Housemates Shared Gas/Electric Bill - Who is right?

Giulliana

There is no 'agreement' with regard to utility bills, to use it is to be liable for payment, but yes the account holder will be the one who gets chased.

System

I think she should pay half. I was rarely at my house last year but still paid my share as that's what i signed up for

Fire_Fox

leggydan wrote: »

Thank you so much for all of the responses and advice, i really appreciate your opinions as i genuinely want the matter solving correctly even if it is me who turns out to be out of pocket. The fact that we were paying so little each month now makes it look as though i have used an average household's units plus an excess of £429 but in fact we were paying too little to cover the average usage in the first place hence the new bill.

My idea to resolve this now is to get a new (correct quote) to see what we should have been paying each month to cover the average usage and then anything above this would be gas/elec i have used in excess of this meaning i would pay this difference. Does anyone know what an average 3 bed house would use in units? The house had 3 bedrooms (one was the attic) and a kitchen/diner, lounge and bathroom if this helps.

Thanks again for your help :-)

Is it gas, electricity or both bills that are high? The big energy users are heating, hot water and tumble dryers. If there is an attic bedroom it's quite possible the roof is poorly insulated so your heating bills could be higher than average. Have you been heating the entire house when only one person is in?

leggydan

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Is it gas, electricity or both bills that are high? The big energy users are heating, hot water and tumble dryers. If there is an attic bedroom it's quite possible the roof is poorly insulated so your heating bills could be higher than average. Have you been heating the entire house when only one person is in?

We have a joint gas/electric account but the gas is the bulk of this bill. I had to use the heating sometimes but would just use the gas fire and no heating if i was in the front room in an evening, and i would aways go for jumpers and blankets before using the heating so i didn't have to heat the whole house unecessarily (i would also time heating use with drying washing). Knowing how much i used the heating and how much i was out of the house myself i can't see our bill being due to excessive use (if it was i am more than willing to pay for any difference) but its clear we were under paying each month so the bill is now higher when it should have been spread out in bigger installments.

V.Lucky

I would also guess that when your estimate bills came you or your friend didn't give them a proper meter reading. This would mean that the under payment has been building up for the whole time you were in the place.

Fire_Fox

leggydan wrote: »

We have a joint gas/electric account but the gas is the bulk of this bill. I had to use the heating sometimes but would just use the gas fire and no heating if i was in the front room in an evening, and i would aways go for jumpers and blankets before using the heating so i didn't have to heat the whole house unecessarily (i would also time heating use with drying washing). Knowing how much i used the heating and how much i was out of the house myself i can't see our bill being due to excessive use (if it was i am more than willing to pay for any difference) but its clear we were under paying each month so the bill is now higher when it should have been spread out in bigger installments.

We are two in a two bedroom all electric flat. Electricity is a lot more expensive than gas - and our bills are £34 a month which does cover our (frugal) use. You and your housemate have spent approx £80 a month on energy, so you are nowhere near as careful as you imagine yourselves to be. You may also be on an expensive tariff tho Scottish Power are one of the cheaper suppliers in my area.

Assuming this bill is based on a correct reading then the gas use is largely due to heating and hot water - cooking makes only a modest contribution. Is your hot water boiler on timed or constant? Do you have an electric power shower or is the shower your housemate used daily off the gas boiler? How long as your showers, and how long are your housemates? How often did you have the central heating on in this last cold winter, and for how many hours at a time?

leggydan

Fire_Fox wrote: »

We are two in a two bedroom all electric flat. Electricity is a lot more expensive than gas - and our bills are £34 a month which does cover our (frugal) use. You and your housemate have spent approx £80 a month on energy, so you are nowhere near as careful as you imagine yourselves to be. You may also be on an expensive tariff tho Scottish Power are one of the cheaper suppliers in my area.

Assuming this bill is based on a correct reading then the gas use is largely due to heating and hot water - cooking makes only a modest contribution. Is your hot water boiler on timed or constant? Do you have an electric power shower or is the shower your housemate used daily off the gas boiler? How long as your showers, and how long are your housemates? How often did you have the central heating on in this last cold winter, and for how many hours at a time?

Its very difficult to say how long i used the heating for and how long our showers were as i moved out 2 months ago and probably haven't used the heating since March/April. I realise now that my use wasn't "frugal" but i would say i was "careful". After speaking with friends/family and comparing my bill to theirs it seems we should have been paying approx £80 (roughly) which would account for most of the final bill. I have no choice but to accept the bill as correct as my housemate has discussed this in depth with SP but what i need to do is work out what would have been an average monthly payment so that i can work out what we should have paid each month and how much excess this leaves me to pay.

Peugeot

You have no excess to pay! You both live there paying rent/bills 50:50 so why just because he decided to stay at his girlfriends you should pay to keep his bedroom warm. I have lived with lots of housemates and I'm amazed by how many consider their bedroom to be the only place they have to pay for energy use, even though they use the rest of the flat. Give him £214.50 and that'll be the end of it. Why should you pay for him just because he decided not to be in.

I remember having an argument with a housemate when the bill came and he said I should pay more cos I'm there in the day and that he worked 9-5 then went to gym till 9 so only lived there 50% of the month, but he soon shut up when I reminded him I was LH Crew and spent 60% of the month in other contries! If the rent is 50:50 then so should the rest, regardless of time spent in the property.

moonkee

50/50. I spent most of the week at my boyfriend's house too but I pay half on my housing bills at the moment. It's my choice not to be here much!

Could you pay the money directly to the provider? Do you have access to the online account? Then they'll just chase your old housemate for the rest if they have her info.

dogshome

Hi leggydan - DON'T CONTACT or pay money to the provider - you are simply giving them your name to chase if the registered customer defaults on the bill
.
Having entered into what seems to be a verbal agreement to simply split the household bills, it was you friends choice to spend long periods away, but she still expected a heated comfortable dwelling with bathing and clothes washing facilities to ready and waiting for her whenever she chose to return - It's hardly likely that her boyfriend was charging her for heating & a shower whilst she stayed with him, so by now saying you should pick up the biggest part of the bills, she is in fact getting a free ride.

Write to her enclosing a cheque for half the value of the bill
"Dear XX
Re. the outstandng bill from XX for £xxx.xx,( See copy attached), if you have a copy to copy. As per our agreement to equally split the bills on our house-share at:
XXXXXXX
XXXXXXX
I enclose my cheque for £xxx "
KEEP A COPY OF THE LETTER

I know this will probably cost you a friend, but from the info. in your posts it seems that she values money a great deal more than her relationship with you.
All the Best