Utilities supplier for students - private rent less than a year

TwinLizzy

Our children are embarking on student life, and private rent for each year is often 48 or 50 weeks. Buy the time they've moved in, and got signed up, they can't commit to a 12 month fix or whatever. Is there any advice on the cheapest options for them, and how to find out? Cheap energy club seems to assume the home is for keeps, so not very helpful in this context (though it's amazing for us at home!).

la531983

They can leave a fix in the last 7 weeks penalty free so in the scenario above it shouldn't be an issue.

Ildhund

Not only that, it's often the case that any early exit fee on a fixed tariff is waived if the contract ends because the account holder moves house. You'd have to check the supplier's terms and conditions to be sure. 

QrizB

If they don't want to risk exit fees from a fix, then staying on the SVT wouldn't be the end of the world.

squirrelpie

And some fixed tariffs, e.g. from Octopus don't have exit fees anyway.

TwinLizzy

la531983 said:

They can leave a fix in the last 7 weeks penalty free so in the scenario above it shouldn't be an issue.

Isn't that just if you are moving to a new tariff?

TwinLizzy

QrizB said:

If they don't want to risk exit fees from a fix, then staying on the SVT wouldn't be the end of the world.

Yeah, but frustrating that they can't get the benefit of choosing a fixed price. When pennies are tight and bills are new and scary, a fix would be better.

Notepad_Phil

TwinLizzy said:

la531983 said:

They can leave a fix in the last 7 weeks penalty free so in the scenario above it shouldn't be an issue.

Isn't that just if you are moving to a new tariff?

Presumably you'd move to a SVT.

Scot_39

TwinLizzy said:

QrizB said:

If they don't want to risk exit fees from a fix, then staying on the SVT wouldn't be the end of the world.

Yeah, but frustrating that they can't get the benefit of choosing a fixed price. When pennies are tight and bills are new and scary, a fix would be better.

Fixed price tariffs or cap trickers gives little certainty as to total bills.  Get a house sharer who has a daily bath or keeps tge house or their bedroom  at 21C will have far more an impact than fix vs svt in many cases.

You may not have the choice of fix if property has old style  prepay, and even if smart getting that changed for students may not be entirely straightforward without a large credit on account.

Its possibly far better to concentrate on the splitting and paying of tgd bills in a timely fashion by all those sharing the rental than the actual rates.

The liabilities can be a kicker if one does a runner, and doesn't pay share.

You dont want one of the share leaving those registered on tge bill liable for their share.

Smart prepay might arguably be tge ideal way - collecting money as you go - and its got a cheaper cap cf many trackers even.

Edit - All that above assuming they are directly billed - able to take out a normal direct with UK domestic supplier contract - and not rebilled at a commercial rate by landlord.

And beware studen agencies that tie them in to service companies - at often less than favourable terms - and a complex chain of billing for payment and refunds.