3 Benefits of Sorting Your Bills Early

When you’re going to university and moving away from home, you might not have stopped to think about things like utility bills, never mind when you should set them up. However, there are benefits to sorting out your student bills now - we’ve listed them below, so keep reading to find out!

What are utility bills?

Sometimes, it’s hard to know what actually falls under the category of a utility bill. The bills you will pay for in your student home are:

👉🏻Electricity

👉🏻Gas (if your accommodation has gas)

👉🏻Water 

👉🏻Broadband (internet)

👉🏻TV Licence (if you have a TV and watch or stream live programmes)

For more information on the types of bills and what you’ll need to pay for, take a look at our blog “Student Bills Explained”.

When to set up student bills

There’s no set time to set up your bills. That being said, you need to make sure that your utilities are live for the day you move in. You’ll more than likely need to take meter readings for your electricity, gas, and water on the day you move. If you already have these bills set up, this process becomes easier, and you’ll only pay for what you’re using rather than being estimated. 

The top 3 benefits of setting up your student bills early

1.   Ready for when you move in

One of the main benefits of setting your bills up ahead of time is everything will be ready for when you move in. Of course, when you move into a new property, water, electricity, and gas (if applicable) will already be available. You can either take over the existing utilities or set up your own. All you need to do is take a meter reading and send it to the relevant suppliers. However, it’s slightly different with your broadband and TV Licence.

If you wait until you move in to contact a broadband supplier, you might end up waiting weeks before you have an internet connection. If you set them up beforehand, you’ll be able to move in, unpack, and settle down with your laptop and a working wi-fi connection, as everything will already be in working order. Depending on the broadband and the level of broadband you choose, an engineer might need to visit the property to fit the connection. Again, if you set up your bills early, you can arrange for the engineer to come on the date of your move-in so your internet will be available to you that night. 

2. A stress-free move-in date

Moving into a new property can be a little stressful. You’ve got a million boxes full of your things, you’re in a new area, and you’ve still got to unpack. The last thing you want to do is have to think about utility bills and setting them up. Leaving it to the very last minute can make it feel more of a chore than it already is and could lead to you quickly choosing a company just so you’ve ticked that job off your list. Choosing a supplier isn’t something we suggest rushing. You should sit down and browse your options before signing up, so you know exactly what you’ll be getting and so you can secure the best price. Luckily, UniHomes has partnered with some of the UK’s best suppliers, so you don’t have to worry if you’re getting the best possible connection in your area when using our package.

3. Able to create a budget

Setting up your bills early can help you create an accurate estimate of the money you’ll have left over after you’ve paid all your utilities. This’ll be a lifesaver the first week you move in as you’ll be able to explore your new surrounding area and treat yourself to the local takeaways, without panicking about your funds. You’ll also gain an idea of how much money you should have left over each month once you’ve paid all your bills, so you’ll know whether you need to cut down on certain things or get a job when you move to your new accommodation. 

How UniHomes can help

You might be thinking that we only offer a range of amazing bills included properties, but you’d be wrong! Of course, we do have a selection of brilliant properties on our site, but if you’ve already sorted your house for next year – we can still help! 

We also offer a simple shared student bills service. We take the hassle out of finding your own suppliers and setting up your bills as we do all the hard work for you! All you need to do is sign up, get an instant quote now from us online, add your housemates to the account, and you’re done. We’ll contact the suppliers and set everything up for you. You can even add on the optional bill of a TV Licence if you think you’ll need one.

The best bit? You won’t need to spend time discussing with your housemates who the chief billpayer will be - you’ll all have an individual account, and you’ll all pay your share of the bills each month – easy as that!

If this sounds like something that’s perfect for you and your future housemates, get an instant quote online today or contact us with any questions. Alternatively, if you’re still searching for your ideal student accommodation, take a look at the properties listed on our site - remember, the price you see includes the bills too!