Find out about the ways you can budget for household bills.
Water
You will get a bill for water every 6 months.
It is important you pay your bill on time. Make sure you read your bill carefully and take note of when the payment is due. All of our properties get their water from Southern Water.
95% of our homes are already fitted with a water meter, which means you only pay for what you use.
A small number of our homes don't have a meter. In these homes you pay a set amount for your water.
Southern Water encourage you to set up a monthly or quarterly (three-monthly) Direct Debit to pay your bill in installments.
You can also pay your water bill online and by phone.
Get help with your water bills
Southern Water offer discounts to people on certain benefits and low income households.
With the right support you can pay your bills, keep your home warm and connect to the telephone and internet.
Heating and Energy
All council homes have electricity and heating. Some homes use gas for heating and some use electricity.
Some suppliers offer green energy tariffs that use renewable energy and help the environment.
It’s important to take a meter reading when you move in and let your supplier know.
If you have both gas and electricity you can have separate suppliers and two bills, but it’s usually cheaper to get your gas and electricity from the same company. This is called dual fuel.
Some council homes have communal heating and this is usually paid for with the rent.
The Centre for Sustainable Energy give advice on saving energy, including reducing electricity, gas and water bills. Call 0800 082 2234.
Choosing a Supplier
When you move in, you can carry on with the supplier from the previous tenant or change suppliers.
Don't forget to shop around for the best deal every year as prices and deals often change.
Help to pay for your energy bills
If you struggle to pay your energy bills, your supplier may be able to help.
You may be able to get a winter fuel payment to help with bills at the start of the winter.
If you can't pay your heating bills speak to your energy provider. Don’t ignore bills or you may end up owing far more or even get cut off.
How to save money with good insulation
To save money on heating bills keep as much heat in as possible.
You can get help to make your home more efficient.
About mobile phones and the internet
A contract might seem good value, but it can often be cheaper to buy a phone and get a SIM only contract or top-up using pay-as-you-go.
If you have a computer and a landline, the best way to access the internet is through home broadband internet.
Broadband is often unlimited, which means that there is no monthly limit on how much internet you can use. Broadband gives you a Wi-Fi connection in your home that you can access using different devices.
Digital Brighton & Hove can help you to access the internet and give advice on cheap phones and computers.
What to do if you don't have a computer?
If you don’t have a computer or a landline, you can use a mobile phone to access the internet.
There are strict limits on internet use on both contract and pay-as-you-go phones. If you go over your mobile data limit you might have to pay more.
If you rely on a mobile phone for internet access, it’s a good idea to try and get a phone that uses 4G to connect as this gives faster access to the internet.
You may find a free Wi-fi connection in some public places. Find out about free internet with computers and helpful staff in your your local library.
Other things you may have to pay for
As well as your rent, you may have to pay for other things like communal heating or TV aerial use.
Benefits might cover some of these charges, but not others. We'll tell you what you need to pay for when you move into your home.