Student rental utilities bills package like Unihome - is it a fair deal for students?

Willihe

Does anyone have experience of using Unihome All inclusive utilities in shared student rental accommodation? (Views on value for money, service etc? Is it ) Are there others that provide this service to compare pricing?  The pricing is for energy bills (gas and electricity), water, TV and broadband (speed not specified, but assume basic) for £30 pppw in a 3-bed house.  There's obviously a price for the convenience of having someone manage the utilities contracts, but seems to give a generous margin for managing the utilities,  referral commissions/ brand ambassador payments, VAT and profit, and they presumably benefit from the energy rebates, which are not passed back to students.

silvercar

The convenience comes at a price, it would be better if the students put one bill in each of their names and sought the best deal for those that they have options for eg broadband suppliers. When I looked at this when my kids were at uni, the mark up was about 30%.

macman

Don't even think about it. Why would you pay someone else to handle your water supply account, it's not as if there is a choice of supplier?
There is no need for students to pay anything for TV-just use Freeview or Freesat.
They're going to have to manage their own household utilities once they graduate, so why not start them off now?
There are quite a few horror stories concerning these type of companies on here, usually contracted courtesy of the LA's, who of course receive a healthy bung for helpfuly signing them up.

Gycraig

It’s basically just a shared house isn’t it? I wouldn’t like to have to arrange bill payments with what are basically strangers etc worth every penny imo, saves the hassle if someone drops out and goes home etc 

silvercar

Gycraig said:

It’s basically just a shared house isn’t it? I wouldn’t like to have to arrange bill payments with what are basically strangers etc worth every penny imo, saves the hassle if someone drops out and goes home etc 

It is the cost for that privilege that is exceptionally high. Plus it doesn't solve arguments, these costs aren't fixed, they are based on estimates of what the bills will be. If it turns out that the electric bill is far higher the company ups the DD. 

More hassle, but more money saving if everyone takes a responsibility for a bill. The one that is most hassle for students is the council tax as they need to provide proof to the council that everyone renting is a genuine student. 

lookstraightahead

The crux is how close are the students? My daughter always lived with friends and they did it all themselves. They took on certain responsibilities each (they are adults after all).

if they're not friends though, maybe worth thinking about.

lookstraightahead

Gycraig said:

It’s basically just a shared house isn’t it? I wouldn’t like to have to arrange bill payments with what are basically strangers etc worth every penny imo, saves the hassle if someone drops out and goes home etc 

How do you know they're basically strangers? Some people know their spouses less well. My daughters room mates are friends for life. Much closer than marrieds really. They're still living together even after graduating.

caprikid1

It all depends on your attitude to risk, no shortage of horror stories of parents getting stitched up for the rent and bills of students who did a runner.

Gycraig

lookstraightahead said:

Gycraig said:

It’s basically just a shared house isn’t it? I wouldn’t like to have to arrange bill payments with what are basically strangers etc worth every penny imo, saves the hassle if someone drops out and goes home etc 

How do you know they're basically strangers? Some people know their spouses less well. My daughters room mates are friends for life. Much closer than marrieds really. They're still living together even after graduating.

I assumed tbh as I don’t understand why you would use this service if you already had close friends to do it with. Wouldn’t make sense to use a service like this if you did. Which is kind of the point of these sorts of services. 

Willihe

silvercar said:

The convenience comes at a price, it would be better if the students put one bill in each of their names and sought the best deal for those that they have options for eg broadband suppliers. When I looked at this when my kids were at uni, the mark up was about 30%.

Thanks - that's interesting - my estimate of the mark-up was 25-35% (though there may be VAT within their price), but still a good margin in it.

Willihe

macman said:

Don't even think about it. Why would you pay someone else to handle your water supply account, it's not as if there is a choice of supplier?
There is no need for students to pay anything for TV-just use Freeview or Freesat.
They're going to have to manage their own household utilities once they graduate, so why not start them off now?
There are quite a few horror stories concerning these type of companies on here, usually contracted courtesy of the LA's, who of course receive a healthy bung for helpfuly signing them up.

Thanks. Letting agent was offering the option, but fortunately hadn't put on pressure to sign-up, but naive students were tempted, but convinced them they don't need to do that at time of signing a tenancy agreement.  Agree Water and TV license (if required) are easy to arrange. Energy and broadband will be more tricky for them, but requires them to ensure those paying the bigger monthly bills receive contributions from others on time, as well as monitoring energy usage to ensure they're not overpaying. Life lessons ahead for them!