You can download a sample rent book , if you don't already have one, and use it to keep track of your payments. Unless otherwise stated rent will only be for living in the property itself, however rent can also cover:.
If council tax or some other bill is included in your rent it should be specified in your contract by the landlord. If you are on benefits or a low income you may be entitled to housing benefit to help pay your rent.
If can also apply for a budgeting loan, if you need help with paying rent in advance, as housing benefit is paid in arrears. If you are the only person on the tenancy agreement then you are responsible for paying all the rent. If you have a joint tenancy that is, if other people living with you are on the tenancy agreement , you are all responsible for paying the rent.
If one of you does not pay, the others are responsible for paying that person's share. Occasionally it might be possible for you to withhold rent:. Find out more about withholding rent. Your landlord have to follow certain procedures before they can put your rent up.
The page on rent increases explains these procedures and also has advice on what you can do if you disagree with a rent increase and want to challenge it.
Usually, when you move into a rented property, your landlord will ask you to put the gas and electricity bills in your name. However, sometimes your landlord may be responsible for paying the supplier and will bill you separately for the electricity and gas you use. There are rules as to how much your landlord can charge you for this:. If you think you are being overcharged, ask your landlord to show you how your bill is calculated. If you're still not happy, contact the Energy Ombudsman.
These rules only apply if your landlord gives you a separate bill for gas and electricity. Get Help. They are small text files. While having bills included in your rent might sound like a no-brainer, everyone's circumstances are unique.
For some, the inclusion of bills is the ideal scenario. Others, however, may prefer to manage them separately. Having your bills included in the rent obviously makes it easier to budget.
You only need to think about one figure that comes out on the same date each month. It can be easy to forget the odd bill here and there when there are so many due. Even if you have direct debits, keeping on track of everything is a task in itself.
So it certainly helps if all bills are included in your rent. There are definitely lots of benefits to having bills included. Monthly rental inclusive of bills will likely come at a premium. You also need to trust that the landlord is charging you the correct amount. For example, they might use a specific supplier for energy , but there are cheaper options out there which the landlord is unaware of.
If you lead a busy lifestyle, inclusive bills might not work for you either. If this is the case, you could be paying higher amounts for inclusive bills than if you paid for them separately.
If you are transferring utilities from one address to another, follow this guide. Rent is usually due on the first of the month, although some landlords may set it to the 15th of the month. Setting up utilities in your name means all of the bills go directly to you. Some utility providers may allow you to set the date that you pay your bills. Otherwise, your utilities could get shut off, forcing you to pay costly reconnection fees and fines to sort it out.
There are a few lines of thinking: split them evenly, based on income, or based on the size of your room. Determine one tenant to handle all of the bills, as it makes it easier for everyone. Use finance apps like Venmo or Cash App to easily split bills between roommates. List with us Sign up Log in. Renter Life. Rental Management. Company News. Product Updates. Apartment List Blog. Share this Article. By: Justin Chaplin and Davina Ward. June 11, What Utilities Are Included? Pros of Including Utility Costs in Rent There are some major pros when your utility costs are baked into your rent.
Here are some other pros of including the utilities in your rent. Cons of Including Utility Costs in Rent Despite all of the pros of rent included in your utilities, there are some downsides. Justin Chaplin. Justin is a Content Manager and contributing author at Apartment List, helping people navigate the world of renting.
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