Student Bills Packages vs Doing It Yourself

Unless your student accommodation already comes with bills included, you and your housemates will need to decide how to handle your utilities. You can either sort everything yourselves or go all in with a student bills package that takes care of it for you.

Whichever route you choose, it pays to do your research and agree on a plan together before you move in. In this guide, we'll weigh up the pros and cons of each option, so you can make the right choice for your household.

Doing it yourself

Going it alone means setting up separate accounts for the provision of each utility, your gas, electricity, broadband and water. It also means arranging a regular Direct Debit, and if your house plans to watch live TV or anything on BBC iPlayer, you’ll also need a TV Licence.

There are upsides and downsides to taking it all on yourself. Here’s how it stacks up:

Pros of doing it yourself  👍

• Full control over your suppliers — You decide exactly who provides your energy and broadband, and you're free to switch whenever you like.
• Potentially cheaper — If you're happy to shop around, you may find that monthly Direct Debits for each utility service may work out cheaper, as you can compare deals and choose your own suppliers. Just bear in mind that a fluctuating energy market, and varying usage across your household means what you pay can change from month to month, so any saving isn't guaranteed.

Cons of doing it yourself  👎

• A lot of time — Generating quotes, comparing suppliers and setting up multiple accounts can eat up your time, especially before the start of the year, before everyone's even had chance to settle in.
• Multiple monthly payments — Separate accounts mean juggling different payment dates and budgeting around each one.
• A chief bill payer carrying the risk — Someone must be named on each account, and that person is responsible for the whole bill. So, if a housemate doesn't pay their share, particularly if there's an unexpected high energy bill, they can be left covering it and chasing their money back.
• The risk of high energy bills — With no usage cap, what you pay each month depends on how much energy the house uses. In winter, or in a shared house where usage varies, with varying schedules, cooking, washing, etc., costs can climb be hard to predict.
• Water meters — If your house is on a water meter, your bill depends on how much water you use. So, long showers, laundry and a full house can push it up. That’s another usage-based cost to keep on top of alongside your energy.
• Market fluctuations — Alongside the fluctuations of usage and therefore cost for energy and water your household uses, you also need to keep in mind that energy prices can change. This means it can be hard to budget, as you never know exactly how much you’ll need to pay each month.
• Multiple suppliers to deal with — More suppliers mean more accounts, more calls and more admin throughout the year.
• Possible deposits and setup fees — Some suppliers ask for deposits or guarantors before they'll activate an account.

Going all in with a student bills package

A student bills package takes the utilities you’d otherwise sort yourself, your gas, electricity, broadband, and water, plus a TV Licence if you need one, and bundles them into one simple monthly payment, split equally between housemates. Everything is set up and managed for you, so there’s no getting quotes, choosing suppliers or setting up separate accounts, and no one person has to take on all the responsibility.

That means no chief bill payer, no juggling different payment dates. Depending on the bill splitting service you use, if your package includes uncapped energy, this also means no over-usage surprises during the colder months. It’s the kind of stress-free setup we’ve built at UniHomes, which we’ve broken down in full below.

How to choose the best option for your house

It’s easy to assume sorting utilities yourself is the cheaper option, but it’s not that simple. With a fluctuating energy market and no usage cap, your monthly costs can rise unexpectedly, particularly over winter. Add in possible deposits and setup fees, and the financial risk that falls on whoever’s named on the account, and those assumed savings are far from guaranteed.

And if you’re searching for the cheapest student bills package, it’s worth comparing what’s actually included. The lowest headline price isn’t always the best value once you factor in usage caps, deposits and the time it takes for all the admin of running everything yourself. Plus, if you don’t go for a package that includes uncapped energy, you could risk an unexpected over-usage bill during or at the end of your contract.

A student bills package, on the other hand, can give you predictable payments, potentially uncapped energy with no over-usage surprises, and no upfront costs, so you know exactly where you stand from day one. For most student houses, the value isn’t just in the convenience, it’s in the certainty.

Whatever you decide, the most important step is to talk to your housemates and make sure everyone’s on the same page before you move in. Even if you’d be comfortable handling the bills yourself, it’s worth thinking about how the rest of the house feels, because going it alone often means one person setting up accounts, working out who owes what, and chasing everyone for payment.

With a student bills package, you each pay your own share through your own Direct Debit, which can take a lot of pressure off, especially if some housemates are worried about remembering to transfer money on time.

And don’t leave your utilities to the last minute. Setting things up in a rush can mean stressing over multiple accounts and risking delays in getting sorted before you move in.

For more info, see our guide to choosing the best student utility bills for your needs.

UniHomes' student utilities package

Already found your dream student home but haven’t sorted your bills? We can help.

The UniHomes all-inclusive student utilities package bundles electricity, gas, broadband, water and TV Licence (optional) into one simple monthly payment, split equally between housemates. We’re trusted by thousands of students to take the stress out of student bills.

Pros of UniHomes utilities 👍 

Why students go all in with UniHomes:

• Low admin = time saved — We set up and manage your gas, electricity, broadband, water and TV Licence (optional), so there’s no getting quotes, choosing suppliers or setting up separate accounts. One quote, one account.
• One simple monthly payment — You’ll know exactly what’s going out and when, and there’s no juggling different payment dates, so you and your housemates can budget with confidence.
• Bills split equally between housemates — Rather than one person being solely responsible for the account, bills are split equally and each housemate sets up their own Direct Debit. That helps you avoid the awkward flat chats and chasing housemates for payments.
• Uncapped energy as standard — Use what you need to keep everyone warm, shower, cook and power your devices, without worrying about an over-usage bill or seasonal spikes. Your monthly payments won’t go up or down based on usage.
• One point of contact — All utility questions go to our dedicated support team, rather than dealing with each supplier individually.
• Water covered in one payment — Your water is bundled into the same simple monthly payment as everything else, so there’s no separate metered water bill to keep on top of, and no surprise charge if the house uses a little more.
• No deposits or setup fees — No upfront costs and no guarantors.
• Superfast broadband as standard — Supplied by leading suppliers for streaming your favourite shows, gaming and studying.
• Free 24/7 wellbeing support — Round-the-clock wellbeing support via Howden for Students, should you ever need it.

The Cons 👎 

• Less control over suppliers — If you'd prefer to choose and switch your own suppliers, going it alone gives you that flexibility.
• On face value it could cost a little more — You’re paying for the convenience, predictability and the admin being handled for you. If you’re happy to shop around and manage it all yourself, doing it alone might work out slightly cheaper, just with more to juggle and less certainty.

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So, is the UniHomes student utilities package worth it?

With UniHomes, everything clicks into place: superfast broadband, uncapped energy, no over-usage surprises, no deposits or setup fees, and one simple monthly payment split equally between housemates for a stress-free living experience.

When you stack the options, managing utilities yourself can quickly become more trouble than it’s worth - juggling suppliers, dealing with any unpredictable bills, and the potential housemate drama over the heating or chasing payments.

As an all-in utility management service designed to remove the stress and admin from student life, going all in with UniHomes isn’t just easier - it’s a no-brainer. See what students say about using UniHomes on Trustpilot.

Not found accommodation yet?  

If you’ve not sorted your student house yet, UniHomes has a huge range of student properties from trusted letting agents and operators across student cities in the UK. Every single home you see on UniHomes has bills included, which means the price you see includes your rent and the provision of energy, broadband and water, with uncapped energy as standard so you won’t have to worry about using more in winter than in summer.

Check out our range of student properties and find your perfect student home today.