UK Landlord Forum / Life

I am in the process of buying a flat to rent. I cannot advertise it and contract a tenant until I have completed the purchase which means that there is likely to be a (hopefully) short period of time when I own it without a tenant. I assume there is no way to avoid the paperwork of registering all utilities and council tax in my name only to switch them to a tenant a couple of weeks later? With our other property we were lucky and the new tenant moved in on the date we bought it so this is the first time I face this question.

No, but it's easy these days... quick phone calls or even online chat. Except for Councils... but maybe you can do all that in one contact... "I was liable from x date to y date and the Tenant I'd responsible from y date + 1"... I usually do that via an email.