# Houston Moving Concierge & Electricity Setup | HAL Group > Houston electricity is deregulated. You pick a retail provider on the CenterPoint grid, and plan choice changes your monthly cost. We help you pick a plan and sort renters insurance. URL: https://houstonapartmentlocators.com/moving-concierge/ ![New arrival setting up utilities in a bright Houston apartment on move-in day](/images/misc/new-arrival-setting-up-utilities-on-a-laptop-in-a-.webp) # Move-In Help, Including the Deregulated Electricity Maze Last updated: August 1, 2026 Move-in help for new arrivals, especially picking a retail electricity plan on the CenterPoint grid. - Electricity plan selection on the CenterPoint grid - Power to Choose read at real apartment-sized usage - Renters insurance to satisfy management minimums Text Us Your Search [/contact/ →](/contact/) Read the FAQs [#faq →](#faq) Free to you. The property pays our referral fee after you sign. Your rent is identical either way. - Licensed Texas agents · TREC #9003398 - Free to renters · The property pays the referral fee - Availability verified · Live inventory, failure modes published - Same-day list, usually · Mon–Sun, 8 AM – 8 PM · English & Spanish ## The Houston move-in surprise nobody warns you about Electricity. Houston sits in a deregulated market, which means CenterPoint Energy owns the poles and wires and delivers the power, but you buy the actual electricity from a separate retail provider. There are dozens of them competing, and the plan you pick changes your monthly bill by a meaningful amount. If you’re moving from a regulated market, this is genuinely unfamiliar. There’s no default utility to call. If nobody sets up service, you arrive to an apartment with no power on a Houston August afternoon, which is a specific kind of bad day. We handle this the same way we handle a concession offer: work out what it actually costs at your real usage, not at the number in the ad. ## How does the teaser-rate trap work? Comparison sites, including the state’s own Power to Choose, quote plans at a usage tier. A plan advertised at “8.9¢ per kWh” is usually quoting that rate at 1,000 or 2,000 kWh of monthly consumption. A Houston one-bedroom frequently draws 500–800 kWh outside peak summer. Underneath the headline there’s usually a base charge, sometimes a minimum-usage credit that only triggers above a threshold, and occasionally a bill credit structure that rewards exactly one narrow band of consumption. Land below the tier and your effective rate can be double the advertised number. The document that tells you the truth is the Electricity Facts Label, which shows the rate at several usage levels. We read it at your unit size before you sign anything. Full method in how Power to Choose plans actually price out [/guide/how-power-to-choose-electricity-plans-actually-price-out/ →](/guide/how-power-to-choose-electricity-plans-actually-price-out/) and the setup walkthrough in choosing a Houston electricity plan on the CenterPoint grid [/guide/choosing-a-houston-electricity-plan-on-the-centerpoint-grid/ →](/guide/choosing-a-houston-electricity-plan-on-the-centerpoint-grid/) . ## Renters insurance, which the lease requires Most Houston communities require renters insurance with a minimum liability limit before they’ll hand over keys, and many require the community named as an interested party on the policy. The liability portion protects the property; the contents portion protects your belongings. It’s a small monthly cost and a routine step, but it’s the one that most often stalls a handover — because it gets remembered at the leasing office instead of a week earlier. We sort it in advance. See renters insurance for a Houston apartment [/guide/renters-insurance-for-a-houston-apartment/ →](/guide/renters-insurance-for-a-houston-apartment/) . ## The recurring fees that don’t appear in the rent Worth knowing before you sign, because they change which apartment is actually cheaper: - **Bulk internet.** A fixed monthly charge at some communities, whether or not you use the service. - **RUBS.** Ratio Utility Billing System — building water and sewer allocated across residents by formula rather than by meter. - **Pest control.** A small monthly line item at most Houston communities. - **Valet trash.** Common in mid-rise and high-rise product. - **Package lockers.** Occasionally billed per package or as a flat monthly fee. Individually they’re minor. Stacked, they routinely add $100 or more a month, which is enough to reverse a comparison between two buildings. ## What we do at the finish line We work backwards from your move-in date. Electricity chosen and scheduled to start the day before handover. Insurance in place at the required limits. Lease fees understood so the first statement holds no surprises. Then keys. None of this is complicated. It’s just a list, and it’s the list that gets dropped when everything else about a move is happening at once. ## What it costs you Nothing. The apartment community pays our referral fee after you sign a lease — move-in support comes bundled with our free Houston apartment locating [/ →](/) at no extra cost. We take no commission from any electricity provider or insurer, which is exactly why our recommendation on a plan is worth something. Why Us ## Why renters use us for moving concierge ### Deregulation explained once, properly CenterPoint delivers the power. A separate retail provider sells it to you. Nearly every new arrival learns this the expensive way. ### The teaser rate, exposed Advertised kWh rates usually assume a usage tier well above what a one-bedroom draws. We read the plan at your real usage instead. ### Insurance sorted before keys Most Houston communities require renters insurance with a minimum liability limit before move-in. It's a small cost that stalls handovers when it's forgotten. ### The fee stack, checked Bulk internet, RUBS water billing, pest control, and package lockers all appear on Houston leases. We flag them before you sign. ### Same honest math as the rent We treat an electricity plan exactly the way we treat a concession: what does this actually cost across twelve months at real usage? ### Free to you The property pays our referral fee after signing. We don't take commissions from electricity providers. The Process ## How the moving concierge search runs 1. 01 ### Lease signed, clock starts We work backwards from your move-in date so nothing lands on the day itself. 2. 02 ### Electricity plan chosen We estimate your real usage by unit size, then compare plans at that number instead of at the advertised tier. 3. 03 ### Insurance in place Coverage that satisfies the community's minimum, with the property named where required. 4. 04 ### Move-in day Power on, insurance filed, lease fees understood, keys collected. ## Ready to see verified moving concierge options? Text us your budget and move date. No cost to you, ever. The property pays our fee after you sign. Text Us Your Search [/contact/ →](/contact/) Try the Rent Calculator [/tools/ →](/tools/) What this looks like ## Moving Concierge in context Illustrative photography of the search context. We're a new brand and we don't publish placement counts or client photos we haven't earned. ## Move-in help, the usual way and our way | What you're comparing | Typical locator | Us | | --- | --- | --- | | Electricity | Your problem, figured out on move-in week | Plan compared at your real usage before the truck arrives | | Advertised kWh rate | Taken at face value | Read against the Electricity Facts Label at 500–1,000 kWh | | Renters insurance | Remembered at the leasing office | In place before handover, at the required limits | | Recurring lease fees | Discovered on the first statement | Flagged before signing: bulk internet, RUBS, pest, lockers | | Who pays us | n/a | The apartment community, after signing. Never a utility provider | Column two describes the standard market offering, not any named competitor. Answers First ## Moving Concierge questions ### Why is Houston electricity so confusing to set up? Because it's deregulated. CenterPoint Energy owns and maintains the wires, but you buy the electricity from a separate retail provider, and there are dozens competing. The plan you choose changes your monthly cost materially, and the advertised rate is rarely what you pay at apartment-sized usage. ### Do I have to pick an electricity provider? Yes, in the deregulated Houston market. If you don't set it up before move-in, you may arrive to a unit without power. It's the single most common move-in mistake for out-of-state renters. ### Why is my bill higher than the advertised rate? Advertised rates are quoted at a usage tier, often 1,000 or 2,000 kWh. A one-bedroom apartment frequently uses 500–800 kWh outside the peak summer months. Base charges and minimum-usage credits mean your effective rate at real usage can be far higher than the headline. Read the Electricity Facts Label, which shows the rate at multiple usage levels. ### Fixed rate or variable rate? Fixed protects you from price swings and typically carries an early-termination fee. Variable can be cheaper for a while and can move sharply. For a twelve-month lease, a fixed plan matched to the lease term is usually the simpler decision. ### Is renters insurance required in Houston? Most communities require it, typically with a minimum liability limit, and many require the community to be named as an interested party. It's usually a modest monthly premium. Not having it can hold up your key handover. ### What's the difference between liability and contents coverage? Liability covers damage you cause to the property or to others. Contents covers your own belongings. Communities require the liability portion; the contents portion is for you, and worth having given how many Houston moves involve a storm at some point. ### What is RUBS on my lease? Ratio Utility Billing System. The property allocates a building utility, often water and sewer, across residents by a formula rather than metering each unit. It's a recurring charge that doesn't appear in advertised rent, so we flag it before you sign. ### Is bulk internet mandatory? At some Houston communities, yes: a fixed monthly charge whether or not you use the service. It's worth knowing before you compare two buildings, because it can be $50-$80 a month. ### Do you get paid by electricity providers? No. We're paid a referral fee by the apartment community after you sign a lease. We have no incentive tied to which retail provider you choose, which is the whole point of asking us. Still have a question? Text us your search [/contact/ →](/contact/) and we'll answer it straight. Go deeper ## Guides on this - Choosing a houston electricity plan on the centerpoint grid [/guide/choosing-a-houston-electricity-plan-on-the-centerpoint-grid/ →](/guide/choosing-a-houston-electricity-plan-on-the-centerpoint-grid/) - How power to choose electricity plans actually price out [/guide/how-power-to-choose-electricity-plans-actually-price-out/ →](/guide/how-power-to-choose-electricity-plans-actually-price-out/) - Renters insurance for a houston apartment [/guide/renters-insurance-for-a-houston-apartment/ →](/guide/renters-insurance-for-a-houston-apartment/) ## Related searches ### Sight-Unseen / Out-of-State Relocation Remote signing de-risked with video walkthroughs, application coordination, and live-inventory scam verification. Read more [Sight-Unseen / Out-of-State Relocation →](/sight-unseen-relocation/) ### 2nd Chance Leasing Approval help for renters with credit, rental, or background history, matched to the stock that reviews case-by-case. Read more [2nd Chance Leasing →](/second-chance-leasing/) ![](/images/misc/half-unpacked-moving-boxes-in-a-sun-drenched-houst.webp) ## Ready to start the moving concierge search? Text us your budget, move date, and anything on your record you're worried about. We'll come back with a verified list and the math already done, usually the same day. Text Us Your Search [/contact/ →](/contact/) Read the Guides [/guide/ →](/guide/) Mon–Sun, 8 AM – 8 PM · English & Spanish · Phone, text, live chat, or the search form