Most students sign a tenancy agreement without fully clocking what bills they're about to take on. Then the first electricity bill arrives and suddenly everyone's doing maths they weren't prepared for. So here's the quick version: unless your rent is explicitly "bills included," you're responsible for gas, electricity, broadband, and the TV licence as a minimum. Contents insurance is optional but worth it. Council tax is the one bill you're almost certainly exempt from — but only if you apply. Here's what each one actually involves.
Gas and electricity
These are your biggest bills. Your landlord is required to provide a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before you move in, and you'll typically inherit whatever supplier the previous tenants used. You don't have to stay with them — you can switch — but with student tenancies often running 12 months, it's usually easier to stay put unless the rate is genuinely bad.
Split the bill equally between housemates. Read the meters on the day you move in and take photos — this protects you from being charged for usage before your tenancy started.
Broadband
Sky, Virgin Media, and BT all offer student-specific deals or short-contract options. BT and Sky typically run standard 12- or 18-month contracts; Virgin can offer more flexible terms depending on area. The important thing: broadband takes 2–4 weeks to set up, so book it before you move in. A lot of student houses make the mistake of sorting this in week one and spending the first fortnight on mobile data.
Split the monthly cost equally — it's a shared household service.
TV licence
If anyone in the house watches live TV (any channel, any device) or uses BBC iPlayer, you need a TV licence. As of 2025, that's £174.50 per year — roughly £14.50/month. One licence covers the whole property, so split it between everyone. If genuinely nobody in the house watches live TV or iPlayer, you can declare that you don't need one via the TV Licensing website. Be honest about this — the fines for not having one when you need one are steep.
Contents insurance
Landlords insure the building; they don't insure your stuff. Laptops, bikes, phones, clothes — if they're stolen or damaged, that's on you. Student contents insurance is cheap (often £5–10/month per person) and worth picking up, especially in cities with higher theft rates. Some policies cover items taken outside the property too, which matters for bikes and laptops.
Council tax — and why you're probably exempt
Full-time students are exempt from council tax. If every single person in your house is a full-time student, the property is exempt entirely. You need to apply for this exemption through your local council — it won't happen automatically. Your university will provide a council tax exemption certificate; you then submit that to the council.
The catch: if even one housemate isn't a full-time student (a part-time student, someone who's deferred, a non-student partner), the exemption doesn't fully apply. That person will owe council tax. This is more complicated than it sounds and worth sorting before the first bill arrives. There's more detail in our council tax and student exemption guide.
What's usually included in student rent?
Some student accommodation — particularly purpose-built student housing — includes all bills in the rent. If that's what you've signed up for, great. Just double-check the tenancy agreement to confirm what's included and whether there are any usage caps on utilities.
For private rentals (the vast majority of second and third-year houses), bills are almost never included unless explicitly stated. Don't assume — check.
For a broader overview of how to manage all of this as a house, see the student house money management guide. For UK-wide context on shared bills beyond students, this flatmate bills guide covers the essentials.
Knowing what you owe — and what you don't — is the foundation of stress-free house bills. Get the council tax exemption sorted, read the meters on day one, and book broadband before you move in. Everything else follows from there.