bills included – do tenants use too much energy?

@JimmyT said:
I think you may be confusing ads for flatmates with ads for tenants.  The Flatmates rate would have included an averaged-out gas and electricity bill.  Long-term tenants would be expected to make their own arrangements with the energy providers or, in say the sub-let of a granny flat – pay according to a separate meter for their accommodation.

If you are renting rooms to students while you are still there, then that’s a different matter and you could ask them to pay the difference between the bills before and after their arrival, at least until you had worked out a reasonable cost.  

Thanks Jimmy.  I’m actually looking at flatmates.com.au and they seem to be renting rooms to students (long term) at a weekly rate with bills included.  Yes, most are ads for flatmates, but they still say bills included.  In these situations, who pays the bills and how do they work them out?

@JimmyT said:

The head tenant or owner-occupier would pay the bills. The rent would include a guesstimate of the amount that they expected to pay for utilities. If they are on the premises, they can monitor excessive use.

If you are looking to rent rooms in your flat to different individuals, and you will be there, then that’s what you should do.  If you are nervous about this, let the unit to someone as a whole and let them worry about the bills.

There is no simple formula for this, although the rents you are seeing on flatmate.com.au would be a reasonable guide.  

Thanks for that.