Setting Up Utilities in Your Tbilisi Property: A Practical Guide

First Step: Secure Your Property Title

Property ownership is a prerequisite for changing utility account ownership. Utility accounts are tied to the individual registered on the property title at the Public Registry. Before visiting any provider, complete your property purchase and obtain the official title extract. The standard registration process takes four working days, though an expedited one-day service is available for a higher fee.

The Main Players: Who Provides What

Tbilisi's core utility providers operate as monopolies, assigned by location. Telasi supplies electricity, Tbilisi Energy provides natural gas, and Georgian Water and Power (GWP) manages water and sewage. The process involves transferring the property's existing service account into your name.

Transferring Electricity, Gas, and Water Accounts

To transfer accounts, you or your legal representative must visit a service center for each of the three providers. Bring your passport and a copy of your new property title extract. The staff will look up the property's account and update the subscriber information to your name and personal ID number.

This transfer registers you as the new subscriber responsible for future bills. For a standard resale property, this transfer typically incurs no fee. The process simply moves the account from the previous owner to you. Any outstanding debt on the account should have been cleared by the seller before the sale, a detail your lawyer should confirm during the purchase.

Consolidated Billing and Payments

Georgia offers a streamlined system for paying utility bills. Once registered, your accounts for electricity, gas, water, and even municipal cleaning services are linked to a single subscriber ID number. This ID works on payment websites such as pay.ge or tbcpay.ge, and within major Georgian bank mobile apps.

These platforms display all outstanding balances in one place. Payment for all balances can be made with a single transaction from a Georgian bank account. Cash payments are also possible at thousands of self-service terminals in grocery stores and on the street, though online payment is generally more direct.

Choosing an Internet Service Provider

Internet service is the only utility where you have a choice of provider. The two dominant fiber optic providers in Tbilisi are Magti and Silknet. Both provide service across most of the city. Check their coverage maps online to see which is available at your address.

To connect, visit a service center with your passport and sign a contract. Installation is typically scheduled within a few days and may involve a one-time fee of around 50 GEL. Monthly plans for high-speed fiber (50-100 Mbps) cost between 30 and 60 GEL, depending on the package.