Make a separate plan for each service

Osaka’s guide provides distinct links for starting water use, paying the bill, stopping use and dealing with a leak. Moving involves the old address as well as the new one, so record both sets of dates and any customer numbers. Ask the property manager which arrangements are handled by the building and which you must contract for yourself.

The Waterworks Bureau Customer Center is the city’s contact route for water enquiries. Use the linked official pages to check current online or telephone procedures. For electricity and gas, confirm the actual supplier and its application requirements; a previous occupant’s arrangement is not automatically your new contract.

Prepare the property and payment details

Keep the full Japanese address, room number, handover date and manager’s contact together. Ask whether an appointment or access to equipment is required before service can begin. Check the payment options offered by the particular provider and when the first bill or debit will occur.

Retain start and stop confirmations, opening readings if supplied and final bills. If a problem arises, distinguish a billing question, an equipment issue inside the home and a public-network problem; the correct contact may differ. Do not attempt an unfamiliar repair yourself. Follow the relevant provider’s urgent safety instructions if you suspect a dangerous situation. Before leaving a home, verify that all required stop procedures are complete and that the final account can still reach you after your address changes.

Adapted and rewritten by Japanese.Pink from the City of Osaka’s Application for Utilities and Other Services. The wording and organization have been edited. Source checked: 9 November 2026.