Included with rent?

Discussion in Gas & Electricity started by GavinMcresty • May 5, 2013.

  1. GavinMcresty

    GavinMcrestyMember

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    For those people here who rent where they stay, are your gas and electricity included in your rent? For me, all utilities are included in the rent. Was it a major factor in deciding to rent there? Do you feel it offers value for money? Did you choose such an option to save money or just for convenience?
     
  2. MrsR

    MrsRMember

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    Where I live, I pay the electric and water bill and the landlord pays the gas bill. The heat is the only thing that is gas. That didn't affect my decision to stay here, because there wasn't much of a choice when I found this place. At that time the only places to rent were nasty and this was a nice clean place. I think it is a good idea when the utilities are included, however your rent will be higher because your landlord isn't going to pay it himself. You are actually paying for it, but it saves the hassle of keeping up with another bill each month.
     
  3. rachel1970

    rachel1970Active Member

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    Gosh, I wish my utilities were included in my rent. I pay rent, and all my bills are on top. My outgoings are over £1000 each month before I've done any grocery shopping or put petrol in the car. In the UK, 99% of rental properties do not include any utilities, unfortunately.
     
  4. Parker

    ParkerWell-Known Member

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    No, my utilities are not including in the rent. It's a rarity where I live. I know that some apartment complexes include water, but that's about it. I don't even think apartments in the worse neighborhoods include utilities.
     
  5. pafjlh

    pafjlhActive Member

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    I currently live in a home with three family members. In the past I did price apartments, and I considered those that included utilities. However, I remember a girl that worked with on one of my jobs telling me that there was more of a savings in not having utilities included. She explained that this was because you were then in control of your own energy usage and didn't have to pay a base per month that could be more then what you were actually using. I guess that made sense when she explained it to me.
     
  6. JessiFox

    JessiFoxActive Member

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    The apartment we're hoping to get into has everything included, and that's a very big factor in our desire to live there...along with location and other features included. It's probably the biggest factor, though, because most of the other apartments in the area include NOTHING.
     
  7. LindaKay

    LindaKayActive Member

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    Nothing is included in our rent. There was one place that I saw that only charged $800 a month, and it included rent (a nice 2-bedroom duplex), electric, water, basic cable and high-speed Internet. I thought that was a pretty good deal, but I'm not really interested in an apartment because I don't like sharing walls with other people. I think that in some cases you pay more if the utilities are included, but I don't always think that is the case. It's also nice not to have to worry about paying a bunch of bills every month separately. One other thing to consider is the fact that you often have to pay a deposit to the electric company, water company, etc., but you won't have to do that if your bills are included in your rent. This can really help cut down on the cost of moving, because paying all of those deposits can get really costly.
     
  8. limcid

    limcidActive Member

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    I don't think any of these things are ever really free. As a business, they have to account for the cost somehow. Maybe there's a large security deposit, or they don't have such a graceful grace period if you get behind in the rent (extra penalties). They have to make up for it in some ways.
     
  9. APluckeyduck

    APluckeyduckMember

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    As a landlord, I can tell you that the tenant benefits more from this situation because..we start with a reasonable rent for the size of apartment..then add what we think an average usage would be. In most cases we get that from what the last tenant paid. The problem with this science is that the new tenant's usage is not always the same. They use more water, have more appliance that require plugging in and on top of that utility companies keep raising their rates. I would gladly let my tenants pay their own utilities because what I pay in utilities equates to another monthly rent payment. So, if you have this arrangement consider the difference between what you would expect to pay for your living space before utilites and what you pay now. In most cases its only about $100-$150 difference and it's worth it.
     
  10. LindaKay

    LindaKayActive Member

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    It's nice getting the scoop from a landlord, APluckeyDuck. Have you changed things and made it so that you won't be paying for utilities in the future?
     
  11. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    Right now my electricity is included and I pay my own gas and other bills.
    I detest my current apartment ,so I'd rather pay an electric bill somewhere else and not be here.
    Sometimes a bargain on rent isn't worth it if you hate your neighborhood and you're deeply unhappy where you live.
     
  12. APluckeyduck

    APluckeyduckMember

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    Fortunately/unfortunately, I have long term tenants. The changes would have to be made when, or if, they leave. So, I'm stuck for now with the situation. The only recourse is the annual rent increases to try and recoup some of my expenses, but the allowed increases are far less than the utility company is able to increase my bill by. In addition, even though the electricity is for a residence they charge me business rates so I pay twice the amount. Sheesh!
     
  13. EdenSB

    EdenSBActive Member

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    My Internet and water bills are included in my rent. My gas and electricity are not. It's not that surprising I suppose, since gas and electricity are the ones which would vary the most based on the season. I sometimes wish my Internet wasn't included, so I could arrange to get a better service. The Internet I currently used seems to be shared with the rest of the building and can be quite slow during peak hours. Having the water be included in the rent makes me not worry about taking long showers as much though.
     
  14. pandandesign

    pandandesignActive Member

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    Oh no, utilities are not included in the rent. I don't have to pay gas though, which is nice because my electricity bill isn't too bad considering I'm not home most of the time. Plus, the nice about my apartment is that I don't need to pay for water, garbage, and maintenance fee.