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Housemates wont pay their share of bills.

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sanc00

Junior Member
Hi,

I am living in a house with four other people and my name is the only one on the electricity bill and up till now my housemates have been paing their share of the bill.

However, now I have got my last bill of around 400 pounds and they are refusing to pay. The other issue is that they are the ones who use most of the electricity...I have asked them to switch lights off, TVs off, game consoles off etc and they refuse to.

1) Do I have any legal rights here and can I legally get the money off them for their share?
2) Is there a way I can claim for more as I have attempted to reduce the cost of the bills?

I would appreciate any help on this.

Thanks
 


johnd

Member
Pounds? What state are you in?

Advice? Next time have the utility put in the 4 housemates' names. That's akin to lighting a fire...which makes most people jump. Live and learn from your mistakes.
 

sanc00

Junior Member
Pounds? What state are you in?

Advice? Next time have the utility put in the 4 housemates' names. That's akin to lighting a fire...which makes most people jump. Live and learn from your mistakes.

Wow, some really constructive and useful advice there...definately worth the time to write the reply!
 

johnd

Member
Wow, some really constructive and useful advice there...definately worth the time to write the reply!
Yeah...it is.

You have four people use a utility that is in your name only...and you want help now because they won't pay?

Be deliberate next time. And that means, foresee such an issue prior to getting into it next time. School's out. Good luck collecting on a purported debt: they refuse to pay? Some people insist on learning the hard way...if at all. You obviously could'nt see this trainwreck coming if you had binoculars.

Bottom line: if they insist on refusing to pay your only legal recourse is to sue. What fun. And in the meantime, your four jovial "housemates" will turn into "housedemons" because of a lawsuit. It seems as the four mates are sticking together against you. You don't find it curious that two of them, or even just one, is willing to pay their fair share? Next time ask questions before you stick your toes in the fire...it can circumvent a lot of issues...such as the one at hand. You've singlehandedly created this mess...and you want others to clean it up? Keep asking nicely, and if they keep refusing to pay, you must sue. What fun.
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
1. US LAW ONLY!!!!!!!!!

2. In the US, you would go to small claims court. Since you are NOT in the US, I have no idea what your country's equivalent is. But look into that. And find a site that provides legal help for your country while you're at it.
 

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