Housemate moved out early and wont pay bills

Kizzles

Basically, 4 of us signed into a one year lease back in September and it was going pretty okay all along. One of the people that lived with us had to move back home last week due to family commitments. We didn't really get much notice, she moved out her stuff without telling anyone, locked her door, then texted us a week later to tell us she had moved out. Now she has left us with almost 400 euros worth of bills and is refusing to pay before she hands in her keys. She said she will pay us off bit by bit but I'm not convinced. We weren't exactly close friends and I really doubt we will ever even see her again. The bills that are owed are all in my name. Our landlord was speaking to both us and the housemate in question and has told us it's up to us to get the money for the bills from her. She is liable to pay for rent until September but the landlord said there is basically no chance of her paying it as she has seen stuff like this happen before. We have to find someone to move in within the next month or we will have to move out because we simply cannot afford it. Is there any way that I could get her to pay her bills? I am constantly getting letters saying the bills are over due but we simply cannot afford to pay her share. Small claims court would be my very last option but I was wondering if anyone else was in this situation before and if so, how did they handle it?

dory

Would you not ask the landlord to use her deposit to pay the bills?

Kizzles

She didn't pay a deposit. Unfortunately, we covered it for her.

seamus

Small claims court won't deal with it and it's not the landlord's problem.

I'm curious as to why she's still holding onto the keys though?

The only way you can recover this debt is to bring civil action against her, which for €400 is a waste of your time. If she'll agree to a repayment schedule, then take her hand off, but don't expect to see any of it. Agree your own repayment schedule with the suppliers to arrange to pay off the bills piecemeal.

You might have to write this off as a lesson learnt - never move in with someone who you don't know is reliable. The fact that this girl couldn't cover her own deposit initially should have rung alarm bells that she would constantly have trouble covering her share.

Gatling

Can't see how you can make her pay ,
No written agreement,
Your liable the company's who's chasing the bills are only interested in the the name on the bill ,
Take it as a life lesson ,never rely on anybody to pay the bills that are in your name

Kizzles

Yes I suppose I'll have to put it down as a lesson learnt I'm not too sure why she still has her keys, her friend said she still has a few bits and pieces in her room but all except her guitar are fit for the bin

Gatling

Kizzles wrote: »

Yes I suppose I'll have to put it down as a lesson learnt I'm not too sure why she still has her keys, her friend said she still has a few bits and pieces in her room but all except her guitar are fit for the bin

If its a house is refuse her further entry to the property to collect her stuff ,

Pawwed Rig

seamus wrote: »

Small claims court won't deal with it and it's not the landlord's problem.

Why wouldn't small claims deal with it? Do they not do any residential disputes anymore?

athtrasna

Kizzles wrote: »

Yes I suppose I'll have to put it down as a lesson learnt I'm not too sure why she still has her keys, her friend said she still has a few bits and pieces in her room but all except her guitar are fit for the bin

I would be tempted to sell her guitar to recoup at least some of your money. You have it from her that she no longer lives there. She has no right to retain keys but I would get on to the landlord and tell them you can't sublet a room you have no access to and get them to open the door.

endacl

Kizzles wrote: »

Yes I suppose I'll have to put it down as a lesson learnt I'm not too sure why she still has her keys, her friend said she still has a few bits and pieces in her room but all except her guitar are fit for the bin

Is her guitar worth E400?

Eric Cartman

endacl wrote: »

Is her guitar worth E400?

even if it was worth 100, thats still 100 more than it looks like the OP is getting at present.

endacl

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Why wouldn't small claims deal with it? Do they not do any residential disputes anymore?

They never did. SCC was set up to provide quick and inexpensive remedies to disputes between consumers and sellers of goods and services. If they dealt with residential disputes it would be a nightmare! 'But Judge. He used more bogroll than me, and he never buys milk!!'...

endacl

I'd be demanding she get down to her credit union to borrow the money to pay her debt. She can work out the repayment schedule with them. And I'd be hounding her for it. Cheeky mare.

Gatling

endacl wrote: »

I'd be demanding she get down to her credit union to borrow the money to pay her debt. She can work out the repayment schedule with them. And I'd be hounding her for it. Cheeky mare.

But being then bills are in the op's name they all can walk away and leave him to pay ,he's the one liable and with verbal agreements there not worth the paper spoken on

seamus

endacl wrote: »

They never did. SCC was set up to provide quick and inexpensive remedies to disputes between consumers and sellers of goods and services. If they dealt with residential disputes it would be a nightmare! 'But Judge. He used more bogroll than me, and he never buys milk!!'...

Actually the SCC does deal with residential disputes, but only in relation to property damage and the non-return of a rental deposit.

They don't handle debt cases like this.

AnonoBoy

Let her know that you'll be selling the guitar to recoup some of the money. If she really wants it she can pony up the cash owed.

Other than that you'll be chasing and chasing to get the money back. I've been in the situation before and eventually we just gave up and paid the money ourselves.

I'm curious though as to how she owes 400 euro in bills. How long was she not paying them for?

If there's 4 people in the house and you're dividing up electricity/heating/internet/tv bills that's months and months of not paying for one person to owe 400 euro isn't it?

Gormal

As far as I am aware, if she still has the keys, then she is still liable for the rent/bills regardless if she is there or not.

She signed a lease, did she not? she has to give proper notice to the landlord and the landlord should be chasing her for her share of the rent - depending on what the setup is.

As for the bills, it was rather foolish to put them in your name alone.

Kizzles

I don't think the guitar is worth much, but she does love it. I think I might have to keep it locked in my room until she pays her bills!

Thanks for all the help! I appreciate it

Suckfisher

Next time under no circumstances pay for some strangers deposit.
That would have alarm bells ringing in my ears straight away.

Also as its a shared accom try and get some other names on the bills dont shoulder everything.

Have no idea how to recoup the 400euro :mad:

Eric Cartman

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I'm curious though as to how she owes 400 euro in bills. How long was she not paying them for?

estimated gas and electricity for a few months, then the actual bills hit, quite plausable especially since were just out of winter.

Kizzles

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Let her know that you'll be selling the guitar to recoup some of the money. If she really wants it she can pony up the cash owed.

Other than that you'll be chasing and chasing to get the money back. I've been in the situation before and eventually we just gave up and paid the money ourselves.

I'm curious though as to how she owes 400 euro in bills. How long was she not paying them for?

If there's 4 people in the house and you're dividing up electricity/heating/internet/tv bills that's months and months of not paying for one person to owe 400 euro isn't it?

It's not just one bill. There's a good few things that she owes money for, including money that we lent her. And Airtricity actually undercharged us for December and January so we have a big bill this month

murphaph

I'd be down at cash converters tomorrow with her guitar and anything else remotely of value.

Kristopherus

Kizzles wrote: »

I don't think the guitar is worth much, but she does love it. I think I might have to keep it locked in my room until she pays her bills!

Thanks for all the help! I appreciate it

Keep the guitar and anything else she has left behind. While waiting for her to come back send her a reminder of what she owes by picture postcard, the type where the address and the message are on the same side....................;)

AnonoBoy

Eric Cartman wrote: »

estimated gas and electricity for a few months, then the actual bills hit, quite plausable especially since were just out of winter.

It's a long time to let estimated bills run for but I suppose it could happen.

Although I presume she had contributed nothing towards any of the bills over the winter for her debt to run up to 400.

Mrs OBumble

Gormal wrote: »

As for the bills, it was rather foolish to put them in your name alone.

When I've been in shared accommodation, I've preferred to have all the bills in my name.

That way, I know that they will get paid, and I'll never again come back from a holiday to a letter saying that X will be cut off if you don't pay by tomorrow - and then discovered that the flatmate with the kitty has taken it on holiday with her. (true story).

But on the other hand, I make sure I take some "bills kitty" money off all flatmates every, and then every couple of months (or when someone moves out) do a tally-up and give a refund if there's more in the kitty than the bills need.

Saves a lot of stress.

Anyone who doesn't pay their rent and bills kitty pretty close to on time every week gets moved out pretty quickly.

Kizzles

Just an update on this. She came down last night along with a few people, cleared out her stuff. I kept the guitar and told her she wasn't getting it back until she paid us every cent. Her friends got a bit rough, but in the end they left, after threatening to get "the boys" down. Room is still absolutely filthy, but now she says she doesn't want the guitar anymore. Stuck with the bill now I suppose

athtrasna

Don't know why you let her in, if she's not paying rent she had no right to be there?

Eric Cartman

athtrasna wrote: »

Don't know why you let her in, if she's not paying rent she had no right to be there?

she has keys, id assume she let herself in.

StillWaters

Sorry to hear that OP. It's a tough lesson to learn.