Splitting bills & complaining effectively

Lesson 11 of 12 in our free Bills & Subscriptions guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.

This lesson is in the full version.

Free with a code from your uni, college, council, landlord or employer (worth £600/year). Lesson 1 of Bills & Subscriptions is free for everyone.

Questions you'll answer

Your energy supplier overcharged you and hasn't fixed it in 8 weeks. Next step?

Broadband everyone uses → Split equally. Shared service, equal share.
Electricity when one person runs a space heater all night → Split by usage. Big difference in usage — a fair adjustment helps.
Water rates on an unmetered house → Split equally. Fixed charge — split equally.
One housemate's partner basically lives there → Split by usage. Agree a fair contribution. Awkward chat now, peace later.
Fact: “Complaints in writing give you a clear record.” — Dates, account numbers, what happened, what you want.
Myth: “Going to an ombudsman costs hundreds of pounds.” — It's free for consumers.
Fact: “The person whose name is on a bill can be chased for the whole amount.” — So if it's in your name, make sure everyone pays you on time — or put names on jointly.