If student rental property has a pre-payment meter for electricity...

[chikchik]

... will the new tenants need to use the same arrangement or will they be able to set up a monthly direct debit instead?

(My son is moving into somewhere that currently has a pre-payment meter).

It is often up to the landlord. Many prefer prepayment because they can't go into debt (we'll they can but not the same as dd)

Same as @trevthecat above. Our uni house was prepayment and we just had a house kitty for the meter.

It's none of the landlords business. The contract is between the occupant and the energy supplier. Each tenant has the right to choose how they pay their bills.

Some good info here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-a-better-energy-deal/switching-energy-supplier-if-youre-a-tenant/

You no longer pay a higher rate on a prepayment meter though so there's less of an incentive to change than there used to be.

When we had one of those meters for electricity when I was a student, we used to let it run out, and sit in the dark until someone gave in and put 50p in.
Then it was music on, hairdryers, electric heaters.
The gas (oven only) we didn't pay for because the old lady before us in the flat had died of hypothermia and left a large credit...Which British Gas transferred to us in embarrassment.

With a kitty there's always someone who makes excuses and won't pay.