If you have bought a house, NEPRA's rules say you, as the new owner, must apply to the electricity company to move the connection into your name. If the consumer has died, the legal heirs apply with a succession certificate from a competent court. You do not need an approved map or a civic-agency NOC. You will sign an affidavit making you liable for any old dues on the premises found later, and you may have to pay a demand notice for the security deposit.
This guide covers the former WAPDA distribution companies (LESCO, IESCO, MEPCO, FESCO, GEPCO, HESCO, PESCO, QESCO, SEPCO, TESCO, HAZECO and the rest). There is a short note on K-Electric at the end.
Where the rules come from
Every distribution company follows the same rulebook for new connections, changes of name, load changes and tariff changes: NEPRA's Consumer Service Manual, usually called the CSM. If you are unsure which company serves you, see what a DISCO is and which one covers your area.
The current version is the Consumer Service Manual Revised 2025, and change of name sits in Chapter 2. Two earlier versions still matter, because they spell out some details in full:
| Version | Date | Where it is held |
|---|---|---|
| Revised CSM | June 2020 (NEPRA letter of 8 July 2020) | NEPRA website |
| CSM | January 2021 | Copy on a third-party website |
| CSM Revised 2025 | 2025 (current) | NEPRA website |
Where a point below comes from the 2020 or 2021 text rather than the 2025 one, this guide says so. As of October 2026, the 2025 manual is the one in force, so if your subdivision office quotes it to you, its wording wins.
Do you have to change the name?
For a sale, yes. The CSM says that when the owner sells the premises, the new owner must apply to the company for the change of name. The full sentence appears in the January 2021 manual; the 2025 text carries the same rule.
There is also a practical reason. As long as the bill sits in the seller's name, the company's records show the connection belongs to someone who no longer owns the house. Getting it into your name puts the account, the deposit and any future disputes on your side of the counter.
For a death in the family, the CSM gives the legal heirs a route to transfer the connection, using a court succession certificate.
What you do not need: a map or an NOC
Under the 2025 CSM, you do not need an approved map, site plan, layout plan or a no-objection certificate from a civic agency to change the name on a connection. This applies wherever you live.
The one exception is where a court has restricted electricity connections in that area. If your area is under such an order, the office will tell you.
If anyone at the office or online tells you a map or NOC is required for a straightforward change of name, ask them to show you the clause in the 2025 manual.
Papers you need, by situation
| Your situation | Who applies | Proof of right to the premises |
|---|---|---|
| You bought the house | The new owner | Sale deed or registry |
| The consumer has died | The legal heirs | Succession certificate from a competent court |
| You rent the house | Not confirmed (see below) | Not confirmed |
In every case, bring your CNIC and a recent bill for the connection, so the office can find the account quickly. The reference number is the key detail; here is where to find the reference number on your bill.
If you bought the house
Your sale deed or registry shows the premises are now yours. Attach it with your CNIC and the application form.
If the consumer has died
The heirs need a succession certificate issued by a competent court. This requirement appears both in NEPRA's own copy of the June 2020 revision and in the January 2021 manual. A death certificate alone is not what the manual asks for, so start the court process first if you have not already.
If you are renting
The CSM asks for the landlord's NOC when a tenant applies for a connection. How that applies to moving an existing bill into a tenant's name has not been confirmed for this guide. Ask your subdivision office before assuming you can do it, and expect the landlord's written consent to come up.
The affidavit: why old dues matter
As part of the application, you swear an affidavit with two promises, according to the January 2021 manual:
- You will pay any old dues on the premises that are found later.
- You are not a defaulter on any other electricity connection with any company.
The first promise is the one that catches buyers. If the previous owner left arrears on the meter, and those arrears surface after the transfer, you have signed to pay them. That makes clearing the meter's dues part of the house purchase, not something to sort out afterwards.
Before you sign the sale, look at the latest bill for arrears and check whether any disputed or detection amounts are pending. The annotated sample bill shows where arrears and adjustments appear. If a detection bill is already on the account, read how detection bills work and how to contest them before money changes hands.
The second promise means that unpaid bills on another connection in your name, with any company, can block the application.
The security deposit
After approval, the company issues demand notices, which can include a security deposit. Under the 2025 CSM these are sent by registered post, courier or online.
What the deposit will be depends on your case, and the manuals do not agree with each other:
- Sale of property: the January 2021 manual says the deposit is updated to current rates, minus the deposit already paid on the connection.
- Death of the consumer: the January 2021 manual applies the same update. But NEPRA's June 2020 text says that for a death the name changes without updating the deposit.
- Company merged or taken over: the January 2021 manual says the deposit is updated to current rates, minus what was already paid.
Which rule applies to heirs under the 2025 manual has not been confirmed here. Ask the office to show you the clause it is applying, and check the demand notice against it.
No rupee figure is given in this guide for the deposit, the change-of-name fee or any processing charge, because none could be confirmed from an official source. The deposit rates are set out in an annexure to the CSM. Go by the amount printed on your demand notice, and ask for the basis if it looks wrong.
Step by step at the office
- Go to your subdivision or customer service office and ask for the application form. Tick "Change of Name".
- Attach your CNIC and your proof of right to the premises: the sale deed or registry if you bought the house, or the court succession certificate if you are an heir.
- Sign the affidavit on past dues and on not being a defaulter on any other connection.
- The officer who has authority to approve new connections reviews your case. Under clauses 2.13 to 2.15 of the CSM, the same officers can approve a change of name. No map or NOC is needed.
- Wait for the demand notice, which will come by registered post, courier or online.
- Pay the demand notice at the bank and keep the receipt.
- Check later bills for the new name. Keep the receipt and the approval until it appears.
On timing: no official processing time could be confirmed. A draft amendment circulating online mentions 30 days for paying a demand notice, but it is not hosted on NEPRA's website, so treat the date printed on your own notice as the deadline that counts.
The application form
NEPRA's November 2023 proposed amendment to the CSM includes a standard application form. One form covers New Connection, Change of Name and Extension of Load, with boxes for Domestic, Commercial, Industrial, Agriculture and Temporary connections. Your office may use this form or its own version; either way, make sure "Change of Name" is the box ticked.
While you have the form in hand, check that the connection type matches how you use the premises. The tariff code printed on your bill shows how the connection is currently classed.
Applying online
Some websites describe an online portal for change-of-name applications. Its existence and process could not be confirmed from an official source for this guide. Until you have checked your company's own official website, the office route above is the one to rely on.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying without clearing the meter. Once you sign the affidavit, old dues found later are yours to pay.
- Paying someone for a map or NOC. The 2025 CSM does not require them for a change of name, unless a court has restricted connections in your area.
- Trusting fee lists from unofficial sites. Many sites rank for this topic, some claiming to be written by SDOs, and they contradict each other on fees and documents. Only your demand notice and the CSM are authoritative.
- Heirs applying without a succession certificate. The manual asks for a certificate from a competent court.
A note on K-Electric
K-Electric's change-of-name process has not been covered in this guide. If you are in Karachi, check directly with K-Electric before collecting papers, rather than assuming the steps above apply unchanged.
What to do next
- Check the current bill for arrears using the bill checker, before you complete a purchase or start the transfer.
- Collect your CNIC and your sale deed, registry or succession certificate.
- Visit your subdivision office, ask for the form and tick "Change of Name".
- Read the affidavit before signing, and ask which CSM clause sets your security deposit.
- Pay the demand notice by the date printed on it, and keep the bank receipt until the new name shows on your bill.