GPS Renting supports owners and residents in managing utility responsibilities in accordance with Washington state practices. Utility accounts may be managed by either the resident or the owner, depending on the service and location.
1. Resident-Managed Utilities #
In most Washington areas, residents are responsible for switching the following services into their own name before the lease start date:
- Electricity
- Gas
- Garbage (except in certain areas—see below)
The service should begin on the first day of the lease, and residents are expected to contact the utility providers directly to activate service.
The most common utility providers include:
- PSE (Puget Sound Energy)
- SCL (Seattle City Light)
- PUD (Snohomish County Public Utility District)
Note:
For PSE and PUD accounts, owners are advised to set up an owner allocation. This ensures services are automatically reverted to the owner’s name between tenancies, helping to avoid service disruptions.
To initiate the owner allocation process, owners should call:
- Puget Sound Energy (PSE) – 888-225-5773
- Snohomish PUD (SNOPUD) – 425-783-1012
2. Owner-Managed Utilities #
Some utility services are typically kept under the owner’s name due to municipal or vendor requirements. This includes:
- Water and Sewer
- Garbage services from:
- Waste Management (in Kirkland and Renton)
- Seattle Public Utilities
In these cases, residents will either:
- Pay their utility bills directly to the provider, or
- Receive a forwarded copy of the bill from GPS Renting for reimbursement.
3. Billing and Prorating #
GPS Renting will prorate move-in and move-out utility charges for accounts under the owner’s name based on the lease dates. If an owner receives a utility bill with charges outside of the lease period, they should forward the bill to care@gpsrenting.com for adjustment support.
4. Auto-Pay Reminder #
If owners have auto-pay enabled for any utilities that will become the resident’s responsibility, they should disable auto-pay before the resident’s lease start date to prevent unnecessary charges.
