In a shared house, splitting household costs between you can be a minefield for arguments.
The most common scenario for paying your utility bills and other expenses—such as a joint grocery bill, broadband, TV license fee—is for each person to be the named account holder for a bill. For example, one person would take responsibility for the electricity bill, another for the water, another for broadband and so on… The payment for that bill then comes out of that person’s bank account and everyone reimburses each other. Make sense?
This method, despite its popularity, is still incredibly complicated.
Many bills are due for payment at different dates and some are undeniably more expensive than others. The average gas bill in the UK is around £48 a month, while the average broadband bill is only £16.90 per month.
This means a significant amount of time spent calculating who owes what and transferring money. What happens if someone is late or flat-out refuses to pay? Well, all hell breaks loose, of course.
If only you could pay everything at once and not automatically have to foot the bill for someone who either can’t afford it or is too greedy to pay you back, right? Well, thanks to modern technology, you can.
Household budgeting made simple
Modern technology has made it possible for house-sharers to pay for all their household costs in a single, all-in-one payment—sometimes known as a ‘bills package’—with everyone responsible for their share and only their share.
Tech companies like acasa have caught on to the fact that Generation Rent, a large portion of whom are living in shared accommodation, are also digital natives and are leveraging the widespread adoption of smartphone apps to make managing household finances easier and more straightforward than ever.
Household management platforms gained a reputation in the early days for hiking costs unnecessarily, but a new generation of bill-splitting apps are emerging, the majority of which don’t charge admin fees and can actually save you money on your household budget. acasa can save you up to £200 on your yearly energy bill and charges zero extra fees.
How does it work?
acasa has long-standing and close relationships with award-winning utilities companies and suppliers like Origin Broadband, Zone Broadband and Octopus Energy—which beat out all other energy providers, including the Big Six, to top the Which? annual energy survey this year. These firms bill you directly and individually for their services through our app.
All you and your housemates have to do is download the app, set up your household account and input your respective card details. In this way, acasa acts as the ‘hive’ for managing your household costs. It’s a bit like having a joint house bank account, but without the monumental risk to your personal finances.
Get acasa
acasa is designed for anyone sharing a house, from young professionals to couples to students and everyone in between. Our app can help you minimise unnecessary conflict and simplify the management of your household. We partner with the very best providers to offer utilities that are both cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. We also donate 1% of our revenues to charitable causes, and are currently partnering with Crisis UK to eradicate homelessness. Download acasa on iOS or Android today.