Move-in day is chaos. You're carrying boxes, your broadband isn't working yet, and someone's already claiming the biggest room. In that chaos, it's incredibly easy to skip the financial admin that will come back to bite you three months in. The good news: there's a fairly short list of things you actually need to sort. Do them all in the first week and you'll avoid the majority of house bill disputes before they start. Here's the checklist.
Before you move in
- Read the tenancy agreement properly. Check whether bills are included (most private rentals: no), confirm the deposit amount and which scheme it's protected in, and look for any clauses about utility responsibilities. If you're unsure about anything, ask before you sign.
- Book broadband. Seriously — do this before you move in. Installation takes 2–4 weeks, and starting term without internet is grim. Compare deals from Sky, BT, and Virgin Media. Student-specific contracts exist and can save you money.
- Check who the existing energy supplier is. Your landlord or letting agent should be able to tell you. You're not obligated to stay with them, but it's usually the path of least resistance for a short tenancy.
- Agree in the group chat how you're splitting bills. Equal split is simplest. Decide before you move in so there's no ambiguity on day one.
On move-in day
- Take meter readings immediately. Gas and electricity. Take photos with a timestamp. This protects you from being charged for energy used before your tenancy started. Share the readings with all housemates.
- Document the condition of the property. Walk around with your phone, photograph anything that's already damaged or worn, and email it to your landlord. This protects your deposit.
- Confirm deposit protection. Your landlord is legally required to protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS) within 30 days. You should receive confirmation of which scheme within that window.
In the first week
- Set up the energy account. Contact the existing supplier with your move-in date and meter readings to start your account. You can switch providers at any point.
- Apply for council tax exemption. If every person in the house is a full-time student, you're exempt — but you must apply. Get your council tax exemption certificate from your university's student services and submit it to your local council. Don't wait for a bill to arrive first.
- Confirm the broadband install date. If you've not already booked, do it now. Mobile data for a whole house gets expensive fast.
- Get contents insurance. Often overlooked, usually cheap. Student policies typically cover laptops, phones, and bikes both in and outside the property.
In the first month
- Set up a way to track shared costs. Whether it's a spreadsheet, a shared notes doc, or a dedicated app like Splitr, have a system before the first bills arrive. The group chat is not a system. For a comparison of what's available, see the best apps for splitting bills in a student house.
- Agree on the communal shopping situation. Are you splitting a weekly shop? Buying separately? Contributing to a communal fund for basics? Sort this early — it avoids more friction than you'd expect. There's a whole guide on splitting the supermarket shop with housemates.
- Check your energy bills against your meter readings. When your first bill arrives, compare the stated usage against your move-in meter readings. Billing errors happen and are easier to dispute when you have the receipts.
The costs to budget for
For a full breakdown of what each bill is likely to cost per person in a 4-person student house, see the 2025 student bills cost guide. Short version: budget around £70–120 per person per month across electricity, gas, broadband, TV licence, and contents insurance combined.
For a full explainer on which bills you're responsible for as a student renter in the UK, see the student bills guide.
Move-in admin isn't the fun part — but an hour of sorting it properly on day one saves you weeks of headaches later. Future you, sitting in a warm house with working broadband and no passive-aggressive bill reminders in the group chat, will be grateful.