Getting bill money off other tennants

kiss_me_now9

I'm sorry, not sure if this is the best place for it. I know it's a civil matter (?) but one I'm a bit stuck on...

I'll presume that you're not in knowledge of my situation (a little bit of it is detailed here) but basically the long and short of it is I live with 5 Chinese students in a 5 bed room house and am pretty much ignored/left to my own devices. This suits me most of the time however I've just had our quarterly bill (no, I don't know why it's quarterly OR why it's coming straight to me) and it's astronomical :eek: wait for it... £650 since September on gas and electric! Eek.

I have no trouble paying my fifth (I know it should be sixth but I cba to get into an argument about the logistics of the co-habiter paying too) but I am having massive amounts of trouble getting the cash from everyone else. I haven't seen some of them in weeks and when I do see them, they either ignore me and walk straight back out of the room again or just say hello and then ignore me. I have put a note up in the kitchen clearly detailing what I need from them and giving them a week to get the funds together, which I thought was a reasonable request given that we don't communicate. However the week and date I asked for it by is tomorrow morning and as of yet, nothing has appeared... and it's looking unlikely that anything will appear either.

I really have no clue how to approach this, can I offer the utility a part payment of my share to begin with? What happens if I don't get the money? I'm presuming as it was addressed to me it's my responsibility to pay and make sure the balance is zero'd and that the company won't give a damn how I get the money. If I can't get the money, I certainly can not afford to pay nearly £700 for it all, so will it affect me financially?

domcastro

You need to find out why it's in your name only. Maybe speak to the landlord about it?

G_M

Presumably you applied fo th account in your name initially. No one else can set up an account in your name.... legally that is.

Look - sharing a property/home with others can be difficult (as you've detailed on the other thread). Bill sharing is just one of the things that can become an issue, cause bad feeling etc.


The only ways to deal with it are

1) move out and share with people you trust/can communicate with etc
2) confront the issue and reach an agreement

You will have to force these house-sharers, either individually or as a goup, to pull their weight. That means financially, as well as cleaning rotas etc etc

Not allowing them to walk into a room and then out again. Stand in the doorway blocking it, and politely insist on a conversatin. Have th bill to hand, together with the maths of the 1/6th share, plus a list of other bills etc.

Or just pay the full bill yourself and let them walk all over you.

phill99

I would move out if I were you. I can see this getting nasty and you seriiously being out of pocket.

kiss_me_now9

I can't make the quotes work :rolleyes: I have no idea why it's in my name, the estate agent was round this morning and he seemed surprised especially as I'm not the lead tenant and I have never consented to having it in my name. Before the Chinese people moved in, I was there for a week by myself and I got a bill through for the 7 days that I was in the house on my own through - but I don't know how/why this was set up. The landlady is of the 'leave it all to the estate agents' style and refuses to communicate with any of us.

Unfortunately moving out has different problems, mainly being that I don't have any friends here to move in with, I can't afford rent on a single room place and the communal areas are such !!!! holes that no-one in their right mind would take my place in the contract despite my room being well maintained and (largely) very tidy.

They ignore everything I say to them, so cleaning rotas definitely won't work. I've printed out a copy of the bill and done the maths for them but again - ignored. I think in the morning about 10am I'll knock on everyone's doors and ask them for the money - but I know that I'll get told that they don't have it.

When they turn and walk out of the room after seeing me, it's in the kitchen/living room, I'll be stood at the cooker and they'll put their head around the door and see me and just leave again.

I've been told by pretty much everyone I know to leave this house, but I honestly don't know I'll get out as I don't have any friends here to move in with, I can't afford rent on a single room place and the communal areas are such !!!! holes that no-one in their right mind would take my place in the contract despite my room being well maintained and (largely) very tidy.

dimbo61

You will find as the only english national ! that the 5 chinese students cant have a gas/electric/phone/broadband/water bill in there name.
The landlord wont want to know either
So you need to speak to the landlord and state that you will have the gas and electric CUT OFF and stop all bills in your name if the others dont pay NOW.
Follow this up by turning off the gas and electric to the property and see how they like sitting in the dark/cold.This would be a good time for you to go home for the weekend !!
Inform the gas/electric people that you want your name taking off the bill now.

dimbo61

Take the main fuse out of the electric box on friday evening and turn off the gas at the valve near the gas meter.
Get on the phone to the landlord and estate agent and tell them you will report this to the police and you have never agreeded to take on the bills.
Contact the gas/electric supplier and state you have never asked or agreeded to take on this bill and you want your name off the bill.
You may end up paying a £700 bill or end up with a default/CCJ against you name( credit history)

DVardysShadow

dimbo61 wrote: »

You will find as the only english national ! that the 5 chinese students cant have a gas/electric/phone/broadband/water bill in there name.
The landlord wont want to know either
So you need to speak to the landlord and state that you will have the gas and electric CUT OFF and stop all bills in your name if the others dont pay NOW.
Follow this up by turning off the gas and electric to the property and see how they like sitting in the dark/cold.This would be a good time for you to go home for the weekend !!
Inform the gas/electric people that you want your name taking off the bill now.

I see no reason why the Chinese nationals cannot go on the bill. But I think that the basic idea is fine. It will result in a very hard week, with tense standoffs so I suggest you start on Monday. You decide that you are not going to be patsy and you decide that if the others will not pay for gas and electricity, you will not be the one who pays for them. On Monday morning, contact the utilities and say that you don't know who made you responsible but you are ceasing to be customer and will manage without electricity and gas. Follow up with a letter and keep a copy. Once you have phoned the utilities, turn off the gas and electricity and every time they are turned on, turn them back off. If they are using computers, so much the better. Just keep doing it until they have paid you.

Give a letter to each of the other tenants on Sunday night announcing your intentions. And when

rentergirl

Foreign Nationals can and should go on the bill. And yes, go to the landlord. Don't disconnect the supply: this is dodgy in the law, but hand a letter to every tenant when you see them, insist they read it, check they understand, and explain this to the landlord. Then: go to the power/utilities. NB: Broadband? Does it have a password? Change it. Don't reveal it until they all pay. You are paying, they use it as a privilege. Everything in writing, everything signed for. Good luck!

BitterAndTwisted

It's only "dodgy in the law" for landlord to disconnect the utilities, not for a co-tenant who's paying the bills for a bunch of foreign scroungers

HappyMJ

Get a prepayment meter fitted ASAP and arrange with the supplier to collect the outstanding debt over the next 12 weeks. Tell each tenant they are responsible for which weeks then if they don't pay the other tenants will be on your side to make them pay as the gas/electricity has been cut off by non payment. They will not want to be in the dark so they will pay up.