Best Bill Management Services for Renters UK 2026

Splitting household bills in a shared house is one of the most common sources of tension among renters. Someone forgets to pay the electricity bill, the broadband gets cut off mid-exams, or one housemate moves out and nobody updates the council tax. Bill management services solve this by consolidating all household utilities under one account, splitting the cost equally (or by custom shares), and handling all supplier communication on behalf of the tenants.

In 2026, the UK bill management market has matured considerably. Services like Acasa, Glide, Split the Bills, Fused, and The Bunch now cover everything from gas and electricity to broadband, water, TV licence, and even contents insurance. But they are not all created equal — pricing structures vary significantly, some lock you into long contracts, and the level of bill coverage differs between providers.

This guide compares every major bill management service available to UK renters in 2026. We analyse pricing, bill coverage, sign-up process, exit fees, and real renter reviews to help you choose the best service for your household. We also explain why landlords should care about these services — happy tenants who never fall behind on utilities are less likely to fall behind on rent.

How Bill Management Services Work

Bill management services act as an intermediary between your household and utility suppliers. Instead of each housemate setting up individual accounts with gas, electricity, water, broadband, and council tax providers, the bill management service creates a single household account. All bills come to them, they split the cost between housemates, and each person pays their share directly to the service.

The typical setup process works as follows: one housemate (usually the lead tenant) registers the property on the service's platform and selects which bills to include. The service then contacts suppliers to transfer the accounts into the service's name (or the lead tenant's name, depending on the provider). Each housemate creates a personal account, sets up a payment method, and receives their individual share as a monthly bill.

When a housemate moves out, the service handles the account update — removing the departing tenant's share and redistributing costs among remaining housemates. This eliminates one of the biggest pain points of shared living: chasing a departed housemate for their share of the final gas bill.

What Bills Can Be Included?

Every Service Compared: Features, Pricing, and Reviews

1. Acasa (now Kora)

Acasa — which rebranded to Kora in late 2025 — is one of the original UK bill-splitting platforms, launched in 2015. It takes a per-bill approach: you choose which bills to include, and the service charges a management fee per bill per person per month. This makes it the most flexible option, as you can include just one bill or all of them.

Acasa's standout feature is its lack of exit fees. If you want to stop using the service mid-tenancy, you can do so without penalty (though you will need to set up your own supplier accounts). This flexibility is unusual in the market and makes Acasa a lower-risk choice for tenants who are not sure they want to commit to a bill management service for the full tenancy.

The platform's app is well-designed, with clear visibility of each housemate's share, payment history, and upcoming bills. Energy usage tracking is included, which can help identify wasteful consumption. The main criticism from renters is that customer support can be slow during peak periods (September-October when students move in).

2. Glide

Glide is the market leader in UK bill management for renters, with over 500,000 customers served since its launch. The company positions itself as a one-stop shop, offering the widest bill coverage of any provider including gas, electricity, water, broadband, council tax, TV licence, contents insurance, and optional boiler cover.

Glide uses a fixed monthly price model. You choose a package (which bills to include), and Glide quotes a fixed per-person monthly amount for the tenancy. This provides predictability — your bill will not change month to month regardless of seasonal usage variations. The downside is that Glide profits if your actual usage is below their estimate, meaning you may pay more than you would with a per-usage provider in a mild winter.

The main criticism of Glide is its contract structure. You typically commit for the length of your tenancy (usually 12 months), and early exit fees can apply if you cancel before the contract ends. Some renters have also reported that Glide's broadband speeds are lower than what they could get by going directly to a provider like BT or Virgin, because Glide uses reseller agreements.

3. Split the Bills

Split the Bills has carved out a strong niche in the student market, with partnerships with several UK university student unions. The service offers fixed monthly pricing similar to Glide, covering energy, water, broadband, TV licence, and council tax. Its USP for students is that it can confirm full-time student council tax exemption on behalf of the household, removing one of the most confusing admin tasks for new students.

The platform offers tiered packages — Basic (energy and water only), Standard (adds broadband and TV licence), and Premium (all bills including contents insurance). Pricing is competitive with Glide, and Split the Bills often runs promotional offers at the start of the academic year (August-September).

Split the Bills' limitation is its focus on the student market. The branding, pricing, and package structure are designed around 12-month student tenancies starting in September. While non-students can use the service, the experience is less tailored for young professionals or families sharing a house.

4. Fused

Fused is a newer entrant that competes primarily on price. The service covers gas, electricity, water, broadband, and TV licence but does not currently include council tax. Its pricing model is a low fixed management fee per person per month (typically £3-5) on top of actual usage costs, which tends to be cheaper than the fixed-price models used by Glide and Split the Bills in milder months.

The trade-off is less predictability. Because you pay actual usage costs plus a management fee, your monthly bill will fluctuate with the seasons. A cold January could be £30-40 more per person than a mild September. For tenants who want budget certainty, this model is less appealing than a fixed monthly price.

Fused's app is functional but basic compared to Acasa and Glide. Customer reviews are generally positive but there are fewer of them, reflecting the service's smaller user base. The company is FCA-registered and uses standard supplier partnerships, so there is no additional risk compared to larger providers.

5. The Bunch

The Bunch takes a marketplace approach: rather than being a single bill management provider, it compares deals across multiple suppliers for each utility and sets up the cheapest combination for your household. Each housemate gets a single monthly bill that covers their share of all utilities.

This approach can result in lower costs than fixed-price providers, as The Bunch actively seeks competitive tariffs. However, it means your supplier may change if a cheaper deal becomes available — which some tenants find disruptive. The service covers gas, electricity, broadband, and TV licence but has limited coverage for water and does not include council tax.

The Bunch's main advantage is for cost-conscious tenants who prioritise the lowest possible bill over the simplicity of a single fixed price. Its main disadvantage is that the switching process can occasionally lead to gaps in service, particularly with broadband where activation can take 2-3 weeks.

6. Hive (British Gas)

Hive, owned by British Gas parent company Centrica, offers a different proposition. Rather than a bill-splitting service, Hive provides smart home energy management — smart thermostats, energy monitoring, and multi-zone heating control. While it does not split bills between housemates in the way that Acasa or Glide do, it is worth mentioning because several letting agents now include Hive smart thermostats in rental properties.

For landlords, installing Hive thermostats can improve EPC ratings and give tenants better control over their heating costs. However, Hive is not a substitute for a bill management service — it only covers energy and does not handle bill splitting, broadband, water, or council tax. Think of it as a complementary product rather than an alternative.

Pricing Comparison: What You Will Actually Pay

Comparing bill management service prices is complicated because providers use different pricing models. Some charge a fixed monthly fee that includes estimated usage, while others charge actual usage plus a management fee. The table below normalises costs using a standard three-bedroom house in a mid-sized English city with three tenants.

Bill Management vs DIY: Pros and Cons

Not every household needs a bill management service. Here is an honest comparison of using a service versus managing bills yourself.

The Sign-Up Process: What to Expect

Setting up a bill management service typically takes 10-20 minutes of your time, plus 2-4 weeks for all accounts to be transferred. Here is the typical process.

1. Registration (5 minutes): The lead tenant creates an account on the service's website or app. You will need the property address, tenancy start date, and number of housemates.
2. Bill selection (5 minutes): Choose which bills to include. The service will show you estimated costs for each bill and your total monthly payment.
3. Housemate invitations (2 minutes): Enter your housemates' email addresses. Each person receives an invitation to create their own account and set up payment (usually Direct Debit).
4. Supplier transfer (2-4 weeks, handled by service): The service contacts your existing suppliers (or sets up new accounts) to transfer the bills. During this period, you may receive a final bill from your old supplier that you need to pay directly.
5. First payment (4-6 weeks after registration): Your first monthly payment is collected. Some services collect a slightly higher first payment to cover any setup or transfer costs.

Watch Out For These During Sign-Up

• Credit checks: Some services run a soft credit check on the lead tenant. This should not affect your credit score, but ask before signing up if you are concerned.
• Existing contracts: If you have an existing broadband contract, transferring to a bill management service may trigger early termination fees from your current provider. Check contract end dates before signing up.
• Smart meters: If your property has a smart meter, check that the bill management service's energy supplier supports it. Some smart meters lose their 'smart' functionality when switched to a new supplier, reverting to manual meter readings.
• Estimated readings: Provide actual meter readings at the start of the tenancy to avoid disputes over usage attributed to previous tenants.

Why Landlords Should Care About Bill Management

Bill management services are designed for tenants, but landlords benefit indirectly in several important ways.

First, utility arrears can become a landlord problem. If tenants leave without paying final energy or water bills, the supplier may pursue the property owner for payment — particularly for water rates, where the landlord is liable if the tenant cannot be traced. Bill management services reduce this risk by maintaining active accounts throughout the tenancy and handling closures at the end.

Second, tenants who are overwhelmed by admin are more likely to give notice. Research by the property search engine Movebubble found that bill management stress was cited as a contributing factor in 23% of early tenancy terminations in shared houses. By recommending or providing a bill management service, landlords can improve tenant satisfaction and retention.

Third, some landlords are now including utilities in the rent (a 'bills included' model) and using bill management services to manage the utility accounts. This approach is increasingly popular in the HMO market, where it simplifies the tenant's financial obligations and can justify a higher headline rent. If you take this approach, Latch can help you track utility costs as property expenses and ensure they are correctly accounted for in your profit and loss reporting.

The Bills-Included Model

Including utilities in rent is a growing trend, particularly in the HMO and young professional market. Tenants value the simplicity of one monthly payment, and landlords benefit from higher total revenue and longer tenancies. The risks include absorbing energy price increases (mitigated by reviewing rent annually) and tenants using excessive energy (mitigated by installing smart meters and setting usage caps in the tenancy agreement).

If you offer a bills-included model, tracking utility costs accurately is essential to ensure profitability. Latch's expense tracking feature allows you to record all utility payments against specific properties, generate profit and loss reports that separate utility costs from other expenses, and adjust rent levels based on actual usage data.

What Renters Actually Say: Review Analysis

We analysed publicly available reviews from Trustpilot, Google Reviews, and app store ratings to identify common themes in renter feedback for each service. Here is a summary of what real users say.

Across all providers, the most common complaints relate to customer support responsiveness (especially during the September-October peak) and confusion around final bills at the end of a tenancy. The most common praise relates to the elimination of bill-splitting arguments and the convenience of a single monthly payment.

Frequently Asked Questions