Setting Up Essential Accounts

Open Your Student Bank Account

Your maintenance loan needs a safe place to land. Standard current accounts do not offer the safety net of a 0% interest arranged overdraft. A student bank account gives you access to interest-free borrowing, which acts as an essential buffer when your loan falls short of your living costs. According to the National Union of Students (2025), the average maintenance loan falls £502 short of covering monthly living expenses.

Do not choose a bank simply because they offer a free railcard or a cash bonus. Look at the overdraft limits across the entire duration of your degree. For example, Santander guarantees a £1,500 0% overdraft for your first three years. NatWest and RBS offer a tiered system, starting at £500 in your first term and rising to £3,250 by your third year. You must apply for these increases, and approval depends on your credit history.

To open the account, you need your UCAS status code or a confirmation letter from your university. Apply as soon as your place is confirmed. Once the account is open, log into your student finance portal and update your bank details. If you forget this step, your first loan instalment will bounce, leaving you without funds during freshers’ week.

Remember that an overdraft is borrowed money, not free cash. You must pay it back eventually. When you graduate, your bank will automatically switch your account to a graduate account. This graduate account maintains the 0% interest rate but slowly reduces the limit each year, forcing you to clear the debt over two to three years.

Locate Your Utility Suppliers and Meters

Moving into a private student house means taking responsibility for your own energy and water. Before you can set up your accounts, you must identify who currently supplies the property. Ask your letting agent or landlord for this information when you sign the contract. If they do not know, use the Find My Supplier website to locate your gas provider and contact your local distribution network operator for your electricity supplier.

The moment you walk through the front door, locate your gas and electricity meters. Take clear, time-stamped photographs of the readings. You must provide these initial numbers to your suppliers to prove exactly when your usage began. Skipping this task means you risk inheriting the previous tenants’ unpaid energy debt.

Energy bills consist of two parts: a standing charge and a unit rate. The standing charge is a fixed daily fee you pay just to be connected to the grid, regardless of how much energy you use. The unit rate is the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you actually consume. Understanding this split helps you budget accurately, especially during the summer months when your usage drops but the standing charge remains.

Water suppliers are strictly regional. You cannot shop around for a cheaper water company. Check your local authority website to find out which company services your post town, and have your move-in date ready to give them. Some properties have a water meter, meaning you pay for exactly what you use. Others charge a fixed annual fee based on the property’s rateable value.

Register for Gas, Electricity and Water

Contact your suppliers to set up accounts in your name. You can usually do this online by filling out a “moving in” form. Add all housemates to the utility accounts. If only one person puts their name on the bill, that individual becomes solely legally responsible for the entire debt. Naming everyone ensures joint liability, protecting you if a housemate refuses to pay their share.

Energy prices remain high. According to Student Tenant (2025), the average utility bill for a UK student in a house share now sits between £110 and £165 per month. The National Union of Students (2025) reports that 78% of students consider utility bills their second-largest expense after rent. Set up a direct debit to pay these bills automatically. Most suppliers offer a discount for direct debit customers.

Submit regular meter readings every month. If you fail to supply readings, your energy provider will estimate your usage. Estimated bills are almost always higher than your actual consumption, draining your bank account unnecessarily. Request a smart meter installation from your supplier. Smart meters send automatic readings to the energy company and provide a digital display so you can track your daily spending in pounds and pence.

Decide how your household will manage the payments. You can use a joint house account where everyone transfers a set amount each month, or use a dedicated bill-splitting service. Bill-splitting companies charge a premium for bundling your utilities into one neat monthly payment, so weigh the convenience against the extra cost.

Secure Your Student Broadband Contract

Internet access is non-negotiable for university coursework and streaming lectures. Standard broadband contracts usually last 18 to 24 months, which does not align with a typical 9-to-12-month student tenancy. If you sign a two-year contract, you will face hefty early exit fees when you move out next summer.

Search for dedicated student broadband deals. Providers like Virgin Media, BT, and Sky release 9-month and 12-month contracts specifically for the student market between July and August. Compare the speeds based on your household size. A house of four students simultaneously streaming and downloading requires a minimum fibre speed of 100Mbps to avoid constant buffering.

Order your broadband at least three weeks before you move in. Engineers get booked up quickly in September, and a delayed installation means relying on mobile data hotspots to submit your first assignments. Check if your property already has the correct line installed, as this speeds up the activation process.

When the router arrives, place it in a central, elevated location. Avoid hiding it behind the TV or inside a cupboard, as physical barriers block the Wi-Fi signal. If your student house has thick walls or multiple floors, consider buying a Wi-Fi extender to ensure everyone gets a strong connection in their bedrooms. You can find more advice on managing these setup costs in our student money section.

Apply for Your Council Tax Exemption

Council tax pays for local services like rubbish collection and street lighting. Full-time university students are exempt from paying this tax, but the exemption is not automatic. You must actively prove your student status to your local authority, or they will send you a bill for thousands of pounds.

To qualify as a full-time student, your course must last at least one year and involve a minimum of 21 hours of study per week. Request a “Council Tax Exemption Certificate” from your university’s student services department or download it from your online student portal. Go to your local council’s website, find the student council tax section, and upload your certificate alongside your tenancy agreement.

If you live with a mix of students and non-students, the rules change. A household with one non-student receives a 25% discount on the total council tax bill. If two or more non-students live in the property, the household must pay the full amount. Discuss this with potential housemates before signing a tenancy agreement, as council tax adds a massive financial burden.

Be aware of the summer transition period. Your council tax exemption only covers the official dates of your university course. If you sign a tenancy agreement that starts in July, but your course officially begins in September, the council may charge you for those two summer months. Similarly, if a housemate drops out of university mid-year, they lose their student status immediately, which alters the council tax liability for the entire house.

Sort Your TV Licence and Media Subscriptions

You must have a TV Licence if you watch or record live television on any channel, or if you use BBC iPlayer. This applies to any device, including televisions, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. A standard colour TV Licence costs £169.50 per year.

If you sign a joint tenancy agreement for a shared house, you only need one TV Licence to cover the entire property. If you sign individual tenancy agreements for your specific rooms, you each need your own TV Licence to watch live TV in your private rooms. Read your contract carefully to understand your setup. You can explore more about tenancy types in our student housing advice hub.

Do not ignore the letters from TV Licensing. If you only watch Netflix, YouTube, or catch-up services (excluding BBC iPlayer), you do not need a licence. However, you must still go to the TV Licensing website and formally declare that you do not need one. Failure to declare or pay can result in an unexpected visit from an enforcement officer and a potential £1,000 fine.

If you move out of your student house for the summer and move back in with your parents, you can claim a refund for the unused months of your TV Licence. You must have at least one full month left on the licence to qualify. Keep your licence number handy and apply for the refund online before you pack up your room.

For more guidance on preparing for the academic year and building a solid budget, visit our preparing for university guide at thegrads.uk.