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Original poster

Neighbour wants me to pay 11 year old bill

78 replies

lopdedop · 07/02/2019 10:19

I live in a tiny town(not in UK) . I'm an outsider, moved here 12 yrs ago.

I live in a group of 3 houses which at the time I bought were having quite a lot of work done ie resurfacing road, improvements in Elec/water supply.
My neighbours kept giving me 'community' bills during my first year in the house. Split between the 3 of us.
This continues today but not on the scale of the first year.
I was doing my house up, so lots going on.

Yesterday my neighbour(we get on very well) tells me she had heard recently that an electrician has been bad mouthing her, as she failed to pay a bill for the works he carried out in 2008. She is mortified, her reputation etc etc.
Apparently, it was me who didn't pay my third. She wants me to pay it, of course.
I can't understand how this has not been brought up before. I have no recollection of this, as it was so long ago.
I have offered to go to speak to the electrician. She says if I don't pay it (£500),she will have to.
Wwyd?

OP posts:

Bryjam · 07/02/2019 12:05

I would be speaking to other neighbour who paid their share 11'years ago and getting them to ask twat neighbour where that money is.

rosablue · 07/02/2019 12:10

Can you talk to your bank or credit card to see if they still have details going back that far? Sometimes they might be able to check out the account to see if a cheque went out around the approximate date - I assume it would have been made out to the plumber or the neighbour, so you could see if it had been paid.

If it was a cheque you would have used, do you still have the book to see if a cheque was ever written for this?

Could something have happened like you wrote the cheque but it never got posted/they lost it/whatever so that you thought you had paid, they never received the money, if lots of money was going through your account then it's easy to lose track of these things if you don't have time to account for it all later. Likewise did you ever get a bill from her for this? Might be that you never got it so never knew to pay...

Definitely need to get invoice and proof others paid before you even think about paying yourself... as well as checking your own stuff out first!

Original poster

lopdedop · 07/02/2019 12:12

The neighbour claims that she gave us all a copy. Other neighbour paid his directly to electrician, as did she.
Neither have receipts or anything now to prove this.
We've always got along very well.
She is aware that I have just come into some money though..

OP posts:

Bryjam · 07/02/2019 12:15

Other neighbour paid his directly to electrician, as did she.

It gets weirder. Why would the electrician be ignoring her all this time, then get mad at her, if he knew full well she had paid and you had not paid? Surely he would just send you a further invoice, because that's what tradespeople do.

Cluckinghell · 07/02/2019 12:16

Hmm I'm really not sure she isn't chancing it here. How friendly is she with this electrician?
Would they get together and say something false?
Check with your bank for all outgoings around that time..

Cluckinghell · 07/02/2019 12:17

Because I would seriously be questioning why he hasn't chased this in eleven years. It's funny it's just come up now she knows you have money.

Bryjam · 07/02/2019 12:21

If she and other neighbour paid direct it would be safe to assume you would do the same, so she isn't going to benefit here anyway. But it's all a load of crap because the electrician knew it was you and not her due the money anyway. None of it makes any sense.

JudgeRulesNutterButter · 07/02/2019 12:21

Does your neighbour want you to pay her, or the electrician?
Has she recently had any electrical work done and may have told the electrician that you are paying for it?

The whole thing reeks to me, sounds like she is trying to con you!

Original poster

lopdedop · 07/02/2019 12:24

It is all a bit convenient, isn't it.
I've always thought she was lovely. I can't believe she'd try to rip me off.
OK. If there's no evidence, there will be no payment.

OP posts:

Dimsumlosesum · 07/02/2019 12:24

Good for you. This is all rather dodgy!!

Xiaoxiong · 07/02/2019 12:26

So electrician sends her a bill, she supposedly pays ⅓ and other neighbor pays 1/3. Electrician then sits on the debt for the final ⅓ for ELEVEN YEARS until she hears a rumour that he is badmouthing her??

So under her version of the story, the electrician is holding her responsible for the whole bill, he gets ⅓ of the money from her but never goes back and says "where's the rest of it", and just seethes and blanks her in the street? For eleven years.

This doesn't add up, honestly. I'm glad you're talking to the guy but I'd want to see the original invoice and the amounts both neighbours had paid before I considered paying anything. It seems incredibly far fetched and maybe that the electrician and the neighbour are in cahoots to extract money from you.

Original poster

lopdedop · 07/02/2019 12:29

Judge, I did get the impression she wanted me to pay her. But I said I wanted to speak to the electrician myself before I paid.
That's when she said she'd feel obliged to pay him if I was going to refuse (and made me feel terribly guilty by mentioning how low her wages are).

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 07/02/2019 12:34

No one who owns a small business would sit on a debt for 11 years without chasing it.

floribunda18 · 07/02/2019 12:37

Tell him to fucking whistle for it. How ridiculous.

skunkatanka · 07/02/2019 12:41

I am going to bet that the electrician won't have a clue what you're talking about OP and that your neighbour is scamming you. I wonder how many other bills you have paid along the way, direct to her?

MakeItAmazing · 07/02/2019 12:42

Don't pay it. Otherwise you're paying for someone who is not your friend to pretend to be your friend for a few minutes.

Yesterday I read of a small business owner who has been paying her landlords bills for years. Foolish woman should have queried it sooner. Don't be the mug she was.

timeisnotaline · 07/02/2019 12:45

Definitely speak to the electrician. It’s all very odd.

CoraPirbright · 07/02/2019 12:46

Why on earth would the electrician be angry with her when she had paid?! And now it comes out - she knows you have come into some money and suddenly this 11 year old debt appears and she wants you to pay her

FaithFrank · 07/02/2019 12:54

I agree the story does not make much sense. I reckon when you speak to electrician you will find that either he is not pissed off at all, or that he is blanking the neighbour for another reason entirely.

Grace212 · 07/02/2019 12:58

OP "She is aware that I have just come into some money though.."

suspect this is a big factor.

eggsandwich · 07/02/2019 13:06

How does she know that it was you that didn’t pay and not the other neighbour?

I’m amazed that the electrician didn’t come after her for the outstanding balance, wouldn’t happen here they would be knocking on your door.

Original poster

lopdedop · 07/02/2019 13:14

Eggs, here they are usually knocking on the door too!
Other neighbour says he paid, and that seems to be good enough for her.
It seems a shame, but I think that she will fall out with me over this

OP posts:

fargo123 · 07/02/2019 13:15

Unless the original bill was exactly £1500, then it seems a bit strange the amount now being chased is a nice round £500, especially as it appears that you've recently come into money. How did the neighbour know about this new money you've recently received?

AngelaHodgeson · 07/02/2019 13:22

Speak to the electrician. If they have records showing that the other two paid and you didn't then I think (morally) you should pay. But I wouldn't take her word for it.

WombatChocolate · 07/02/2019 13:27

Very odd.

Very nicely but firmly, tell neighbour that you need more information and documentation before you can think about it any further.

Be clear that you won't be handing over £500 to anyone just based on the conversation you've had with her. Point out this a long time ago and nobody would hand over money about some thing like this on the basis of a brief conversation.

Say you will need;

to speak directly to the workman yourself
paperwork will need to be provided
only then can you consider the issue more.

If she wants to talk further about it, mention that it is very odd that workman didn't pursue the missing money previously. What does she think about this? I would approach it from this angle rather than about who has paid what and not paid.

It does sound iffy. He's either thoroughly incompetent, in which case he probably has no records of what has been paid anyway. Or he could be trying it on to get extra cash a nd relying on neighbour worrying about her reputation and hoping to just get the money out of one of you. Or there's a possibility she is involved in something iffy.

Either way, stay friendly and calm and above all firm about this. If she says daft things about she'll have to pay if you don't, say that you think she would be very silly to pay anything without seeing some paperwork and hearing more about it first, but it is up to her what she chooses to do. All you can say is that until you have spoken to workman and seen some paperwork relating to an outstanding charge, you won't be able to consider the matter further.

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