Your Ultimate Guide To Student Household Bills 2024
Sorting out household bills for your student house? Here’s what you need to know.
You made it to university, kicked your parents out the door, ready to make it on your own. Oh, but wait, being a strong independent student means dealing with household bills? Ugh.
Utility bills, TV licence, student contents insurance… honestly the fun never stops. And don’t get us started on what recycling symbols actually mean.
Our 2024 Freshers Report showed that over half of you are not feeling that confident about sorting out your bills. But no fear – your trusty SB friends are here to help. The thought of setting up your household bills, let alone splitting and managing them between your fresh new housemates, is enough to make anyone think twice about leaving home (and more importantly your trusty parents). We’ve got you covered, and for more helpful guides when starting university, check out our freshers guide.
So we’ve broken down everything you need to know, from what bills you have to pay, how to set each of them up, and even some tips on how to split and manage bills in your house. Adulting? Completed it mate.
In this article:
- What bills do I have to pay?
- How much are bills per month?
- How to set up your energy bills
- How to set up your water bills
- How to pay your TV licence
- Student broadband deals
- How do I tell the council I’m a student?
- How to manage student bills in your house
What bills do I have to pay?
First things first, if you’re a fresher living in halls, then you might just be in luck – most university halls include all your utility bills as part of your rent. Result! Unfortunately for the rest of you, maybe not quite so lucky.
Faced with a whole new house, not having a cleaner on site (like wtf is that about?!) and potentially some brand new housemates, it’s a good idea to get on top of what household bills you have to pay.
The bills you’ll usually be expected to pay include:
- Gas and electricity
- Water or sewerage
- TV licence
- Broadband/TV package
How much are bills per month?
The cost of utility bills per month is a bit like asking ‘how long is a piece of string?’ as it all depends on how much energy you use in your house. But there are some figures published by British Gas to show the average household spend on gas and electric bills, by house size.
| House size | Average monthly cost by Direct Debit* |
|---|---|
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | £136.67 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | £185.59 |
According to Water UK, the average water bill in the UK is £448 a year. So if we combine this with the average cost of gas and electric bills for a 5 bedroom house, you could be looking at monthly costs of £222.92 for your house. Obviously this depends on how much energy you use, how many are in your house and how you pay, but it gives you an indication as to what you’ll need to budget for as a student.
How to set up your gas and electric bills for the first time
Gas and electricity are probably going to be your most important (and expensive) household bills to get on top of. Yes, even more than sorting your streaming services.
Some houses might only have electricity, in which case you only need to sort out your electric bills each month. But most will have gas and electricity, which means you’ll need to get on top of both.
You’ll be in charge of paying your bills as soon as you move in, or from the start of your tenancy agreement. The first thing you’ll want to do when you move in, is take a meter reading and find out who supplies your gas and electricity. Check to see if there’s an old letter lying around which will tell you the company.
Or you can use a website like Find My Supplier, where you enter your postcode and address and it’ll tell you who supplies your gas. For electricity, you can use a similar tool called the Energy Network.
Once you’ve found this out, contact these suppliers, tell them you’ve moved in and submit your meter reading. This will avoid you having to pay for previous tenants’ energy.
How do I take a meter reading?
Some houses have a smart meter, which means it’ll automatically submit your readings to your energy company. This can be an absolute game-changer when it comes to managing your household bills. If you have a smart meter you’ll usually receive a little portable energy monitor that will tell you how much energy you’re using, and how much you’re spending.
But if you need to take a meter reading, which you will when you first move in, then you’ll have to find your meter, whether it’s a smart meter or a traditional meter. Your landlord should’ve told you where to find both your gas and electricity meters, and where the keys are if they’re in locked containers.
If you’re not sure, or your landlord didn’t show you, then you’ll usually find your electricity meter near to your fuse box, and your gas meter will usually be outside in a contained box.
Examples of a traditional gas meter and electricity meter
There are lots of different types of meters so the displays will all read a little bit different. But you’ll usually submit the first 5 numbers, barring any numbers after the decimal place.
Give these numbers to the gas and electric supplier when you ring them to tell them you’ve moved in. So you’ll only be charged from when your tenancy agreement starts.
Should I switch suppliers?
If you’re thinking of money saving, then switching gas and electricity suppliers could be the way to go. You can use a comparison site to see who is offering the best deal in your local area, as it can vary between postcodes.
We’ve also compiled a guide of the best gas and electricity deals for students with some of the most popular comparison sites and specific providers to look out for.
How to set up water bills
Next on our list of utility excitement is the water bill, or sewerage, depending on how your student house is set up.
A lot of landlords will bundle your water bill in with the cost of your rent, but it’s not always the case.
However you’ll be pleased to know that setting up your water bill can be a lot more straightforward than your gas and electric. Each area of the UK has their own water supplier, so there’s not the option of shopping around for the best deal – you get what you’re given. It has its downsides, sure, but it DOES make it easier when you’re trying to get on top of admin.
Same as your gas and electricity, find out your water supplier the day you move in.
You’ll have to contact them to set up a new account, and give a few details like:
- Your name
- Address
- When you moved in
- Meter reading (if you have a meter)
- Bank details if you want to set up a direct debit
With your water bills, you usually only have one name on the account, so we recommend choosing the most responsible housemate who won’t forget to check their bank account, keep on top of bills etc. As the former responsible housemate, I’m sorry.
You’ll either be on a standard tariff or a water meter. So make sure you find out from your water supplier which it is, as if it’s a meter you’ll want to provide regular readings so that you don’t pay over the odds, or too little.
Your water meter will usually be near to plumbing downstairs, or located at the front of your house. But do ask your landlord to show you when you first move in.
How to pay your TV licence
TV licences are forever a controversial topic. But like it or not, if you don’t pay it then there’s a chance you’ll get fined. And no-one needs a £1,000 fine in their life, especially not as a student.
Your TV licence is £169.50 for 12 months. You can spread this out every 3 months, or even pay monthly to make it more manageable. As a student, if you move out of your house early, you can also apply for a partial refund if you’re not there for the whole 12 months.
To apply for a TV licence, head to the TV licencing website and pay online, with loads of options to pay including by debit/credit card, Direct Debit, PayPay and even by cheque.
It might not seem like a big deal, but for the sake of £14 a month (even less if you have housemates), it’s worth it to avoid a hefty fine.
Broadband for students
Long gone are the days when you could rely on your university library for all your broadband needs. No no no… these days a fast internet connection is an absolute non-negotiable in your student house. From the gamer who doesn’t emerge from their room for 72 hours, to the last-minute exam cramming session with 93 search tabs open on Google, internet is an essential part of uni life.
Searching around for the best broadband deals means you’ll get the best package for your house. A lot of broadband packages come with special deals like Sky TV’s student discount which can really make it as cheap as possible when you’re on a budget, without compromising your speed.
When working out what speed broadband you’ll need, have a think about who you’re sharing a house with. If there’s 5 gamers who are up all hours streaming, then chances are you’ll need a faster broadband speed than a house full of medical students who are only there to sleep and eat.
How do I tell the council I’m a student?
The good news is that if you’re a full-time student, you’ll be exempt from paying council tax if your course:
- lasts at least 1 year
- involve at least 21 hours study per week
You can apply for an exemption through their website and it’s definitely worth doing, as the average council tax bill for a band D is £2,065 for the year.
How to manage student household bills
So now you know some of the main bills you’ll be responsible for in your student house. But how the f*** are you meant to decide who in your house is in charge? Well we’ve got some tips on how to manage your bills in a student house, and don’t worry, the Responsible Person doesn’t have to do it all.
1. Get it done quickly
Before anything gets decided, agree to sort it as quickly as possible when you move in. This kind of admin can hang over your head, and while it’s awkward af to talk about money with your new friends – getting it done quickly means you can rip the plaster off.
2. Always pay on time
Regardless of who’s in charge of what, making sure you pay your bills on time is absolutely essential. Late payments can affect things like your credit score, and potentially incur fines, so don’t delay.
3. Add all your names to accounts
Off the back of this, adding everyone’s name in the house to the bill accounts means that you’re all equally responsible. This can help avoid situations where one person might put off paying their share, because it’ll still come back to bite them. This is the fairest way to divvy up the bills in any household.
4. Always read the small print
This is especially important when it comes to things like broadband and TV packages. You don’t want to be shocked by surprise installation costs or exit fees, so make sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for.
5. Set up Direct Debits/standing orders
It’s not ALWAYS possible, but most bills can now be paid automatically with a standing order or Direct Debit. This takes a LOT of the pressure off if bills come out automatically every month. You won’t have to think about paying something on time, it’ll just happen, so no fall out from late payments.
6. Try and spread your bill payments equally
While you’ll usually get a water bill quarterly or every six months, you can request for it to be paid monthly instead, so it matches up with your gas and electricity bills. Having all your bills come out monthly at the same time means there’s no nasty shock when you have to pay six months worth of water bills.
7. Don’t forget to cancel your contracts when you move out
No-one wants to pay for something they don’t use, so when you are due to move out of your student digs, go through all your different bills and contracts and cancel where you can. You’ll usually have to pay some sort of exit fee if you’re cancelling a 12 month contract before it’s due, but divvy it all up between your housemates so that you know it’s coming.
8. Keep communicating about it
One of the mistakes people make with money and bills is not talking to each other about it. If someone keeps turning the heating up while parading around in next to nothing, then talk to them like an adult and explain how no-one wants to pay through the roof for your heating bill. Being a grown up and talking your problems through saves a LOT of household arguments and drama, trust us!
