Is lodger a CF?

[Ladiva1971]

I have a lodger his rent includes all bills, however I went on holiday for 2 weeks and on my return he presented me with a £25 top up bill for the gas which he used for heating when I was away. I told him there is no way I am paying for the gas he used when I wasn't here. He says gas and electric is included, but my argument is that if I was on holiday the gas would not have been used so he has to pay it. AIBU?

OP you are the CF.
You are liable for paying the bill.
You should have ensured there was enough to cover all bills while you were away and then some. You didn’t and lodger had to top up themselves. Understandly they want the money back and you are acting like an idiot. The extra money from lodger rent I’m sure is giving you the finances to holiday etc ...now be fair !!

OP I'm in the throes of menopause & have so many hot flushes I don't know where one ends and the next begins BUT...... I had my heating on low 24/7 during the cold snap because it was FREEZING AND because I didn't want my pipes to freeze!!!
I'm confident you would have been considerably more out of pocket had your pipes frozen.
You should also be aware a prepayment meter charge is definitely more than a quarterly bill.
You have no idea how long you would have wanted your heating on for during the cold spell because you weren't there! Your lodger is entitled to reasonable enjoyment of the property as per her tenancy agreement. Being cold is not reasonable.
If you think what they pay doesn't cover all the bills then increase their rent. But be prepared for an argument and maybe a change of tenant.
Do you normally get on with this person??
You could end up with a nightmare scenario (check out other threads) as it appears your tenant has not actually committed a cardinal sin, they were just cold .

OP I presume that the lodger pays the same amount of money for rent year round? In that case you will be saving money in the months that the heating isn't used plus less electric (for lighting) when the longer days start?
You'll give the lodger a discount then, surely?

YABVU

I feel for your lodger having to ask every time he is cold and wants to put the heating on

Agreed and for an HOUR at a time - it must be horrible to live in your house. It's been so, so cold recently, our heating has been on between 16-24 hours a day for weeks on end.

The rent may be cheap, but it's a heavy price to pay to be constantly cold. Poor chap!

why should I reimburse him for that if I wasn't there?
Will you be reimbursing him for his 'bill' part of the payment when he on holiday then?