If I’d’ve been on MN at the time I’d’ve definitely done an AIBU. I really liked her, she’d just bought a barn at the other end of the bridleway to convert into a house and we became friends. They were living in a camper van on site but struggled to get planning permission, and that September was really freezing, so macman and I decided we’d offer them our annexe “for the winter” at £250 a month. Our electricity bill doubled from £75 a month to £150, but thought that reasonable as everything in the annexe is electric while ours is oil/log-burner heated, just electric lights and electrical sockets. Anyway, that “for the winter” turned into 2.5 years, without another meter reading as the meter was in the annexe.
Anyway, after a couple of years she suddenly went incommunicado, avoiding us completely, although it took me a while to notice that I hadn’t spoken to or seen her for weeks. I assumed she hadn’t been able to pay the rent (she was completely skint) and was embarrassed, but when the bank statement came she was still paying, so I asked her what was wrong and she said “Nothing!” but clearly we’d done something heinous, so eventually I lost my rag and said if they could find somewhere else for £250 including bills (council tax alone is £200+ a month) then please feel free to move out, otherwise I’d have to double the rent. She left us a note in the post box to say she’d moved out!
It was only then that I did a meter reading and found out we owed £4,400. Our DD went up to £408 a month! I’d borrowed £5K from my lovely generous Dad to tart up the annexe and replace all the things they’d destroyed/worn out, and had to spend it all on the fucking EDF bill! After they’d gone our leccy use went down to £100…
Sorry, long, boring and now quite an old story, they left in April 2021, and I don’t even walk past their place any more in case I see her and fly at her in a rage.