Money is one of the big things friends fall out about, and leaving the responsibility of bill paying to one member of the household can cause arguments if others are slack at paying their way. To prevent this from happening you should set up a house bank account, which everyone pays a reasonable amount of money into at the beginning of each term when the loan comes through or a certain amount at the beginning of each month.

The main bills to consider are;

Electricity

Gas

Water

TV Licence

Broadband

If you have any meters in your house for measuring electricity, water or gas, note down the numbers on them on the day you get the keys from the landlord. This means that you are not charged for domestic supplies you have not used.

Electricity

First thing you must do when you receive your keys is read the meter, take a note of it and keep it in a safe place. You need to then find out who supplied the property. You should be made aware of this but if not, you can do this by looking for any welcome letters or asking the landlord/agency. Make contact with them as soon as possible and register all the students in the house for the date your tenancy started (you are liable if your tenancy started in July even if you don't move in until September). It is important you have everyone’s name on the account. If there are any unpaid bills you don't want to be getting chased for them.

Avoid estimate bills by providing meter readings regularly, at least every 3 months, and most importantly take a meter reading on your last day of tenancy and provide this to your supplier; you don't want to be paying for the next tenants.

 Gas

First of all you need to find out if you are supplied with gas. This should have been made clear to you when you looked around the house. Read our information about Gas Safe to ensure that your property has a Gas Safety Certificate.  

To find who your gas supplier is, contact the National Grid's 'Meter Number Helpline' on 0870 608 1524.

Water

Commonly known as the rates, Water bills are sometimes paid by your landlord as part of your rent but you should check this before you move in; it should be stated in your contract.

TV License

It is against the law if you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - online, on a TV, or on any device without being in possession of a TV License, this includes when residing in halls as it is not (unless stated in your contract) included in your rent. You can purchase your TV License here and can pay annually, quarterly or monthly.

Broadband

Most student houses need it, but be sure to shop around for the best deals and don’t sign up to more than a one year contract. 

Previous tenants debts

If a previous tenant has run up debts for anything you should refer the company requesting money to your landlord or agency who should have their contact details on file.