Am I being petty to not pay flatmates TV licence?

[ldnflatshareNC]

I was subletting a room in 2b flat with flatmate ‘A’. I left sublet end of March, but because the bills were in another old flatmates name (so not ‘A’), only just sorting out now.

For starters I have had to chase flatmate ‘A’ 3 times about getting my deposit (2.5 months late in returning whilst he received full amount from landlord), but kept saying he’d prefer to sort out bills first before returning my half of deposit). Fair enough to sort out bills first but he has delayed things, and could’ve chased old flatmate earlier. Still don’t have my deposit

He’s now sent breakdown of bills and noticed he’s included TV licence. I didn’t have a TV! I never watched the flatmates TV alone, but sometimes we’d have dinner together with TV on in background (but because he chose to watch it not me!). TV licence is also paid as a household not per person, and it’s £14.54 for one licence a month, so surely should be halved. Also it was never even mentioned as a bill before agreeing to sublet, and I’ve never paid it for in other sublets.

Also does wifi share seem bit high? 2 bed share and the wifi plan is £68 a month or £34 each? (I never paid that much in other places).
I know they were with Virgin but funnily enough I’m currently with Virgin on a £29.99 plan so £15 halved. I even looked up Virgin wifi prices using the sublet postcode and the more expensive deals are including TV/ sky sports which I never watched or requested.

Or am I being super rude and petty to mention it, I worry I’m being biased after the delays in my deposit

For those who voted I’m not petty paying, should I mention it to him? (How? Without sending too bitter)

do you watch bbc channels on your iPad/phone? If so don’t you need a license for that?

No I don’t. I watch Netflix but have my own account.
Also, even if I did that doesn’t explain why I’m having to pay the full cost as TV licence is one per household even in HMO not per person (checked TV licence website)

They are taking the piss. Ask them why it's that much

Why did you not know all the costs ahead of time ?

I'd ask for a copy of the bills, as you are right to be suspicious. Not necessarily each month, but one of each where the figures are the same. TV licence, I'm on the fence, as it is pretty usual to have one, and you did watch the TV, albeit not alone.

I think this is the lesson in subletting, you don't really have any protection against this sort of situation.

I would be politely asking to see the bills so you know where these amounts have come from. I would also send a reminder that you do not have a television and so are not liable to pay a TV licence for the address.

Yep, ask for a copy of all the bills. Don't worry about being petty.

I’m a londoner who has lived in many flatshares it’s not too strange for the bills to be in an older flatmates name who recently left before, and then you all sort it after etc. The older flatmate/billpayer is also a friend of flatmate ‘A’ I was sharing with, hence they trust each other and it’s understandable older flatmate hadn’t rushed to change billpayer name etc.

Also, before agreeing to any flatshare or sublet I usually ask for rough average of bills but to be fair they can vary slightly depending on time of year. Tv licence was never mentioned on Spareroom ad or when discussing bills informally at viewing

I'd pay halves after receiving evidence of the bills, which I'd request politely. Ultimately if they hold your deposit you've not much bargaining power, unless it's a large enough amount to justify action .

thanks good idea

re TV licence, I checked on their website and for joint tenancy it’s one per household required not per person. He is trying to charge me the whole monthly fee not even half, so the one with TV pays £0?

Yes, for this one he is definitely trying to stiff you.

Ask to see copies of the bills.

You should have asked about bills when you moved in. It’s a bit late to quibble now.

It’s perfectly feasible that the internet costs £68. They probably haven’t signed up for a new contract in years so are paying a high rate. TBH, making sure that flat has the best deal for utilities etc and that the accounts are in the correct name rather than a previous tenant is as much your responsibility as your flatmate. I don’t think you can complain about paying over the odds if you didn’t bother to get involved in sorting out suppliers.

Where was the TV? In a communal area or the flatmate’s room? I think if you agreed to pay a share of the bills and the TV was in a communal area for communal use, yes, you should expect to pay towards the license, regardless of who owns the TV, even if you never used it. If you didn’t want to, you should have clarified that when you moved in. If it was in the flatmate’s room, then it is their responsibility.

"Hi ex flatmate, thanks for the breakdown. I have a few questions. Firstly, can I have copies of the bills for internet, water and council tax please? £68 per month for internet seems extremely high. Secondly, the TV licence appears to be an error. This wasn't mentioned before I moved in, I don't have or watch TV, and in any case the amount you have included here is the monthly amount for an entire household, so even if I had agreed to pay it (which I didn't), it should be half this amount."

You're right, the internet is high too. We pay "your share" per month including a phone line.

Are you share he has sent you your share though? From the list, it looks more like the total monthly cost and you still need to divide by two.

Keep it light and just ask for copies of the bills so you can confirm your share & get it sent asap, don’t mention ‘ohh this is very high’ yet.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. I think 50% - not 100% - for the TV licence might be reasonable, if you willingly viewed it in a communal area and didn't discuss it. I hope you reach an amicable solution and you are not wrong for questioning their figures.

Internet depends on the package with virgin. We have the fastest mist expensive broadband but the smallest number of TV channels because the broadband is important to us - and yes it's the price you've been given.

It’s really not usual for bills to remain in the name of a previous tenant 🙄 That’s idiotic, you could have run up huge bills that the previous tenant would be liable for. You all sound very irresponsible and chaotic. But then, so is subletting. The previous tenant would have been liable if you didn’t pay rent or trashed the place and you have no legal rights…

Are you sure the totals aren’t meant to be split? Or it could just be a mistake. Although, with all the swapping around, moving in and out, and disorganisation, I wouldn’t be surprised if both tenant A and the person you sublet from both had TV licenses.

I’m pretty sure it‘s only my share
As £15 per person for water sounds right, I doubt it was as cheap as £15 for two / £7.50 each especially considering water bills have gone up recently
In addition, £89 seems normal for council tax share (I can’t imagine it being half of that)

Technically you’re right, I see how it’s easily perceived as idiotic but it’s still not strange to me as so many people take risks like that here with flatsharing being so common.

& yes you’re right subletting could be very risky on both sides too. Most of my friends have done it too, usually you try and only go for people who have solid social media presence and/or have mutuals. It still doesn’t guarantee 100% safety but again people still take the risk 🤷‍♀️ I’ve also subletted from people in ‘prestigious’ jobs too, they are still choosing to take chaotic risk

Most people end up trusting flatmates if you’ve lived together for a while. I imagine billpayer probably had it on their to do list but hadn’t got round to changing bills name formally. Flatmate ‘A’ and the old flatmate/billpayer are good friends too not just strangers so I really don’t think it’s weird that billpayer didn’t rush to change names. I imagine if both had moved out together and it was two new strangers who never lived with older flatmate then yes he would’ve closed all accounts as a priority.

On a similar note I’ve previously left odd things behind in old flatshares to collect later once I’d sorted other more urgent things with new place. Because I was on friendly terms with the old flatmate (as you’d expect when sharing a home with someone) I wasn’t that stressed about leaving it to collect later, but in theory they don’t have to give it back and could have binned it or kept it for themselves.

there’s always a risk with flatsharing generally that someone could steal or go through your things

Not sure! In some boroughs of London council tax is about £90 / month e.g. Wandsworth. But yeah, the water does seem too cheap to be the whole thing...

Oh that’s really good!
Unfortunately always been a lot more for me in the boroughs I’ve lived. £89 is actually cheapest CT I’ve ever paid for a share in 2 bed.
(I did also double check band and borough, and £89 seems right for half in this area)

Your flatmate is trying to charge you all the tv licence, council tax and water bill! In London this is what the CT and water bills are for a 2 bed flat! Ring the council etc and ask for the actual price to get proof but he’s trying to rip you off!!!