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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Shouldn't have to pay bills if temporarily moved out?

113 replies

riveted1 · 15/04/2020 12:28

I will try and keep this non-biased :D

Person A & B in flatshare.

A was originally splitting time between flat and DPs place, eventually due to the CV situation decided to spend lockdown at DPs. B remained in the flat.

Person A feels she shouldn't need to pay bills during this time as she isn't in the flat and shouldn't contribute for that reason (to internet, gas, heating). Person B feels she should, as A hasn't moved out and doesn't have plans to, once lockdown is lifted she will come back to the flat. Person A is already quite relaxed with lockdown and has wanted to pop back to flat multiple times, and so if measures were relaxed would probably continue.

For added info, person A does not pay rent/bills at DPs and has not worked for last couple of years as has wealthy family. However, she already feels it's unfair to be paying rent on a property she isn't living in currently, let alone bills on top.

From person Bs perspective, she has friends who would move into spare room if A moved out, meaning she would be able to completely split rent/bills. Person B (like many of us), is potentially facing job loss and financial struggles, so this is more of a factor to her.

Current lockdown guidelines state that genuinely moving house ("measured in days not hours") is reasonable, so changing household is still currently acceptable!

OP posts:

Oldraver · 15/04/2020 13:46

If A doesn't want to pay she should move out

Cheeky sod

BreconBeBuggered · 15/04/2020 13:49

A needs to pay or move out.
I have a DS in a similar position, without the wealthy family. I would say the same to him if he wasn't paying his share in the flat he actually rents. A needs to imagine how she would feel if if was her in the flat and the flatmate who was temporarily staying somewhere else.

fuckinghellthisshit · 15/04/2020 13:49

If you were isolating at, for example, your dms, would she think the flat was totally charge free?

GinDrinker00 · 15/04/2020 13:50

A ought to be paying, A is being selfish.

ChelseaCat · 15/04/2020 13:51

A should definitely pay their share of the bills

Tulipstulips · 15/04/2020 13:57

I am one of the few who’ve voted YABU but that’s because I misread your second post and thought YABU was for people who thought A should pay her bills! If she doesn’t want to pay, she needs to move out properly.

YogaFaker · 15/04/2020 13:58

Can you send this thread to A?

It's pretty much 100% in agreement with your POV.

And people saying there should be some reduction for bills which record usage (eg gas, electricity) - if you pay by monthly Direct Debit, then the payment averages out your annual usage, so you can spread the cost. So it's tricky to determine any discount for usage, and A will have been paying far less than actual usage over the main winter months.

Tulipstulips · 15/04/2020 14:03

I had a friend who did this to me once - during a year's tenancy she got a boyfriend who she wanted to spend all her time with. Some weeks I didn't see her at all, sometimes she'd be gone for a few days.

I could have been your friend when I met DH - I spent around half the week at his house, and most weekends. The difference is, I fully expected to continue to pay my half of the bills and rent. For one thing, DH spent the occasional weekend and one or two nights a week at mine so in effect we were then using twice as much of the resources, so it evened out. He lived alone so it’s not like he could tell his internet provider or his landlord he was only going to pay for five nights in every seven!

Purpleartichoke · 15/04/2020 14:03

A needs to pay.
A is obligated to pay rent and expenses for however long the lease happens to be and needs to give proper notice to move out.

thecatneuterer · 15/04/2020 14:04

A should pay fixed bills, including share of standing charge for gas and electricity, but should not have to pay for gas and electricity used, as they won't be using any and, if they were living there, presumably those costs would be much higher. But that really only works if it's on card/key meters.

Daftodil · 15/04/2020 14:04

Unless you each work out the hours and minutes that you spend in and out of the house, time yourself in the shower, work out how many loads of washing you each do over the year, weigh up all the times you've each put a jumper on or opened a window on rather than turning the heating up or down, etc etc etc, you should split the bills 50:50.

Pumpkinpie1 · 15/04/2020 14:08

It’s irrelevant where A sleeps. She entered in to an agreement to pay rent & share bills, her belongings are in the flat so she still occupies it.
Is she on the rental agreement with you?

calllaaalllaaammma · 15/04/2020 14:16

Is A named on the bills?
She should pay half as that was the agreement entered in to.

catndogslife · 15/04/2020 14:22

A should definitely still be making a contribution towards the bills given that she can afford to do so and is not paying at her DPs place. It may be appropriate for a discount to be made for the usage part of the bills assuming meter readings were taken.

DonnaDarko · 15/04/2020 14:27

A should pay

B should get a new housemate

BraceYourselfEffie · 15/04/2020 14:29

A should pay as normal. It's a home not a hotel.

I still pay my mortgage when I go on holiday.
I still pay my internet even if I don't use it for a few days.
I still pay the electricity and gas standing charges plus a good amount of usage to keep appliances running even when I'm out.

EL8888 · 15/04/2020 14:32

A needs to pay the rent and the internet as they have to be paid anyway, gas and electricity are slightly different as they are for useage. She’s unreasonable to think she shouldn’t pay for any of it especially the bills. Who should be paying them?!

notalwaysalondoner · 15/04/2020 14:35

I mean if you want to be super accurate and have meter readings from the day she left I guess it’s fair to say she shouldn’t be paying for water, gas, electric as she’s not using it (but should still be paying all regular non metered bills like internet, council tax)...but honestly, choosing to move out for a few weeks is no different to going on a long holiday and so there’s no good reason to just decide you’re not paying bills.

Potty9 · 15/04/2020 14:54

OP, ask A what would happen if you also decided you wanted to stay elsewhere for a while? Does she think neither of you would then be liable to pay the bills because you're not there?!

HollowTalk · 15/04/2020 14:57

She's a complete user, isn't she? I would just say, "You need to pay your share. If you'd rather leave then just let me know as several friends have shown an interest."

pooopypants · 15/04/2020 15:02

No. Person A shouldn't pay their Bill's as they're not currently there

But person B should charge a levy for storage of person A's belongings. I'm sure it would balance out to the same amount that is overdue for the bills

Person B should then look for a new, non-CF flatmate and tell CF person A to sling her hook

rookiemere · 15/04/2020 15:03

We had this exact situation when I was a student in a shared flat ( minus the lockdown element).
One person moved out, they continued to pay rent and wouldn't even countenance moving their things to one of the smaller rooms - she had the biggest room even though we all paid rent.

When it got to all of us moving out for end of term , I got the bills and worked out what everyone owed - itemised phone bill so all correctly allocated. She had the cheek to insinuate that I was trying to rip her off and she shouldn't have to pay the ongoing standing charges. She paid up in the end with a very poor grace.

Get a new flatmate once this is over.

ImFreeToDoWhatIWant · 15/04/2020 15:16

A is a cheeky bitch and B should serve notice on her immediately!

WhyCantIThinkOfAGoodOne · 15/04/2020 15:36

A should pay - it's not like B can suddenly cancel the internet or halve the gas bill. At the end of the year when you submit meter readings then person A could possibly get a reduction based on her not being there all the time but other than that she just needs to pay.

bibbidybobbidyboo · 15/04/2020 15:40

One of my housemates has been spending lockdown at his mum's. There was never any question of him not paying bills - they have to be paid whether he's in the house or not and they're averaged out ober the year so it's not like they go down.

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