So, you’ve got the job, you’ve found a new place to live and you are ready to get stuck into a new challenge. But what about internet, gas and electricity – those tedious but everyday essentials which can easily get forgotten?

In the Netherlands, you have a myriad of gas, electricity and internet companies to chose from, all offering you what they say are great deals, green energy and super-fast download times. It takes a lot of time and effort to go through the options – particularly when so much of the information is only available in Dutch. Even if you are fluent speaker, it is easy to get bamboozled by small print.

PartnerPete was set up in 2013 by a group of real estate professionals who realised their clients were tying themselves in knots trying to understand the ins and outs of Dutch utilities contracts and often had no idea what utility costs in the Netherlands would be.

‘Dutch companies are not geared to international workers and people who don’t speak Dutch,’ says William Zietse. ‘Their website information is in Dutch and customer service staff work with Dutch menus.’

PartnerPete, which is free of charge, was devised to help international workers and expats sort out the details of what utilities to use and now focuses on providing help with gas, electricity, water and internet connections.

‘We’ve come to realise that finding home utility providers is not top of anyone’s to do list when people move to a foreign country,’ says William. ‘Our customer services team will take the time to find out exactly what you are looking for and make an offer that best suits them.’

Short contracts

It can be, for example, that you will only be in the Netherlands for a year, or that your tenure could be flexible, meaning you will need maximum flexibility from your gas and electricity company. You will also need speedy access to internet so you can keep in touch with the folks back home, or start work, right away– rather than face a long wait.

‘We work with a broad selection of utility suppliers, so we can guarantee our customers always get the best deal – tailored to their specific needs,’ says William. ‘We select our suppliers on the basis of expat-relevant criteria, such as flexible contracts, fast delivery times and, of course, the sharpest deals.’

And if you are interested in going green, the company can also help you find the best electricity firm for you. There are 29 companies that supply energy to consumers but not all 29 offer green energy choices. After all, there are multiple ways for energy companies to call themselves green. They can, for example, invest directly in generating energy from renewable sources, or they can buy their energy from other suppliers.

How far down the line does the PartnerPete assistance go? One thing many people are not aware of when moving is the need to write down the gas and electricity meter readings in the home they are leaving behind.

PartnerPete has also written a special manual to help you get it right – and if you can’t find your meter to start with, they will even help you do that as well.

To find out more about Partner Pete’s services, check out the website and get in touch.