Bills-included renting is a regional phenomenon, new data reveals

Nationally, bills-included properties remain a minority proposition, accounting for 14.9% of rental listings across Britain. The regional variation raises questions over why the all-inclusive model is significantly more prevalent in some parts of the private rented sector than others. 

The analysis looked at rental listings across Britain to establish the proportion advertised as bills-included and how these properties are distributed across different regions. The data was sourced from Zoopla on 1 September 2026.* 

Britain's rental market is divided on bills

The national picture suggests that bills-included renting is far from becoming the norm. More than 85% of rental listings analysed continue to leave tenants responsible for arranging and paying their own household bills. 

But the national average conceals a significant geographical split. 

In the North East, 34.4% of rental listings are advertised as bills-included, meaning the model features in more than one in three properties. At the other end of the scale, just 8.6% of listings in Scotland are advertised on the same basis. 

London and the South East account for the largest shares of bills-included listings nationally, representing 23.9% and 13.2% respectively of all bills-included properties identified. 

Bills-inclusive arrangements are particularly familiar in parts of the student rental market, where tenants can be attracted by the simplicity of having utilities bundled into one monthly payment. The model is also increasingly used as a perk in build-to-rent developments, where landlords and developers compete for tenants by offering greater convenience and an all-in-one living experience. 

The findings suggest that there is no single approach to bills-inclusive renting across Britain, with the model playing a much larger role in some regional and property markets than others. 

Energy prices put the model back in the spotlight

The findings come as the energy price cap prepares to rise again. From October, the cap will increase by 4%, taking the annual figure for a typical household paying by Direct Debit from £1,663 to £1,723. 

For tenants, bills-included arrangements can offer greater simplicity and certainty by combining household costs with the rent. For landlords, however, taking responsibility for bills means also taking on exposure to changing energy costs and differences in tenant consumption. 

That makes the economics of bills-inclusive renting particularly relevant in a market where energy costs continue to fluctuate. 

However, LegalforLandlords says the data should not be interpreted as a recommendation for landlords to include bills, but as evidence of a rental model that is being used very differently across Britain. 

Why the regional divide?

The significant variation between regions raises questions about the factors driving the popularity of bills-included properties.

The model can be particularly suited to certain types of rental accommodation and tenant markets, including student properties and build-to-rent schemes, where convenience can form part of the overall proposition to prospective tenants. 

For build-to-rent landlords and developers in particular, bundling bills can form part of a wider package of perks and services designed to make a development more attractive in a competitive rental market. For tenants, the appeal is straightforward: fewer household accounts to arrange and greater certainty over monthly outgoings. 

For landlords, however, it is a different proposition because they take on responsibility for costs and consumption that would otherwise sit with the tenant. 

The decision therefore depends on the individual property, tenant market and economics of the tenancy, rather than simply whether bills-inclusive accommodation is becoming more popular nationally. 

Sim Sekhon, Group CEO of LegalforLandlords, commented:

“Bills-included renting clearly isn't a single national trend. In the North East, it accounts for more than a third of rental listings, while in Scotland it is less than one in ten. That's a substantial difference in how landlords are approaching the rental proposition.

There are also parts of the market where including bills has become a much more established part of the offer. Student accommodation has long used the simplicity of bills-inclusive renting as an attraction, while build-to-rent operators can use it alongside other perks to make their developments stand out to prospective tenants. 

For tenants, having bills included can make budgeting simpler and give greater certainty over monthly outgoings. For landlords, it is a very different proposition because they take on responsibility for costs that can fluctuate and consumption they cannot fully control. 

With the energy price cap rising again in October, the economics of that decision are becoming even more relevant. But there is no one-size-fits-all answer. What works for a student property or a build-to-rent development may look very different for a traditional private landlord." 

Data tables and sources

• *Energy price cap information sourced from Ofgem.

• *Bills-included listings data sourced from Zoopl (1st September 2026).

• Full data tables can be viewed online here.