Setting up utilities in Nashville: a renter's guide

The short version

Most Nashville renters need to open one account before move-in: electricity, through Nashville Electric Service (NES). Water is often billed through the property, gas only matters if your unit has gas appliances, and internet is yours to choose. Start the electric account a few days to a week before your move-in date — some leasing offices ask for your NES account number before key pickup.

That's the outline. The details below cover who to call, what they'll ask for, and where deposits come in.

Electricity: Nashville Electric Service

NES is the electric utility for Nashville and Davidson County — apartments don't get to choose a different provider, so there's no comparison shopping to do. You can start service on the NES website or by phone. Have your new address and your move-in date ready.

NES asks for two forms of ID (for example a passport plus a driver's license or Social Security card) and runs a credit check. If you do not pass, expect a $250 deposit, which NES credits back to your account after 12 months of on-time payments. There is also a $20 connection fee. Call at least one business day ahead: 615-736-6900. If you're new to the country and don't have much of a credit file yet, expect the deposit to be more likely — it isn't a judgment on you personally. It's the same system everyone goes through (NES Start/Stop Service, checked September 2026). Our guide to banking, cell phones, and credit for new Nashville residents explains how these credit checks tend to work when you're starting from zero.

Set the start date for the day before your lease begins. Walking into an apartment with working lights and air conditioning is worth the one extra day of billing.

Water and sewer: usually simpler than you expect

Metro Water Services provides water and sewer for most of Davidson County. Parts of Madison, Inglewood, and Goodlettsville get water from Madison Suburban Utility District, and some western areas are served by Harpeth Valley Utilities District. Here's the part that surprises people: at many apartment communities, you never open a water account at all. The property keeps the account and either includes water in the rent or bills you back your share each month on your rent statement.

Ask the leasing office directly: "Is water in my name or yours?" If it's in yours, they'll tell you how to start service with Metro Water. If it's theirs, ask what the typical monthly charge looks like so it doesn't surprise you on the first bill. Water billed back by the property is a real cost worth counting when you're working out how much income you need for an apartment.

Gas: only if your unit uses it

Spire (formerly Piedmont Natural Gas) serves the Nashville area. Until the switch finishes in 2027, you still start service and pay through Piedmont at piedmontng.com or 800-752-7504, and technicians wear Spire uniforms. Whether you need an account depends entirely on the unit — many apartments are all-electric, and if yours is, you can skip this section. If the stove, furnace, or water heater runs on gas, the leasing office will tell you, and you'll open the account the same way as electric: address, move-in date, identification, and possibly a deposit.

Gas bills swing with the seasons. Close to nothing all summer, then real money in January and February when the furnace runs. Budget for the winter number, not the August one.

If you ever smell rotten eggs, hear hissing near a gas line, or feel lightheaded, leave the building first. Do not turn lights or appliances on or off on your way out. From outside, at a distance, call 911 or 800-752-7504, then tell the leasing office (Spire, What to do if you smell gas, and Spire, Information for Tennessee customers, checked September 2026).

Internet: the one choice you actually get

Nashville has real competition for internet — AT&T, Xfinity, and Google Fiber all serve large parts of the city, though availability comes down to your exact address. Check each provider's site with your new address before assuming anything, because coverage changes block by block.

Two practical notes. First, ask the leasing office if the building is wired for a specific provider — some communities are, and fighting that is rarely worth it. Second, if you're watching your budget, ask providers about low-cost plans; several offer reduced-price internet for qualifying households, and the application is usually short. Installation appointments can run one to two weeks out, so book before you move if working internet on day one matters to you.

Trash, and the move-in checklist

At apartment communities, trash is almost always handled by the property — dumpsters or valet pickup, sometimes with a small monthly fee on your rent statement. Nothing to set up; just ask where it goes and which day.

Pulling it together, here's the week-before-move-in list:

• Electric (NES): open the account, start date the day before your lease begins.
• Water: ask the leasing office whose name it's in; act accordingly.
• Gas (Spire, billed through Piedmont until 2027): only if the unit has gas appliances.
• Internet: check coverage at your address, book the install.
• Proof for the leasing office: keep your NES account number handy — some leasing offices ask for it before key pickup.

Deposits, connection fees, and first bills add up alongside rent and security deposits. If you're doing the full math on a move, our move-in costs guide and the move-in cost calculator put real numbers on it.

Related reading: how to rent an apartment in Nashville and moving to Nashville from another country.