If you rent a one-bedroomed flat from us, you need to pay utilities and council tax yourself — although council tax can be claimed through your housing benefit/council tax benefits. Your Support Worker will help you to contact the utility companies and your local authority to set this up.

Your electricity will probably be on a pre-payment meter and your Support Worker will explain how this works, along with all the electrical appliances in your home.

If you share a property with another resident, Solo Housing will pay the utilities and council tax and they are included in your rent as part of the service charge. Charges for communal areas are classed as ‘Eligible’ services and should be included in any Housing Benefit claim. Solo Housing can help you with your Housing Benefit claim.

Ineligible services for housing benefit are the costs of heating and lighting your room and the cost of water used by you. These will not be paid by housing benefit (add comma) so you need to pay these costs to Solo yourself. This is called ‘top up’ and it will be between £5 and £16 each week. This charge, along with a breakdown of your rent and service charge, will be shown on your Assured Shorthold Tenancy or licence agreement.

Your Support Worker can advise and help you with budgeting and paying your bills and setting up any standing order or direct payments to us.

Insurance

Please note that Solo Housing does not insure your personal contents, so we strongly advise you to organise your own household contents insurance.

Television Licence

Solo Housing does not provide a TV License, so if you own a TV you need to organise this yourself.