It’s easy to see why more students want landlords to offer rent inclusive of bills. In the last four years water bills have gone up by 50 per cent and energy bills have gone up by 151 per cent, making it impossible to predict monthly outgoings. With all-inclusive rents students can accurately plan their finances for the duration of their tenancy.

But are there any incentives for landlords to offer all-inclusive rent packages? Will managing the bills across multiple properties be time consuming? How can a landlord budget for tenants’ energy usage? Will they have to chase tenants for money towards the bills?

Not knowing what to expect can be a big deterrent for landlords not already familiar with all-inclusive lets.

Landlords who decide to let inclusive of bills will find the main benefit is the advantage it gives them over other landlords letting similar properties. Tenants want all-inclusive bills so going down this route will make vacant properties easier to let.

Adding the cost of utilities onto tenants’ rent means the landlord won’t have any extra chasing to do if a payment is missed, it can all be rolled into one fee.

It also means that the bills will definitely be paid. If a tenant were to leave the property without paying outstanding bills it could result in a pre-payment meter being fitted, which would in turn deter future tenants.

With energy prices continuing to rise, smart landlords are fixing their energy prices for up to three years to protect themselves from spiralling costs.

There is one big variable for landlords doing all-inclusive lets and that’s tenants’ usage. How can a landlord be sure tenants won’t just leave the heating on constant all winter if they know it won’t cost them any extra?

One tactic used by landlords to avoid this is to offer tenants a refund if they use less energy than they have been charged for over the course of the year. The possibility of getting some money back gives tenants a reason to be economical with their usage.

Another option is to include a ‘fair usage’ clause in tenants’ contracts, which would make paying for higher than average energy consumption the responsibility of the tenant. Although the landlord would still need to outlay the initial cash, they would be able to claim it back if the tenants’ usage has been excessive.

Landlords can also minimise the time they’ll need to spend on admin by using Glide. Glide offers multi-site landlords the option to manage bills across all of their properties in one place by using an online portal.

Landlords considering including bills should speak to local letting agents to find out what is the most popular option in the area.

Glide was honoured to support the incredible work of The Cardiomyopathy Association through our charity football tournament last weekend. 

With the work they do to support families affected by Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), a hereditary heart muscle disease, it's no wonder they are our charity of the year again. HCM is an issue close to our chief fundraiser's heart, Glide's own Pauline Grogan, who learned at Christmas that her son has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and his newborn daughter has a 50% chance of inheriting the condition. 

Team Glide jumped at the chance to get involved in the charity football event, taking on a side of Rovers fans and Ecotricity staffers at the New Lawn Stadium in Nailsworth to raise money. Despite losing 3-1, we are still rallying to raise money and beat last year's total donated amount of £1558.

If you would like to donate, please give online at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/glide

As Pauline says, "thank you does not seem enough, but I am sure you are all aware it comes from the heart". Every donation makes a huge difference for this worthy cause!

As exams approach, we’ve been talking to our resident geeks Colette and Amy about their favourite revision techniques. 

You might not love hitting the books quite as much as these two Glide staffers, but we could all benefit from their tried and tested approach to swatting up.

Colette’s top three tips

1. There was never a dull moment for Colette during the revision period, she livened things up with a bit of background music courtesy of Radio 1.

2. Not one to let comfort eating in the midst of exam induced panic affect her waistline, Colette recommends swapping chocolate for berries to stay trim and healthy. All those super vitamins will stop you getting run down too. 

3. Give the flurry of dull facts a bit of colour with bright pink flashcards. So pretty they’ll make you want to read them!

Amy’s top three tips        

1. Amy believes in maximising your revision time (every minute of it) by putting Post-it notes everywhere, including around your mirror and in the loo! Every second in precious.

2. Some say it is one of the first signs of madness but Amy swears that talking to yourself will help you remember all those fun facts.

3. If you’re prepared to go one step beyond talking to yourself, would-be rapper Amy also recommends dropping a few rhymes to help jog the memory. ‘There once was a bard called Shakespeare / who wrote a play called King Lear’… You get the idea!