SETTLE IN
If all you had to do was find a few friends and a property you liked, life would be much simpler.
Living independently is fun and exciting but also brings a few (boring) obligations like paying bills.
It’s tempting to put off tedious tasks until later but it’ll ultimately make your life way easier to sort it all out right away.
If your landlord/agency doesn’t take an inventory of the property, make this the first thing you do! Download this template to help get you started. Once you have filled it in, make sure you send it to your landlord/agent to sign.
Enjoy your new area
- Explore.
- Don’t just go to familiar chains.
- Visit local pubs and cafes.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU MOVE IN
Take photos of everything. Before you move your stuff in, do a video tour of the property, open cupboards and test sinks. Get this all on video. Once you have moved your belongings in, it will be a lot more difficult and more effort to make this recording. This can serve as proof of condition of the property if you get into any disputes with your landlord at the end of your tenancy.
If you are lucky enough to have all of your bills included in you rent, then you don’t need to pay attention to this next bit. For everyone else, read on…
ENERGY
- A standing charge is daily fee you pay the provider to be connected (usually a few pence a day). This is not dependent on how much you spend/use.
- If your electricity/gas is on a meter then you will have to read it monthly and send this to your supplier to make sure you pay the right bills. You may have a smart meter that does this automatically, however it is always good practice to send the meter reading to your energy company as soon as you move in to ensure that you aren’t paying too much.
- Some places will have key or card that you have to preload with credit before you can use the electricity and gas. You can top this up in newsagents and small shops. With this method, you don’t need to send readings to the energy company.
WIFI
- The top tip when thinking about WiFi is to sort it early. It can take a couple of weeks from when you set up your contract to actually get the WiFi installed and activated so make sure you take this into account before you move in.
- Google your postcode and see what speeds you can expect in your area – lots of companies will promise speeds ‘up to’ a certain amount to encourage you to take a more expensive tariff, but if the capability isn’t there in your area then you could be paying extra for nothing.
WATER
- Your water bill will most likely come from Thames Water. When you move in, you’ll have to get in touch to let them know that you are new tenants so you don’t end up paying for anything used by the last tenants.
- You can generally pay 6 months up front or pay a monthly rolling direct debit- whatever works best for you.