Home Seller FAQ 10. Now that the house is under contract, can I shut off the electricity ?

Shutting off power...or outages due to storms...like the one we are having this minute...yicks...can be the cause of a great deal of damage...important to keep power on, home safe.

Gita, the power thing is huge especially if the closing gets postponed...be wise & careful for sure!

Very good points Gita. .a good resourceful post that can be used again. . have a great weekend!

Gita- this has been an excellent series. Don't  turn off the electricity! 

Good morning Gita,

You are on a roll with your FAQ questions! Fernando is right this is a resourceful post that can be utilized again..great job!!

Gita: You have been on a roll with this FAQ series.  Excellent tips on whether the electricity should be turned off.

I know it might be tempting for an absent seller to turn off utilities, but there are so many things dependent on electricity that could go work if its shut off. Keep on utilities until closing just to be safe.

It's really strange what sellers think they can turn off. Utilities is one.

But then they also cancel insurance! I have a serious heart palpitation when I hear the seller want to do this. I have to tell them to keep everything on for the reasons you describe. And insurance should be in force -- whether the property is a regular sale or a short sale.

I hate even going into bank-owneds without the power on.

Shutting off teh power before closing is never recomended. We had one this spring where after the selelr shut the power to save money, we had heavy rain, the sump pump had no juice to work and flooded the finished basement causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.