A guide to student accommodation and bills
When you’re on the lookout for student accommodation one of the things you’ll be taking note of is whether bills are included within the rent.
Choosing a student flat or home share that does include all bills will certainly make life a whole lot easier for you, but for those students who have chosen accommodation that doesn’t include bills, fear not!
We’ve put together this guide to help ensure setting up the bills for your student accommodation is a doddle (or at least, a little easier).
Figuring out the budget
The first thing you need to do is figure out how much you can afford to spend on bills. If you’re sharing accommodation with other tenants, then you may each be in different financial situations, so it’s worth getting together and having a discussion so that you can come to an agreeable budget between you all.
Some household bills are set in stone, but you’ll have the potential to save money with others. For example, water is a flat rate based on the property, whereas things like the internet will provide you with some freedom over your providers and how much it’ll cost.
Shop around for the cheapest providers
To make sure you meet your budget, and maybe even come in under budget, it’s worth browsing through comparison sites and shopping around different providers to see who are offering the cheapest prices at the time.
Sometimes it’ll work out cheaper to bundle utilities together with the one provider, and other times it can be cheaper to set them up separately, so shop around and check which is the best for you.
If searching for utilities and setting up the bills sounds too time consuming and bothersome, then you can use a student bills expert company like Glide who will do it for you. You will have to pay a little more, but their expertise in the industry will ensure you avoid all the hassle.
Some providers also offer student discount, so this is something else that can be worth checking for to save extra money.
Paying the bills
There are a few different options to choose from to make sure the bills are covered every month.
The first being a bill sharing service, whereby each tenant is responsible for paying their own share of the cost. Using a service like this saves any awkward conversations between tenants about outstanding payments, as the company will deal with your payments individually and contact tenants that still owe their share.
If you’d prefer to set up your own bills, then one person will have to be responsible for paying the utility bills directly. The most stress-free way to handle this is by having each tenant immediately set up standing orders for their share to the bill-payer. Check how much and when the money is due so that you are aware of the most suitable date for the standing order to be set up.
Take meter readings
As soon as you or another tenant first moves into the accommodation, it’s important to locate the gas and electric meters and to take a meter reading from both. These readings will need to be submitted to your providers, and they will prevent you from being charged for energy that the previous occupiers have used.
If you’re in search of the perfect student accommodation, then get in touch with our expert student lettings team here at CPS Homes. We have three branches across Cardiff, and we’d love for you to pop in for some advice. Alternatively, you can contact us on 02920 668585 or e-mail enquiries@cpshomes.co.uk.
