining a final gas meter reading. | The exact timing of that reading and whether it is a legal condition of handover or sale completion. |
How to Check the Handover File
- Gas: Check whether account closure has been arranged and ask the relevant utility to confirm that the final reading has been recorded.
- Electricity: Ask whether account closure includes a final meter reading and how the final bill and deposit refund are identified.
- Water: Ask whether terminating the account includes a final meter reading and how the water deposit refund is identified.
- Records: Keep any written confirmations with the handover or sale-completion records.
These are practical verification steps, not a statement that any particular document is legally required.
What Still Needs Confirmation
The cited details do not specify a reading deadline, fee, refund amount, refund timing, meter-reading format, or rule requiring a reading before handover or sale completion. They also do not establish that a final meter reading is a legal condition of completing a sale.
Until those points are confirmed, gas should be recorded as the service for which a final reading is explicitly documented during account closure. Electricity and water remain unresolved; the available information does not justify marking either as either required or exempt.