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First-time renter bills

Moving into your first rented home?

A first rented home comes with up to five bills: energy, water, council tax, broadband and, if you watch live TV, a TV Licence. Tell us where you're moving and we'll show you which apply, who supplies your home and what to do first.

  • Your personalised bill checklist
  • See where you can choose or save
  • Set everything up in the right order

Your new home

See what you need to set up

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Short answer

Renting, you usually pay five bills: energy, water, council tax and broadband, plus a TV Licence if anyone watches live TV or uses BBC iPlayer; your mobile contract carries on. Check the tenancy for bills the rent includes. Order broadband before you move, register with the council and the water company from your start date, and take meter readings on day one.

Updated

  • 5

    Main household bills to sort

  • 2

    Bills where you can choose

    Energy + broadband

  • £180/year

    TV Licence, only if you need one

See the move-in bills checklist

Below, we explain what each of the five bills is, what affects the price and where you have a choice.

How do I set up gas and electricity for the first time when renting?

Choose the supplier and tariff for your new home, then make sure the account dates and opening readings are right. Compare both the unit rate and the daily standing charge.

  • You can arrange a new supplier to start on your responsibility date where the tariff supports it. Check the confirmed date. If you prefer to stay, find and contact the existing supplier to open your account and ask about its tariffs.
  • If you use energy before an agreed tariff or new supplier starts, the existing supplier normally supplies you under a deemed contract on its default tariff. You pay for that period, including standing charges.
  • A standing charge is a daily amount, including on days you use no energy. The unit rate is what you pay per kWh. Compare both using an estimate of your annual usage.
  • The price cap limits eligible standard variable rates and standing charges; it does not cap the total bill or the rates of a fixed tariff.
  • You can compare before receiving a bill, using estimated usage for the property. Update the estimate once you have your own readings.
  • Whichever supplier you choose, take opening readings or confirm it can obtain them from your smart meter for the responsibility date. Dated meter photos provide a useful backup.
Sources (1)
Set up gas and electric step by step

In what order do I set up bills in my first rented home?

By lead time. Broadband takes longest, energy and water are settled on move-in day readings, and the council registers you once you move in. Have these ready first.

  1. 1

    Check which bills the rent includes

    Read your tenancy agreement for who pays each bill, so nothing is set up or paid twice.

  2. 2

    Order broadband as soon as you have a date

    Check what the new address can get on Ofcom's checker, then arrange a start date for the new service in time for your move.

  3. 3

    Choose your energy supplier

    Compare new suppliers and confirm an available start date, or find and contact the existing supplier to stay. You do not need a first bill to compare.

  4. 4

    Read every meter on move-in day

    Take gas and electricity readings when you become responsible, or confirm your supplier can obtain readings for that date from your smart meter. Take a water-meter reading where applicable. Keep dated photos as a backup.

  5. 5

    Register for council tax and tell the water company

    Tell the council for your new address that you have moved in, and let the water company know your move-in date.

  6. 6

    Get a TV Licence if you need one

    You need one to watch or record live TV on any channel or service, or to use BBC iPlayer.

  7. 7

    Check the accounts and agree the split

    Check supplier confirmations, account dates and tariffs. If you share, agree how each bill is split before the first one arrives.

More detail
  • Your new address and tenancy start date
  • The names of anyone moving in with you
  • Your tenancy agreement, to check which bills the rent already includes

On move-in day

Take photos of your gas, electricity and water meter readings, where applicable.

You don't need these to start your setup.

Sources (5)
How to set up gas and electric in a new home

What bills do you pay when renting, and who charges each?

Nobody explains this before you sign a tenancy. Here is each bill in a line: what it pays for, what drives the price, and whether you get any choice about it.

  • Council tax pays for local services and is charged per property rather than per person, by your local council. England's average Band D bill is £2,392 a year for 2026/27. Councils bill it over ten months by default, so budget about £239 a month rather than £199, and ask for twelve instalments if you would rather spread it. One adult living alone gets 25% off, and a household where everyone is a full-time student pays nothing, though you have to apply for that rather than ignore the bill.
  • Water comes from whichever company covers your address and you cannot choose a different one. You either pay a fixed charge based on the property's rateable value, or, if the home has a meter, for what you actually use.
  • Energy means gas and electricity. You can choose a new supplier for an available move-in date or stay with the existing supplier and contact it to set up your account. The section below explains both options.
  • Broadband can need an engineer appointment or new equipment, so check availability and book as soon as your moving date is firm. Ask the provider to confirm the start date.
  • A TV Licence costs £180 a year from 1 April 2026, about £15 a month, and you need one if anyone in the house watches or records live television or uses BBC iPlayer. Watching on-demand services other than iPlayer does not need one.
Sources (2)
Estimate the bills for your new address

Setting up energy at a new address?

The cap limits unit rates and standing charges, not your total bill, so what you pay still depends on what you use. For a typical dual-fuel home paying by direct debit it is £1,862 a year from 1 July to 30 September 2026 and £1,935 from 1 October to 31 December, or £1,663 and £1,723 on Ofgem's own consumption basis. If you move in close to a change date, take a meter reading on the day so your first bill splits correctly.

Check the energy price cap guide

Check the tenancy and each supplier account separately

Your rent agreement and utility contracts establish different responsibilities.

  • In England, most covered private assured tenancies became periodic on 1 May 2026. Student halls and other arrangements can differ; check the accommodation and nation.
  • A private bill split does not limit a named customer’s responsibility under the supplier contract. Ask each provider to confirm account changes.
  • Before a joint tenant gives notice, check whether it could end the whole tenancy. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules.
Sources (1)
Use the housemate handover checklist

When should I set up each bill in a new home?

By lead time. Broadband takes longest, energy and water are settled on move-day readings, and the council registers you from the day you move in.

  • Broadband: as soon as you have a moving date. Ofcom's advice for movers is to arrange a start date for the new service in time for when you move, and to check what the new address can get on its checker.
  • Gas and electricity: you can arrange a new supplier before moving where a tariff supports your date, or find and contact the existing supplier to stay. Take opening readings or confirm smart-meter readings, and check the account starts on the correct date.
  • The home you leave: give your energy supplier at least 48 hours' notice, and the water company at least 5 working days' notice if the home has a water meter (Citizens Advice).
  • Water: tell the water company for the new address that you have moved in, and read the meter as soon as you move in if there is one (Citizens Advice, England). In Scotland, most water charges come with the council tax bill (mygov.scot).
  • Council tax: register with the council for the new address when you move. Some councils will not take it too early: Oxford City Council cannot update an account more than 28 days in advance.
  • Taking over from the previous tenant: you open your own accounts. Citizens Advice says you do not pay for energy used before you moved in, and on a prepayment meter, contact the supplier before you top up, or you could pay off debts left by the people before you.
Sources (7)
Who is my energy supplier at a new address?

What will it cost to move into my first rented home?

Two kinds of cost: what you pay before you move in, and the bills that start once you do.

  • Before you move in, in England: a holding deposit of up to one week's rent, a tenancy deposit of up to five weeks' rent if the yearly rent is under £50,000, and up to one month's rent in advance once you have both signed. Nothing can be taken as rent before you sign.
  • The one-month cap on rent in advance came in with the Renters' Rights Act, which changes how private homes in England are let from 1 May 2026. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own deposit rules.
  • Once you move in, the bills come to about £350 a month for one person living alone, or £442.86 for a couple, at October to December 2026 prices. That is Taupia's arithmetic on official averages for energy, council tax at England's average Band D, water, broadband and a TV Licence.
  • Taupia's guide to the cost of moving out works through an example rent, and its average household bills page breaks the monthly bills down for each kind of household.
Sources (4)
How much money you need to move out

Do it yourself or let Taupia guide you

You can set up each bill yourself, or use Taupia to organise the process, compare your options and keep everything together.

Doing it yourself

  • Find each provider separately
  • Work out which bills you can compare
  • Complete setup with each provider
  • Keep track of contracts and renewals yourself

With Taupia

  • One personalised checklist for your home
  • We compare your property's current energy rate with available market deals
  • See recommended options and choose what suits you
  • Keep bills, provider updates and next steps together afterwards
Show me what I need to set up

You can also set bills up directly with providers, use comparison sites for individual quotes, or choose bundled bill services. Taupia brings setup, comparison and ongoing bill management into one place.

Who pays which bill in a rented home, and when to set it up

BillWho usually pays, and when to act
Energy (gas and electricity)You, unless the rent includes it. Tell the existing supplier your start date and give opening readings on day one, then choose a tariff or supplier.
WaterYou in England and Wales where the rent excludes it; a landlord who bills you instead can only pass on the company's charge. Register with the company for your postcode from your start date.
Council taxThe tenants living there, jointly on a joint tenancy; the owner where the home is a house in multiple occupation. Register with the council in your first days.
BroadbandYou. Order before you move: a new line can take weeks, and transferring an existing contract needs notice.
TV LicenceThe household, if anyone watches or records live TV or uses BBC iPlayer: £180 a year from 1 April 2026, before you first watch.
MobileYou, as before. Change the billing address and check coverage at the new home; nothing else changes.

Questions most new renters ask

What bills do you pay when renting?

Usually energy, water, council tax and broadband, plus a TV Licence if anyone will watch or record live TV or use BBC iPlayer. Check your tenancy agreement first, because some rents include water, energy or broadband. Your mobile stays your own contract, so only its billing address changes.

Do I need to set up gas and electricity before I move in?

You can arrange a new supplier ahead of the move where a tariff supports your responsibility date. Alternatively, find and contact the existing supplier to stay. A connected home normally remains supplied under a deemed contract if no agreed tariff has started. In either case, take opening readings or confirm the supplier can obtain them from your smart meter.

Which energy supplier do I get when I move in?

You can arrange a new supplier to start on your responsibility date where available. If you prefer to stay, find and contact the existing supplier. It also supplies any gap before a new supplier starts, normally on its default tariff. Gas and electricity may have different suppliers.

How do I take over the utilities from the previous tenant?

Arrange your own accounts from your responsibility date. Choose a new energy supplier or contact the existing one to stay, and provide opening readings or confirm smart-meter readings. Register with the water company and council as applicable, and arrange broadband. You do not owe the previous occupier's energy debt; contact a prepayment supplier before topping up.

When should I set up bills in a new home?

Book broadband as soon as your move date is firm. Arrange a new energy supplier for an available start date or contact the existing supplier to stay. Notify old providers and register with the new council and water company within their reporting windows. Take readings or confirm smart-meter readings when responsibility changes.

Can my landlord stop me switching energy?

Not if you pay the supplier directly: Citizens Advice says you can then switch, including on a prepayment meter. Your tenancy agreement might say you have to return the account to the original supplier when you leave. If your landlord pays the energy supplier, you cannot switch yourself, so ask them, though they do not have to agree.

Do I need a TV Licence as a renter?

Only if someone watches or records live TV on any channel or service, or uses BBC iPlayer. GOV.UK says streaming services like Netflix, on-demand TV like Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and DVDs do not need one. In a house share on separate tenancy agreements, anyone watching TV in their own room needs their own licence.

How do I set up bills in a shared student house?

The setup steps are the same as any rental, but you'll also need to agree how to split shared costs. Use Taupia's housemate split calculator to check a fair split for your house. If one housemate is not a full-time student, the house gets a council tax bill, with 25% off if they are the only adult counted.

Pages worth opening next

Use these to move from setup to ongoing bill control.

Start here

Check a home's bills before you offer or sign

Recommended

What the address alone tells you about the five bills, and what to ask at the viewing.

Official references

Ready to sort your new-home bills?

See every bill for your new address, priced, before you set anything up.

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Cite this page

Taupia. "Set up bills for first-time renters". Last updated 31 October 2026. https://taupia.com/move-home/first-time-renter-bills-setup