Utilities Setup Guide For PMI James River Residents

Utilities Setup Guide For PMI James River Residents
By PMI James River - Monday, January 5, 2026

Most utility problems in a rental do not start as “billing issues.” They start as a timing mismatch between a lease start date and the day a provider can activate service, which turn into no heat, no hot water, a missed trash pickup window, or a shutoff notice that lands after a move is already underway.

A clean setup depends on two things: which services must be in the resident’s name, and which services stay tied to the property because the locality bills the owner and the charge is recovered through rent or passthrough billing. Those rules vary across the Richmond metro area, especially between Richmond City, Henrico County, Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and nearby independent cities.

PMI James River treats required utilities as a possession condition for move-in, since an “off” home can create immediate property-risk scenarios in the Richmond metro area, especially during temperature swings. The PMI James River resident resources hub and the resident handbook anchor the broader expectations that sit around this utilities guide.

Table Of Contents

  1. What “Utilities In The Resident’s Name” Means

  2. Timing That Actually Matters

  3. Recommended Steps

  4. Common Case And Messy Case

  5. What Changes The Answer

  6. Utility Providers By Locality

  7. Avoidable Mistakes That Get Expensive

  8. A Simple Decision Path

  9. Next Step

What “Utilities In The Resident’s Name” Means

Utility responsibility gets confused because people use the same word to describe different arrangements. Clarity matters because the wrong assumption usually shows up as a service interruption, not as a polite email from a provider.

  • Lease Start Date. The first day the resident is financially responsible for the home, even if move-in happens later.

  • Activation Date. The day the provider turns service on for that account.

  • Owner-Billed Utilities. Services billed to the owner by a city or authority, sometimes recovered from residents through rent or passthrough billing.

  • Resident-Billed Utilities. Services billed directly to the resident by the provider, typically electric, gas, water, sewer, and trash, depending on locality.

  • Transfer. Moving an existing meter from one responsible party to another, not physically moving anything.

Timing That Actually Matters

The highest-risk window is the gap between when a resident becomes responsible for the home and when service is actually active. That gap is when heat failures, frozen pipes, and “no power for the locksmith” situations happen.

A second timing problem appears when a provider treats a transfer like a new account. Deposits, identity verification, and appointment-based activations are common friction points, and they usually hit at the same time a resident is juggling moving logistics.

Recommended Steps 

Utility transfers go smoothly when lead time is allowed for documentation and edge-case requirements.

  • When To Act. Some providers need several days to open a new account or schedule an activation, so utility transfers should begin at least seven (7) business days before the lease start date.

  • What To Have Ready. Providers typically ask for a full legal name, an ID number (driver’s license or Social Security number), the service address, and the lease start date; some providers also request a copy of the lease agreement. Some providers run a soft credit check to determine whether a deposit is required. If a provider requests landlord authorization or property manager contact information, the call can be routed to 804-916-5153 (select option 4).

  • In-Person Requirements. A small number of providers require in-person submission for certain applications, which becomes a real constraint for residents relocating into the Richmond metro area. When an in-person requirement creates an undue hardship due to travel timing, the next step usually depends on the provider’s alternative verification options and the property’s lease start date. Get in contact with us via leasing@pmijamesriver.com if this applies to you. 

Common Case And Messy Case

Common Case. Electric and gas accounts are transferred ahead of time, the activation date matches the lease start date, and the resident never experiences a service interruption. Water, sewer, and trash still need to be confirmed at the address level because locality rules vary across Richmond City, Henrico County, Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and nearby independent cities.

Messy Case. A resident schedules utilities around move-in day rather than the lease start date, or discovers the provider’s earliest activation slot is later than expected. The home sits without climate control during a cold snap or heat wave, or the resident inherits a shutoff risk because a prior account closed early. The fix is often simple, but the consequences are driven by time without service, not by intent.

What Changes The Answer

Utility setup gets simpler when the property is a detached single-family home in a locality with consistent billing rules. It gets harder when any of the factors below apply.

  • All-Electric vs Gas Appliances. Gas heat, gas water heaters, and gas ranges change which provider matters on day one.

  • Multi-Unit Buildings. Shared meters and master-metered services can keep water, sewer, or trash out of the resident’s name even when electric is resident-billed.

  • HOA Or Condo Arrangements. Some communities bundle trash, recycling, or even water into association dues, which changes what a resident can or cannot open in their own name.

  • Well Or Septic. “No water bill” does not mean “no water risk,” and septic failures behave more like maintenance emergencies than billing problems.

  • Locality Rules. Independent cities like Richmond, Petersburg, and Colonial Heights often handle water, sewer, stormwater, and trash differently than surrounding counties.

Utility Providers By Locality

Locality determines who owns the bill, not just who owns the pipes. Provider names below describe the typical setup residents encounter, but the lease and the property’s specific meters still control the final answer. 

Important. Utility territories can change street by street, so the provider listed below may not service a specific residence. If the listed provider does not service the address, that provider (not PMI James River) is typically best placed to identify the correct utility to contact.

Electric Service. This map from the VA State Corporation Commission is a good approximate guideline to find the electric utility serving your home.

Richmond City, VA

Richmond City is the most “single portal” locality in the region for resident-facing utility information. Gas, water, sewer, trash and recycling generally all can be activated together through Richmond Public Utilities. Electric usually separately.

Henrico County, VA

Henrico is usually straightforward on electric, but solid waste services depend on whether the address is inside the county’s curbside service area.

Chesterfield County, VA

Chesterfield has the most “it depends” utility setup in the Richmond metro because electric, gas, recycling, and trash can change by address. Trash and recycling are typically provided through private waste management companies, with county convenience centers serving as a reliable backup option. In many neighborhoods, the fastest clue about the correct hauler is the branding on the carts already lined up at the curb.

Hanover County, VA

Trash service can be county-provided in eligible areas or handled through private haulers, depending on the address. Curbside trash and recycling are not automatic and are tied to service districts or eligible subdivisions. Residences outside curbside areas rely on residential convenience centers for trash and recyclable drop-off.  In many neighborhoods, the fastest clue about the correct hauler is the branding on the carts already lined up at the curb.

Petersburg City, VA

Petersburg is closer to a bundled city-utility model for locality-billed services, with named vendors for collection services.

Colonial Heights City, VA

Colonial Heights is explicit about city-billed services and runs trash and recycling through the CVWMA partnership.

Goochland County, VA

Goochland is typically “drop-off first” for solid waste, with household trash and recyclables handled through county convenience centers and curbside recycling available in participating subdivisions.

New Kent County, VA

New Kent is service-area based for water and sewer, runs refuse and recycling centers countywide, and does not provide county trash pickup, so curbside service is typically a private subscription.

Powhatan County, VA

Powhatan’s public water and sewer are service-district based, and solid waste and recycling are centered on the county convenience center, with curbside trash service typically handled by private subscription where available. More information on the county's utility page.

Chatham County, NC

Simple given the location of properties under our management


Avoidable Mistakes That Get Expensive

Most bad outcomes come from a small set of predictable missteps.

  • Opening utilities to match move-in day instead of matching lease responsibility, which creates a service gap.

  • Delaying transfer until the last moment, then discovering identity verification, deposits, or appointment-only activations.

  • Assuming “water is always included,” then discovering locality billing is resident-held at that address.

  • Waiting to activate gas service in a gas-heated home, where activation timing can become a day-one habitability issue.

  • Treating trash as automatic, then missing the first pickup window in localities with cart provisioning timelines tied to utility account establishment.

A Simple Decision Path

Start by separating services that are usually resident-billed from services that are often locality-billed. Electricity and gas are typically resident-billed, so the first decision is whether the home has gas appliances and whether activation can happen without delay. Water, sewer, stormwater, trash, and recycling depend more on locality and property configuration, so the decision becomes whether the bill follows the owner, the occupant, or a master-metered arrangement.

Next Step

Utilities go smoothly when two facts are confirmed early: which accounts must be active by the lease start date, and which services remain locality-billed to the property. The PMI James River resident resources and the PMI James River Resident Handbook keep those expectations consistent across move-ins, transfers, and renewals.

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