Help please-unpaid bills flatmate refusing to pay

Farway

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Can't help thinking. A nice short polite letter from you to the ex flatmate saying that if she will not pay up within 14 days, you will pay up to protect your daughter's credit record and that if you do this, you will be taking the matter to court to recover the money.

And then do it. Of course, she may not have the assets, but if nothing else, there is the damage to credit rating. It might not be successful in helping your daughter, but it would go quite a way in stamping out this sort of nonsense.

Perhaps a Google on Letter before action would help here?

It is a sort of formal warning prior to action to recover money owed, gives other party time to cough up, invaluable come a claim, other party cannot deny they were unaware of debt due

Mankysteve, and maybe a car?

bonzer

Evenstarr wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice, but I'm just wondering how will my daughter prove her case in the small claims court if she has no actual proof of payment from her ex-flatmate?

Does she have a written rental contract for the flat? It usually states formally that the tenant(s) are liable for bills somewhere. I don't know for sure, but I guess a judge might presume joint liability if each tenants contract is the same.

Don't suppose she's got any clue as to the home address of the other tenant? Could try a letter to her parents about their kid's behaviour? They might be nice normal people who will sort it out and pay up.

If you can't get anywhere, I'd probably pay the bill (to avoid your daughter getting a bad credit report for late payment), then give the small claims court a try against the other tenant. Worth a punt, cathartic if nothing else.

I know how aggravating this is. I had a similar one like this when I was a student. A flat mate claimed he didn't have to pay electric because he was rarely home and therefore didn't use any electricity. Never got any money out of him (although didn't try any action).