Should you let student properties with bills included?

Deciding whether or not to rent student properties with bills included can be challenging. The market tends to agree that students prefer the convenience of an all-inclusive rental option, but this can be time-consuming and admin-heavy for property managers.

To help you decide how best to market your properties, we outline the pros and cons of all-inclusive tenancies for students and discuss the benefits of using a utility management service.

What is all-inclusive rent?

An all-inclusive tenancy agreement will provide a combined rental price which includes the price of renting the property combined with the cost of the household bills. In an all-inclusive agreement, the property manager or landlord will be responsible for organising and managing all the bills, but the tenants will pay for them (and ultimately for this service).

What bills are included in all-inclusive rent?

Typically, all-inclusive rent will cover the following household bills:

• Gas 
• Electricity 
• Water 
• Wi-Fi
• Council tax (but not for student properties as students are exempt from paying council tax)

However, some property managers will choose to include other bills such as a TV licence, the cost of TV streaming services, or contents insurance. 



Do students prefer tenancies with bills included?

Whether a student tenant would prefer to rent with bills included depends on their specific preferences. Ultimately, it comes down to whether they would prefer to save money or save time. Understanding the pros and cons will help you decide whether you want to market your property as an all-inclusive tenancy.

Pros of bills included for students

For students, the main advantage of renting with bills included is the convenience it offers. As the property manager is responsible for choosing the utility providers, setting up the accounts, and sending the payments, student tenants only have to worry about making one payment which is inclusive of their rent and bills.

Bills-inclusive tenancy agreements are often popular with international students who tend to have higher accommodation budgets and may not have a clear understanding of how to set up and manage their bills in the UK. 

Cons of bills included for students

As you might expect, an all-inclusive tenancy agreement typically needs to be more expensive. You will need to predict tenants’ usage in advance and ensure that you are charging an inclusive rental price that will cover the cost of the bills too. Of course, it’s safer to charge a slightly higher price in case your tenants’ usage is extremely high. 

Tenants who are looking to save may prefer to rent without bills included so that they can limit their usage and keep costs down. 

Benefits of using a utility bill management service 

If you want to make your property more attractive by offering tenants a bills-inclusive rental option but don’t want the hassle of managing the bills yourself, there is another alternative. You could use a utility bill management service, like those offered by Concurrent’s partners, The Student Energy Group and Bunch. These services will arrange utility bundles for your tenants that include all the key household bills so your tenants won’t have to worry about setting up or managing accounts. 

So, why use Concurrent’s utility bill management integration?

Save time 

Sometimes the hassle and time it takes to manage all the bills for an all-inclusive tenancy can outweigh the benefits. If you use Concurrent for digital contract signing, you can offer tenants the opportunity to select a utilities package as part of the booking flow. Tenants can build their perfect bills bundle and have full control over what’s included, with no additional administration for you. 

Convenience 

Tenants can select all their bills in one place while they are going through the initial booking journey for their accommodation. The household bills will then be rolled into one monthly statement which is easy to manage. This is extremely convenient for students, which is the primary benefit of all-inclusive tenancies. This option makes your property more attractive to students who value that convenience, without you having to take on additional admin. 

Earn referral commission 

With Concurrent, you can earn up to £75 + VAT* in referral commission for each of your tenants that signs up for a utilities package with one of our partner providers. If your tenants choose to use bills packages from one of our providers, referrals and commission payments are fully automated through the system.

Earn utility referral commission with Concurrent today

Concurrent is a fully end-to-end property management platform offering all the key tools and integrations you need to complete bookings efficiently and manage tenancies effectively. 

Want to get started? Book a demo today to find out how you could start earning referral commission with Concurrent.

* Terms and Conditions apply