Tips for navigating bills with your housemates
Once you've found a new place to live, you need to consider the cost of bills and how to manage them with your housemates. Chasing housemates for money, no matter how small the amount, can feel really awkward and tricky at times. It’s really important to be able to discuss money on a practical level without grudges, especially when you're sharing finances with friends or people you’ve just met!
To avoid underlying resentment, you must set rules and expectations early on. Read below for our tips on how to navigate bills with your housemates.
Have an open conversation - and keep it that way!
From day one of living with your new housemates, it’s important to talk openly about how much it costs to live in your home, as well as how and when each person is expected to pay.
In order to maintain an open conversation, it may be useful to agree to have a monthly check-in with your housemates - preferably in person so it doesn’t get misconstrued over group chats (or manifest as passive aggressive post-it notes on the fridge). This way, you can settle any outstanding expenses in a healthy and consistent way. See it as having a glass of wine and an excuse to get together rather than a formal meeting!
Divide and decide responsibilities
Before moving in, determine who is responsible for paying the bills. You may decide to divide and conquer with a person being responsible for a bill each and then agree on how the rest of you will settle the difference each month. Or, you may designate one person to be responsible for paying all the bills - this is typically the most organised person in the house. Whichever way you decide to settle it, it shouldn’t mean that anyone else is less responsible for paying in full and on time.
To avoid having to give physical reminders (which can feel awkward and like unnecessary effort), you could take advantage of technology such as a shared bill-splitting or scheduling app, or the direct debit function on your banking app. Alternatively, agree on a specific date each month that everyone should settle their payments. This should mean that the person(s) responsible for paying will receive the money in time to make their payment each month.
Set clear boundaries
Rent, water, electricity, council tax, and wifi are some of the expenses that each housemate should be expected to pay without negotiation every month. However, when it comes to paying for other shared expenses such as household items like toilet roll, washing up liquid, or even streaming service subscriptions - it’s important to be clear about who is expected to share the cost, use and purchase of those items rather than assuming to avoid conflict later on.
What if someone doesn’t pay on time/at all?
Things happen. Maybe you didn’t get paid on time this month, or you had a super stressful week and completely forgot to transfer the money for your water bill. One-off mistakes or circumstances beyond your control are bound to happen at some point. As long as you ensure that you communicate to the person that you owe money your circumstances and make an apology, they will usually cut you some slack.
When not paying on time or at all becomes an ongoing issue, it’s time to start being firm. If who is responsible for paying what and when has been agreed and clearly outlined, and payments aren't made on time, it is completely unacceptable. It’s time to consider raising the issue to your landlord, small claims court or even exploring the possibility of moving out.