Can my landlord charge me for gas, electricity and water?

Can a landlord charge you for gas, electricity and water on top of rent? And are the amounts fair? Here are the rules.

The two main arrangements

Bills in your name: in many private tenancies you hold your own accounts with suppliers. You pay them directly; the landlord stays out of it. You can shop around, switch, and manage your own use.

Bills in the rent: in some set-ups, above all HMOs and bedsits, the landlord pays the suppliers and charges you, inside the rent or on top. That is lawful, but strict limits cap what they can charge.

Can the landlord charge more than they pay for utilities?

No, not legally. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and its regulations, a landlord supplying gas and electricity cannot charge more than they pay the supplier themselves. This is the "resale" rule.

A landlord billing you from a pre-payment meter, or a meter per room, can pass on what they paid, no more. Profit on top is unlawful.

The practical snag: many HMO tenants pay lump sums for utilities inside the rent without ever seeing the real bills. Suspect overcharging? Ask the landlord in writing for the per-unit rate they pay and how your share was worked out.

Water

Water differs slightly. Suppliers in England are regional monopolies. With water in your name, you deal with the supplier directly. Where the landlord pays and passes the cost on, the resale cap applies just as for gas and electricity.

Electricity and the Ofgem price cap

The Ofgem price cap covers domestic tariffs. A landlord reselling energy cannot pass the cap's unit rate, and cannot charge above what they actually pay. Ofgem has confirmed the cap reaches landlords who resell.

Prepayment meters in rented homes

A prepayment meter means adding credit before you use energy, often at higher unit rates than a credit meter. Struggling to top up? You can ask the landlord to switch to a credit meter; the Energy Act 2023 strengthened protection here.

See our guide: /help-centre/prepayment-meter-tenant-rights.

Bills included in rent: are there other rules?

If your rent includes bills:

• The total, rent plus bills, must be agreed in writing
• Any rise to cover higher utility costs must follow your agreement and the normal rent-increase rules
• Ask, and you should get a breakdown of how the charge is worked out

Energy efficiency and cold homes

A badly insulated home with runaway heating bills may be a disrepair issue. A landlord who lets the heating fail, or lets the home decay until it costs a fortune to warm, may be breaching their repair duties.

What to do if you think you are being overcharged

1. Ask for a written breakdown: the unit rate the landlord pays, and how your charge is worked out.
2. Check the Ofgem cap: compare your rate against it.
3. Complain in writing: set out the concern and ask for a correction.
4. Contact Citizens Advice or Ofgem: they can advise and help you escalate.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

Utility overcharging is not itself disrepair. But a home left cold by broken heating or poor insulation may ground a claim. Call us on 0800 030 4669.

No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Tenant Fees Act 2019 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk)

Related articles

• Can I change energy supplier as a tenant?
• Prepayment meter, tenant rights
• Fuel poverty, help for tenants