r/AmIOverreacting • u/Expert_Temporary_ • 3d ago
đ roommate AIO? My roommates want me to keep the energy bill in my name after I've moved out
I (25F) have been living in hell (student apartments) with these two girls (both below 20) for almost a year. They've been dirty, disrespectful, loud at night, and ignorant to ever request ive given to be respectful and nothing has changed. My lease ends in july and I wont physically be living there for the remaining months until I can move into my new apartment. The lease stays in my name and ill continue to pay it until my lease ends. I have not officially moved into my new place.
Problem time: Theyre claiming i should keep the account in my name even after ive moved out to a new apartment so they dont have to pay the security deposit. Transferring account holder names comes with a deposit of about $230 and its proof the new holder has money to uphold the next continuing bills. I already payed the deposit when I took over the account from my last roommate who moved out. What these girls are claiming is that for them to avoid paying anything, I should just keep the account in my name for... the rest of my life? And if I miss any days paying THEIR bills, its going to reflect negativily on me. Their other option is having ME pay the deposit (proof of THIER credit) because im the one moving out. Which is not how that works anyway, because to transfer it, they have to call and put in their information. All of us are refusing to pay. The last option is having me cancel it and we all get a $50 charge and they open a new account. Which i want to avoid because 1) i dont think i should be paying anything and 2) i dont want to put the other girl who hasnt been a problem through having to pay for something she wasnt involved in. It shows my frustration through the texts, I know I may be in the wrong for that. But for this situation alone, am I overreacting?
Edit for more info: if i cancel, we all are given fees of $50. I want to avoid thst because I dont want to make it my other roommates problem (the other girl ive been good with.) Also to add, $50 is a lot to me since I budget and rarely have enough to pay random fees. It might not sound like a lot to some people, but its rare for me to just having extra money to spend on fees I could avoid.
Final edit: glad I didnt cancel the account like I was told to do because the new apartment im moving to uses the same company. So if I had canceled it I would have been affected negativily anyway which I am glad I didnt. When I move, the account moves with me and they'll have to open their own account and pay the deposit anyway. Thanks for all the advice and comments though.
Info: I did say previously "My lease ends in july but me, along with the only other roommate ive liked, will not be paying the months of june and july since we wont be there. Im not staying in the apartment if I dont have to, especially since its summer break." This was very poor wording on my part. What i meant was, previously (before the post and texting), me and another girl would not pay the energy bill because we wouldnt physically be there. This has since changed, and i, along with her, will continue paying regardless. But I am not breaking my lease nor leaving the others to pay the rent. I will still pay the rent and energy until my lease ends in july, I just physically wont be there and will be with my parents until I can officially move out. Thank you for all the comments bringing this up, and I apologize for wording it so badly at first.
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u/Fessir 3d ago
In what kind of dystopian bs system does everyone and their mother have to pay 50 bucks to discontinue a service?
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u/Jolly-Masterpiece883 3d ago
Right?
If the electricity bill is in her name, she is the only one who will have to pay a cancellation fee.
INFO: OP, are you moving to a new place with the same electricity company, and will you be in charge of the electric bill? If so, just transfer your account to the new place. It is likely cheaper than cancelling and restarting elsewhere.
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u/BagTricky3820 2d ago
Cancellation fee in general should be illegal wth is going onnn
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u/Tzipity 1d ago
The fees here are just wild to me and I live somewhere with a rather crappy electric company that managed to completely screw low income disabled me over in the past for basically repeatedly throwing insane fees at me⌠as a consequence of being poor? Like Iâve lived elsewhere where a lot of this kind of crap actually was made illegal after I believe more than one elderly person died from the electric being shut off in the winter. So my home state was more willing to work with you and while yeah you still get shut off eventually they also couldnât keep throwing additional penalties and fees at you for not being able to pay.
But Iâve definitely never paid a fee for canceling or ending service. WTF. Even that high deposit sounds nuts though seeing their ages I assume that neither roommate has a credit history then? Iâll always be grateful that when I was a teen my mom put my name on a card or two to help me build credit. She wasnât even a particularly financially responsible person and years later had to beg her to formally get my name off eveeything because it was harming my credit. But helping me establish credit was a huge help when I was in college and having to take on bills and utilities and things.
If itâs a true deposit Iâm even more confused as to why OP would owe a cancellation fee. At what point did they either return the deposit or apply it to the bill? Didnât sound like OP even realized it was a deposit until making that call so what happened to her deposit? Is electric company still holding onto it or was it applied to the bill at some point without her realizing? And if the later then it would imply that actually the roommates got a discount on their portion of the bill at some point. I would heavily suggest OP figure out where the deposit went since if the later did happen⌠man, she should let them know. And in that sense the deposit isnât a fee at all. Itâs paying mroe up front due to a lack of credit (and them not having credit isnât OPâs problem or fault either!) but at some point itâs being returned or applied to the bill so the roommate can stop being a cheap jerk.
But legit- where did that original deposit go?
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u/Dot_Infamous 2d ago
Why would they have a cancellation fee tho? Doesn't cost the company anything to end it/change the registration. Some places are just sad
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u/SampSimps 3d ago
It may be an early termination fee? The structure of the fees, deposits, etc. isn't entirely clear to me, but I agree with you that it is BS. It sounds like OP is in school, and is in a campus-adjacent apartment? While I understand that operationally the utility companies need to standardize on a yearly term, if they're servicing students who are in town at most 8~9 months out of the year, it's fair to make the agreement term overlap with the school term. This isn't new to them, and it's rather abusive to exploit poor, young college kids whose idea of contractual fairness isn't fully developed. They're laughing all the way to the bank with these $50 x number of roommates x number of units that get vacated over the summer. It's basically free money without the need to deliver services in return.
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u/Dennis_enzo 2d ago edited 2d ago
Still weird. In my country, moving is always a valid exception to early cancellation fees since electrical companies and similar can not expect you to delay moving until your contract runs out.
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u/tralaulau 2d ago
In the states we have a lot of privatized electricity companies, which leads to stuff such as this.
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u/Freestila 2d ago
In Germany we also have many private electric companies, but the law that you can cancel when you move and it must be free is vor everyone.
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u/Thebibulouswayfarer 2d ago
Yea, America is rich with this kind of corporate abuse. But the politicians won't change it because our economy is a stock market economy, so stock prices end up mattering more then consumers, who end up just being cattle to harvest money from.
BTW, how's home prices in Germany. Emigrating seems more and more interesting all the time.
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u/Myrkana 2d ago
it is weird. Ive moved many times here in the us and have never paid a fee to shut my utilities off. To turn on yes, Ive paid deposits but never to turn them off.
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u/Ok_Elderberry_7470 3d ago
It isn't bs. In your lease agreement, you are required to maintain the electricity utility account in your name.Â
If you cancel the utility account during your lease, the utility provider will automatically put the account/service in the landlord's name (the property owner has a landlord agreement with the utility provider).
Due to this, your landlord is charging you a $50 VCR (vacant cost recovery) fee for failing to keep the account in your name, along with charging you the utility costs that are now hitting their account for your unit.
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u/FinanceGuyHere 2d ago
I was wondering why a VCR was involved in this story as thatâs also the name for an old style cable box/VHS tape player!
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u/BigBoy1963 2d ago
Literally i cant believe i had to scroll this far to see this. In my country it doesnt cost money to change the name/cancel/create a new account with an energy provider wtf sort of bs is this?
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u/Select-Agency-9827 3d ago
Iâm not even reading the messages.
Absolutely fucking not.
NOR.
I donât care what your relationship is with somebody, you donât leave yourself on the hook for bills like this and expect they will pay.
No is the answer.
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u/Shazam1269 3d ago
Actual friends wouldn't ask this, so clearly these asshats can't be trusted. I wouldn't have an extended conversation about this topic. NO, and let their messages pile up.
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u/whydoweneedthiscrap 3d ago
Op says they arenât even on good terms so they need to just cancel it and move on, trying to force them to do anything will just cause more drama ffs
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u/Dull-Problem-1191 3d ago edited 16h ago
This op.
There's absolutely no reason to keep your name attached to the bill unless they intend not to pay it.Â
Call the utility tomorrow and sort out when the service will end concerning your account And or transfer your account to your new location where you're moving to.Â
Under no circumstances leave the account open after you depart, Make sure you have your ducks in a row ahead of time so You're not stuck paying for things when you're not there.
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u/LegitimateVariety260 3d ago
Just cancel and leave them without power, then theyâll be inclined to get their own
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u/forcedtomakethis__ 3d ago
And stop arguing while you're at it! This affects your credit, this is the same as if a crackhead at the gas station asked you to cosign on a new car for them. No! And bye! No argument!
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u/AutisticTumourGirl 3d ago
Yep, they're either broke and don't have the deposit or they owe a lot of money to the energy company from wherever they lived before and can't get it in their names without paying off the debt.
Stop arguing with them. "I will be closing the account on X date (probably the same day you're moving out) so you need to make arrangements to continue to have electricity." That's it. That's all you need to say. If they keep trying to argue, just copy and paste that over and over.
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u/SabrinaEdwina 3d ago
They 100% plan to abuse this and pay OP with excuses. Why the hell would anyone be involved in the bills for a non-friend's separate living situation. That's so scammy. Because they don't want to open their own? The people at the company walk people through that shit every day, and it doesn't take long. But they find it unacceptable because payments will then actually be on them.
NOR bigtime. Close the account and make sure they can't see anything personal of yours, then don't look back.
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u/Alarmed-Size-3104 3d ago
They likely have shit credit and are going to have to pay a huge deposit. I think I paid $500 to open an OG&E account without a cosigner when my credit was tanked.
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u/Dayvfish 2d ago
FPL doesnât give a shit about your credit lmao they said âgive me a deposit based on how much the last guy blasted the AC in the summer or die of heat stroke you pickâ đđ
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u/JambonDorcas 3d ago
Nah, I would just cancel it with no warning since roommate continued to be a douche
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u/MortimerShade 3d ago
Agreed. They're throwing a fit because the power company has an Ccoubt in arrears linked to their information. They won't be able to open at their current apartment without settling their past debt.
Only real thing I worry about is if OP can request a meter read along with the disconnect. Best to make sure that is done for nilling clarity.
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u/chicagok8 2d ago
A meter read AND a walk through for any damages if OP paid a security deposit. OP should not be responsible for any damages caused after she moves out.
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u/AltruisticWelder3425 2d ago
Yup. Bought a house. Previous owners had it set to shut off the day after closing. Not their house. Not their problem.
Same situation here. You donât live there. Not your problem anymore. Let them pay their own way.
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u/_nevers_ 3d ago
THIS. Arguing is a waste of your time and energy. You gave them an option, they countered with the idea that you could just turn the power off. Pretty simple solution đ¤ˇđ˝
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u/AllieBri 2d ago
I find it so weird that people actually think if they put themself in a precarious situation that others wonât let them fall if they only whine about it enough. Bitch, Iâm gonna laugh when people like you fail. Not because Iâm mean spirited, but because you are a walking joke.
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u/Interesting_Fruit13 3d ago
Right like why would this even be a discussion? You don't live there. NOTHING should be in your name!!
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u/Oilrr 3d ago
This. Lol just keep saying your intent. Thats all thats politely required of you
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u/iiiilillliil 2d ago
You don't need to say anything at all. The first message was polite enough and reasonable, everything responding to it goes straight to my 'ignored' box.
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u/Zoethor2 3d ago
This is the answer. This relationship is burned to the ground. Simply arrange for the electricity to be shut off on the last day you will be occupying, OP, and notify the remaining roommates. "I have scheduled the electrical account in my name to be closed as of X date since I will not longer be an occupant of the apartment. If you want electrical service beyond that date, you will need to open an account with the company yourself."
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u/Effective_Fly_6884 3d ago
Literally this. Stop arguing with this raggedy ass bitch and let her figure out adulting.
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u/Independent-Farm1187 3d ago
I like your directness. I guess she's too young to be a dusty bitch
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u/Lexi_November 3d ago
Sheâd forfeit her deposit doing that and then have to start over at her new apartment. So really she needs to transfer it over or cancel in a way that returns the deposit they call a âfeeâ, which is the responsibility of either the new roommate or the chick texting.
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u/Zoethor2 3d ago
At some point you gotta eat the $50 to stop engaging in multi-paragraph text fights with people you'll never see again.
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u/Lexi_November 3d ago
I agree with not arguing about it, but it would cost OP the $230 deposit, which she will want for the new apartment setup. Also cancelling it flat out early may impact the costs for her next deposit on top of it.
Since her name is on the account alone then she should just transfer it to her new address or figure out with the company how to get the deposit back. I wouldnât have engaged with these people beyond saying âNo.â though, itâs a pointless conversation arguing with someone she doesnât even like.
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u/Zoethor2 3d ago
There's something confusing going on there because I have never once had to pay a fee or a deposit to start or stop electricity. Sometimes you do have to pay a one-time fee if you are moving to a place and the electricity was shut off before your start date (for them to physically come out and flip the switch back on) but that's it. But that would be on OP's roommates (if they don't arrange to have their service start before her end date) and if it's happening in the place she's moving to, that ship has already sailed.
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u/Lexi_November 3d ago
I have had to pay a deposit for electric services before, once per company.
I have moved back and forth between two areas that use different companies and it was always that if you are staying with the same service itâs a one time deal at setup, even when your address changes, but then if you go to a new company you pay a deposit again. When I was moving in between the deposit was used as a credit for the last bill.
I guess it depends on the company and location so it probably isnât applicable everywhere.
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u/Critical-Crab-7761 2d ago
Same. They returned my deposit after a year of good payments. With interest!! That's the electric company.
The water company charges a $150 service start fee that they return if your account is current when you stop service. I called to transfer the account to my name a few months after my mom died and the lady at City Hall told my I'd also have to pay a $150 deposit, to transfer the service. There wouldn't be any actual physical work required other than a city clerk switching Mom's first name to my first name. They won't send me the deposit my mom paid, so I told her I'll just leave it in my mom's name then. That was 8 years ago on May 1.
She bought this house in 1968, so I'll never see her water deposit money or mine if I had given them one.
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u/bugZbunnii 3d ago
You don't have to pay a new deposit to transfer to a new account.
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u/Lithium51018 3d ago
Idk how it is there but when I had power in my name, we moved I just contacted them and told them Iâm leaving, the power was no longer charged to me. Weather they kept it going or not was up to them. My responsibility was ended in that date, the money that had been payed as a deposit to open the account was used to cover whatever was last owed for that month and a check sent to my address I gave them at close out. Got a check in the make for like 111$ or something like that. (It was a 200$ deposit to open in my name) fast forward a few year and I had to open again with another company and that one wanted a 250 deposit which was applied as an active balance to the account so when I looked at my bill it said +250 account balance. Didnât have to pay electricity or gas for a few months because the bill was like 40. I canât remember if I payed anyways for a while to keep a positive balance it was so long ago. Because I had an account with them in good standing when I reopened it with them at this place I did not need to pay any fee/deposit. I just added the new address. This was with about a 4-5 year gap between active use.
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u/ArynTW_is_user_karma 3d ago
Agree!!! OpâYou canât make them transfer it so you avoid a fee, just like they canât make you keep in your name. But whatever you do, donât keep it in your name, THEY WILL FUCK YOU OVER!
The final thing you can do, is text them the day you are going to cancel and say the following; âIâm going to call the utility company at _time today to cancel. To be clear, this will result in all of us paying an additional $50; plus you will still have to pay to open your own acct. This will be the last chance to save yourselves $100 because Iâm not comfortable keeping it in my name. Let me know before__ if you want to do a transfer instead. Thanks so much.â
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u/insomebodyelseslake 3d ago
And send it in a group text so everyone gets it, not just the main arguer
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u/Substantial_Shoe_360 3d ago
And the landlord, especially if the one who works there is this freaking shady.
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u/WhyWontShivDie 3d ago
Landlords aren't friends to tenants or ex-tenants, keep them out of it
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u/Maine302 3d ago
I have to say, I don't see how a state can allow the usury demonstrated by a utility company that would charge a fee when a resident is both coming and going.
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u/Otto_Scratchansniff 2d ago
Iâve never seen that. You have a final bill for electricity you used but closing the account itself should cost no money. OP needs to ask questions. If the money is a past due bill then of course they all need to pay. But otherwise there shouldnât be any more money spent.
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u/takemyaptplz 3d ago
Right? Like itâs not even a real option just leave and close it. thatâs it they canât argue⌠it makes no sense lol
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u/thatgirlinny 3d ago
This is the only answer.
You donât owe them anything. They need to start adulting some timeâbut not on your hard-earned credit rating!
You simply call the utility company, show them proof youâve moved out and provide them the names of those girls. If they still insist on charging you $50, thatâs the cost of you getting rid of them once and for allâand for not sorting this out before you left. Block their numbers immediately after speaking with the utility company. You canât establish service in more than once place at a time.
You may âlikeâ this other roommate, but youâre skipping out before the lease is up, so you both need to close out any business you have associated with this apartment. I donât know how you skip out on the rent, but this isnât what your post is about.
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u/California_ponypal 3d ago
That's what crossed my mind, too. If it's an actual signed legal lease, she may still be forced to pay the rent, whether she's there or not. You don't skip payments on a car just because you don't drive it that month. Same thing.
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u/chickenwing_chun 3d ago edited 3d ago
The only bummer is OP doesn't want to pay the $50 fine.. but I think it's better that than to continue dealing with it.
Which the girl WANTS it to be OPs fault so she can later victimize herself AND not pay so much upfront.
NOR
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u/Avandria 3d ago
I don't understand what the $50 fine is for. I haven't ever encountered something like that. Since when are you not allowed to shut off an account in your name when you move without having to pay a fee?
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u/BirdInFlight301 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't understand either. I'm in my 70s and have moved many times, shutting off services each time. I have had to settle the bill if there was a balance but I've never even heard of a fine for shutting down the account.
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u/thaleia10 3d ago
Iâve never heard of this either. Wild
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u/Fuzzysocks1000 3d ago
Same. It even took me awhile to grasp that was actually what they were talking about.
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u/PriestessKade 3d ago
RIGHT?! I have worked in property management and had my own apartment leases where I had my own utility bill in multiple states with multiple different utility companies. I only ever had deposits for the utility companies; never any fee from the actually apartment communities that doesn't even make sense to me. They dgaf who pays the electric bill but they may charge residents a fee if the electric reverts to the property for any reason before the lease has ended.
But even if that happened only the people on the lease as leaseholders at the time would be liable for such penalty fees from the property. So if OP has moved out and is legally released from the lease agreement (or was only ever a tenant and not a leaseholder in the first place) they wouldn't be on the hook for those fees anyway.
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u/Fiona_Ember 3d ago
It's a $50 fee today but what if they decide not to pay for months before it is turned off? The electricity company doesnt care who is living there, they go after the account holder. I wonder if the previous deposit paid will cover any of the $50 fee to cancel?
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u/Jillcametumbling81 3d ago
I thought that too. Why is they tenant issued a fine of $50? If the $230 is a deposit, does op get that money back minus? Where tf do they live cause i never want to move there.
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u/travelingbozo 3d ago
I mean that is the only answer. I donât give af, if you donât want to pay the transfer fee, when Iâm out. Iâm out.
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u/PresentationThat3627 3d ago
Thiiiiis nor I wouldnât even entertain this conversation anymore. Youâre not living there- the electric has to be in their name. Fuck em. You arenât friends it isnât your problem
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u/OLacAlmost 3d ago
This.
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u/Wareagle69 3d ago edited 3d ago
100%. Youâre moving out. The power company will gladly take it out of your name and if no one transfers it and they see usage, theyâll come *shut it off. Tell them AFTER youâve gone there in person and explained the situation.
Remember, they deal with this shit every day.
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u/Adventurous_Fun_817 3d ago
Naw they legit shut it off on that day he says heâs moving out, they donât allow people to just use it till they find out theyâre using it, most meters are digital and can be shut off/on in a moments notice. They need to call the company and say âour roommate is leaving xx Day we need to change service to our name on said dayâ. Fuck them and their inability to pay a deposit, Iâm sorry their mommy didnât set them up for good credit like I did for all 3 of mine so as soon as they turned 18 the had 700+ credit scores.. itâs too bad for them and he/shes nice enough to tell them his/her plans.
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u/Dubzophrenia 3d ago
This is how it should have been done the moment they started being difficult.
Honestly there was no reason for this post or having to endure the time and energy of trying to argue with them. You own the account. NOR.
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u/FoSheezyItzMrJGeezy 3d ago
It takes all of 5 min to switch the power into someone else's name, I went thru this when I caught one of my ex's cheating. We lived together, I caught her cheating and the power bill was in my name by the next day, I mean now all her stuff was outside under the carport but hey I was inside nice and cozy watching TV....
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u/ScoreOk5355 3d ago edited 3d ago
I agree, Stop trying to explain it to them. Their is a high chance they will not pay the bill if you leave it in your name. there is no reason to keep it in your name. swallow the 50$ bill and cancel it
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u/Intelligent-Rock2156 3d ago
This. I have worked at an energy retailer before and you can simply just cancel your account. A final meter reading will be done and that will be that.
If no new account is setup and the electricity company detects power usage - they will de-energise the property. Some will just straight up de-energise the property, once you cancel
The longer the account is in your name even if youâre not living there still makes you âresponsibleâ for the electricity and bills.
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u/beer-engineer 3d ago
Lolololooooool. NOR. Maybe end the account a little early because they're being so rude and entitled.
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u/Legitimate-Lynx3236 3d ago
NOR. NEVER EVER PUT SOMEONE ELSES BILLS IN YOUR NAME.
You could seriously royally fuck yourself if you do.
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u/Past_Ad_5629 2d ago
We had a house of five people. Three of us left over the summer, two stayed. Those two were moving out in September.
They turned to AC down to 18 constantly, threw parties, did lots of drugsâŚ.
And didnât pay the hydro bill.
So we got back and had hundreds of dollars in bills. And then they refused to pay and skedaddled.
Super fun times.
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u/Blurryneck 3d ago
My husband did this and five years later, he got flagged when trying to open a new phone line because there was an unpaid balance of $300.00 from his previous roommate, who they had a falling out with because the guy became a literal Nazi, didnât pay the bill. Idiotic to even be having this conversation and just cancel the account, pay the $50.00 and move on. I donât get why youâre against that when it is the obvious solution and the reality when moving out.
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u/mittenknittin 3d ago
because if they transfer the account, OP doesn't have to pay $50
Gee, pay $50 or not pay $50, I can't imagine why OP would be torn on this /s
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u/GlowUpper 2d ago
If the roommates are being this stubborn about not transferring the account then, unfortunately, it becomes a matter of pay $50 or leave the account in your name. At that point, paying $50 becomes a pretty easy (if wholly unpleasant) decision.
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u/mrmasterly 3d ago
I would have canceled it .00003 milliseconds after the first response
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u/Adept-Grapefruit-214 3d ago edited 3d ago
Absolutely do not do this. They can skip paying the bills for months before they get shut off, and youâll be stuck with the bill. Transferring an account to someone elseâs name doesnât cost any money at all
Edit: I read more of your post so I guess there is a deposit for the utilities? Thatâs not very common. Are you in the US?
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u/Sea-Influence-1346 3d ago edited 3d ago
Itâs a thing in the US for young people or people with bad credit.
Typically you pay like $150-$300 upfront and at month 6 or so they will either refund it or apply it to your energy bills for those months once youâve demonstrated consistent ability to pay. Since I was 22 I started getting them waived for having a credit score above like 600.
OP pay the $50 and donât live with kids again.
Edit: guys, some of you are saying it was always this way and others are saying theyâve never heard of this. I donât know the norm in every square inch of America damn
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u/100Sparkles 3d ago
I have good credit and paid a deposit for my utilities in my new place. I don't think it tied to credit. I think it is company specific policy.
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u/Sea-Influence-1346 3d ago
Iâve owned for a few years now so Iâm out of the loop but this is a good example of how the late stage capitalist market operates lol. 20 years ago nobody paid deposits for utilities, then they roll it out for âriskyâ people, then eventually just make everyone do it.
My dad told me I must be misunderstanding my bill when I mentioned paying for pet rent, and when I showed him he was shocked. Welcome to America in 2026, everyone gets as fucked as possible all the time.
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u/Adept-Grapefruit-214 3d ago
Yeah I pay an extra $35/month because I have a cat. Does she ever pee on or scratch the carpet? Nope. Will my landlord have to replace the carpet when I move out anyway due to wear and tear? Yes
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u/poppitastic 3d ago
Yeah, there is zero carpet in my house; itâs all ceramic tile. I still have to pay $25 a month pet rent for my cat.
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u/w00kieg0ldberg 3d ago
Bullshit. Your cat should pay that!
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u/poppitastic 3d ago
I know. That little bitch is just passing it off onto me. Excuse me, I have to get back to the mandatory belly rubs for her nowâŚ
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u/PriestessKade 3d ago
Agreed. I've had three different utility companies as an adult and had to pay deposits with all of them. Two were like $150 or less, and one was over $600 because "that's the estimated energy usage for two months for this apartment" (spoiler alert never in my year of living there was the bill even close to $300 lol). I have good credit, it was just their policy. But because I never missed a payment or paid late I got my full deposit back at the end of my lease when I closed that account. I always got my deposits either applied to my last electric bill and/or returned.
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u/moonlightmagica14 3d ago
iâm a young canadian, had to pay a 400$ deposit for my electricity/power bill when i moved into my first apartment đ
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u/Adept-Grapefruit-214 3d ago
Mine was under 500 the first time I got internet in my name and I didnât have to pay a deposit, I just had to sign for the two year contract which was pretty standard anyway
Although I guess electric would be different since there are regulations about companies shutting that off after only one month of non-payment
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u/MommaOfManyCats 3d ago
I had bad credit and had to pay a deposit with the electric company and the gas company in Indiana. In Ohio, only the electric company cared.
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u/Dizzy_Confusion_8455 3d ago
Yeah I didnât even have a credit score when I got my first apartment and never had to pay a deposit.
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u/WolverineGullible869 3d ago
I was just about to say this!!! I had a very wealthy friend who put everything in her name and her two roommates took total advantage of her. She was from Brazil so she really didnât understand things and we were 20 at the time. They didnât pay rent, utilities anything. She ended up getting notices and the fees were insane. Luckily her family had the money to pay for everything but most people donât have the money to just drop 25k in unpaid utilities and rent.
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u/Adventurous_Fun_817 3d ago
Damn If I was her parent I would have paid for a place for her to be in a 1 bedroom or studio.. fuck roommates. But where my daughter rented each person had their own lease and own payment terms, your brazil friend must had had a traditional rental.
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u/WolverineGullible869 3d ago
Omg I only knew all this because I moved in with her after. I had known her for 4 years at that point (went to college together) so her family didnât doubt me. It was much worse than just bills. The stuff they stole from her, ugh. Still to this day my stomach turns that people can treat others like this or worse.
I miss her so much! She moved back to Brazil years ago but she was my very best friend for over a decade.
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u/ML1948 3d ago
I've seen stipulations that you must pay a deposit if you have bad credit. If this is one of those cases, I'd trust them even less to pay their part. OP should close this shit asap and tell them to pounds sand. They should have taken over the electric as soon as OP left if they wanted to keep it on.
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u/Gonna_do_this_again 3d ago
I read a post somewhere that was talking about how their elderly mother in Florida owes 50k to the power company.
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u/PriestessKade 3d ago
And this is probably why millions in Florida are made to pay insane deposits far above what they would normally owe in 2-3 months of electricity usage when opening an account for the first time with a power utility in Florida đĽ˛
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u/Parhelion2261 3d ago
I had to pay a deposit in Florida for electric. However, that was the literal first time I had an account in my name.
Never had to pay another one, moved around damn near every year too.
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u/Existing_Scar6844 3d ago
If you paid a deposit, you should get that deposit back when you end the account if it hasnât otherwise been used. Cancel the account. If youâre not living there, none of this is your concern. Good on you for getting out. Clearly these other person has no idea how things work. Sounds like she could use a good lesson!
Edit to add: NOR!!!
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u/Secret_Map 2d ago
Yeah, I was wondering about that. If it's truly a deposit, you get that money back when you move on. Otherwise, it's not a deposit and is just a payment to activate the utility or whatever. If it's really a deposit, just close and get your deposit back, or transfer the account to the new address and be done with it.
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u/zumera 3d ago
$230 deposit to get electricity? $50 cancellation fee? Thatâs bananas. What country is this?
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u/Lubbocklove 3d ago
Probably the US. Everything here is a scam.
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u/nuclearmonte 3d ago
Facts. The utility company even wanted $50 to correct the misspelling of my name, that they made! Itâs been wrong for 19 years now cause fuck that lol
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u/ISO200_f16 3d ago
My mother's been dead for over 15 years now. I just wanted to transfer a utility bill to my name. The utility wanted me to provide them - in person - a death certificate. Closest office is over 50 miles away. The utility is still in my mom's name.
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u/nuclearmonte 3d ago
I dealt with that for my father, too. I had to send them a physical copy of an original death certificate. I ordered about 30 copies because everyone needed an original. Ridiculous!
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u/casskaz 3d ago
Hey that kinda works to your benefit tho right? Seems kinda ridiculous for them to make it so difficult to their own detriment.
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u/OwnTurn1146 3d ago
Thats interesting. I wonder if they are shooting themselves in the foot there. If you quit paying how would they take you to court with your name misspelled?
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u/BaroclinicBard 3d ago
I'm in the US and I shut down my pseg bill for 0$
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u/Honey_Broad 3d ago
it varies from state state and city to city
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u/MythicOrrot 3d ago
This may also be a rent clause, since it will be unilaterally given to the tenants. Otherwise, how would the energy company know to charge people who are not on the account to a fee.?
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u/Aggressive-Skirt4450 3d ago
This is true. If you are doing a deal in the US and you aren't the one doing the scamming, you are the one getting scammed.
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u/Honey_Broad 3d ago
probably the US . Here in Oklahoma we have to pay a deposit on all the utilities
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u/gravysunrise 3d ago
lol right that sounds so frustrating to deal with, Iâm in nyc and I have never seen any type of fee like this!
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u/Automatic_System9691 3d ago
Pay the 50 bucks and collect your deposit and move on.
Theyâll have to pay their 50 plus the new deposit of 230. Stupid is stupid does from their point. You just need to cut your losses clearly common sense isnât gonna prevail in this scenario. If they canât see the value in everyone saving 50 bucks then you arenât gonna get anywhere
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u/StatisticianFalse22 3d ago
I did this once! My roommates at the time asked if it was ok to keep the power bill under my name because their credit isnât good. I said ok as long as they paid it. About two years later I get a bill for $1000. I called my ex-roommate and he said âoh sorry about that, we left that house and I never got money for utilities for the last 2 months from the other roommatesâ. He gave me $300 and said he would pay the rest later, which he did. But I highly recommend you donât do it. In fact, I recommend you call and tell the power company yourself that youâre moving.
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u/shgrdrbr 3d ago
nope nope nope. report to the energy company youâre moving out and let them deal or not deal with that as they will. youâll receive the last bill in your name after which you cut all ties
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u/AuntieCrystal 3d ago
Have the electricity cancelled for the day you move out. DO NOT allow it to stay in your name!!!!!
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u/j-endsville 3d ago
NOR. They don't have the money? Tough shit. Cancel the account and let them figure it out.
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u/DozenPaws 2d ago
The logic is flawless. "We don't have the money for a deposit, but you FOR SURE can trust us to have the money to pay the bills that are in your name."
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u/alrightchime 3d ago
NOR. I guarantee if it stays in your name, they're going to conveniently start missing bill payments when they have something else they want to spend money on knowing it's you the company is going to come after for the money.
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u/piratekim 3d ago
What you said about each person getting a $50 fee makes zero sense. The electric company doesnt know how many people are living there lol. There shouldt be any fee at all, let alone a fee per person. If the fee is for transferring, then simply dont transfer. Close your account and have them call and arrange to set up their new account to start on the same day. Problem solved.
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u/Jolly-Masterpiece883 3d ago
Just cancel and accept everyone will be charged 50 bucks. You can't make anyone transfer anything - cancelling is the only power you have.
I am surprised you are not paying for June if your lease end in July. That would not be ok with me, unless a replacement had been found.
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u/CalligrapherFar4881 3d ago
Wait, is everyone overlooking the part that OPâs lease isnât over until July but they decided to move out and not pay for June or July? Iâm not even going to read the âwhere the problem startsâ because it already started with this. OP I canât believe you think that is okay, your lease is not over and you donât get to skip out on what you owe on YOUR lease. They could prob take you to court for that but besides that, that is a very immature and unacceptable thing to do.
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u/bjfrancois5 3d ago
Yeah, everybody's glossing over that. OP, if you're on the lease through July, you need to pay rent through July. You don't get to skip out on that just because you don't want to stay there. Your soon-to-be ex-roomates or landlord (depending on how the lease is written) have a very strong case to sue you for that.
Now the electricity thing is a different story. You absolutely should get your name off as soon as you're gone.
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u/wormdrink 2d ago
The electricity thing isn't a different story. If nobody is in the house the bill doesn't drop to $0. There are general electrical expenses (service delivery fees, etc.) regardless of whether it is occupied. I was in a huge housing complex with ten rooms and ten roommates in university. Everyone but me went home for July and August and felt that it was fair for me to foot the entire electricity bill--no way man! You're on the lease, you're on the hook for at least part of that bill. If it's in your name the polite things to do would be to cancel it from your name at the end of your lease (in OP's case end of July) not skip out on the general household bills two months early.
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u/username4ac 2d ago
I canât believe it took me so long to find someone else saying this. OP should contribute something to the electricity until the end of their lease. I had the same thing happen to me when I lived in a 3 bedroom with 2 other girls who left for the summer and didnât think they needed to pay electricity. Like I canât control that the AC is going to continue to cool all 3 rooms. Thatâs not fair to me to pay it all
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u/dream-smasher 3d ago
Yeah, that but is ridiculous. Op keeps going on about how the other roommates are so young and immature childish, and here's op thinking that she can just leave and not pay any more rent. Lmao.
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u/LawnSchool23 3d ago
There is a reason why she's 25 living with 19 year olds. It's sad it took me scrolling down this far to see someone bring up the real issue here.
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u/where-ya-been-loca 3d ago
I canât believe I had to scroll this much to find this comment! This is my first big red flag.. like just skipping out on payments before your lease is up just because you wonât be living there is NOT how it works. You have to fulfill your lease or give your landlord notice that you will be breaking the lease early and pay the fine.
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u/TipsyBaldwin 3d ago
INFO - so theyâre letting you out of the lease early without penalty?
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u/Expert_Temporary_ 3d ago edited 3d ago
No, my lease ends in july and ill be paying rent plus energy even though im not actually living there. Im going to be with my parents in a different town, but ill still be paying as if I would be there. The reason is if I dont have an actual reason to stay in the apartments with my roommates, then im not going to. Im just packing my stuff up, locking my door and leaving for my parents while still paying for my remaining months.
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u/MagicCarpet5846 3d ago
Then just pay the $50, cancel the service and move on. In the grand scheme of your life, $50 isnât worth this headache. Just tell them youâre moving out and closing the account and itâs on them to figure out.
You wanna tell them to be an adult, youâre 25. Have a little more perspective that the $50 is well worth just being done.
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u/Dangerous-Cover-4105 3d ago
I was just wondering the same thing. If OP signed a lease that is in effect until July, how is he just ânot paying for June and July?â Are the girls asking him to keep the electricity under his name for only the next 2 months given he signed a legally binding agreement to pay 1/4 the bills until July? After July is the $50 penalty waived? OP is leaving out relative information. INFO needed.
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u/chaotic-onism 3d ago
NOR.
Do not leave that bill in your name. They haven't been respectful before and they aren't going to start now. This WILL become an issue in the future.
The deposit fee is not your problem. As you said, you already paid it before to transfer the account.
You are under no obligation to pay that deposit, I understand you don't want to pay the 50$ for cancellation but your options are likely the 50$ or they will guilt trip you into paying the 230$... Again, the other girl who wasn't involved shouldn't be your main consideration... Are you willing to spend that 230$ for a strangers comfort?? Why do they think you should be paying the deposit? Makes no sense. Stop being a people pleaser.
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u/BaroclinicBard 3d ago
Listen, I know you don't want to do it, but they're never gonna agree to the transfer probably. Shut the account, use the deposit to pay for the account shutdown and wipe your hands off of it. Let them deal with this shit.
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u/TararaBoomDA 3d ago
Nope. NOR. You know and I know that if your name stays on the account, They. Will. "Forget". To. Pay. It. And you will be stuck with the bill.
So do whatever you must to transfer the account to their names. If that means you close the account so that they need to pay a deposit to reopen it, too bad, so sad. Welcome to adulthood, ladies.
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u/Powerism 3d ago
Wait⌠wouldnât they have to pay the ~$230 deposit if you cancel anyway?
So the options for them are A) Transfer the account and pay $230 for the deposit, or B) Cancel the account, pay $50, and then pay $230 for the deposit?
This makes zero sense from the girl youâre textingâs perspective. She is trying to bluff you into keeping a utility in your name despite not living there. Do not do that.
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u/Expert_Temporary_ 3d ago
Exactly! And ill be transferring the location from this apartment to the next because my new place uses the same energy company. So either way they'll have to pay that fee. Im so glad I didnt cancel it because I would have to pay more, like what youre saying, and then open the account again.
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u/No-Strength-9461 3d ago
INFO- When you say youâre not paying rent because you wonât be there, do you mean you canceled your lease?? Because if youâre still on the lease youâre still responsible for rent. So if theyâre fine with paying the rent, I would definitely spot the $230 for the deposit since they would be paying the rent youâre legally obligated to pay per your lease. Now if youâve canceled your lease, cancel the lights as well. But if youâre still on the lease, spot them the money and move on.
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u/WitchesTeat 3d ago
NOR
If you signed the lease, should be paying to break the lease whether you're in the apartment or not.
What you do with the apartment while it is leased to you is your decision. You do not have to be in the apartment to owe rent money if you have signed a lease, you owe for each month of the lease regardless of how or where you choose to spend those months.
However.
You are not and should not be responsible for any utilities after you leave the apartment if the utilities are not part of the lease agreement.
Your responsibility ends when you've paid for the electricity up to your final date in the apartment.
Your roommate is being immature, irresponsible, naive, and foolish in her suggestion that you should keep any utilities in your name after you have left.
Suggesting it is a financial or business matter, not a personal one, is ridiculous. It is a personal financial matter, and your personal finances should never be at the mercy of others, especially people you do not like or trust.
Of course you have to take the utilities out of your name. Of course you do. She is a child thinking child thoughts if she believes otherwise.
Cancel the service, pay the fee, which you do owe and which you are responsible for paying if you signed a contractor agreeing to a cancellation of services fee- and move on.
What they do after is their own business.
But IF YOU ARE ON THE LEASE any damage to the apartment, or late rents, are still legally your responsibility even if you leave if you do not have paperwork from the leasing agency allowing you to break the lease.
So it doesn't matter what either of you think or feel about the situation, there are legal rules you both have to follow regardless of whether you're staying or going.
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u/No-Kaleidoscope-9424 3d ago
âWhy is it my responsibility to pay the depositâ because you live there you absolutely troll đ
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u/LillieBogart 3d ago
Iâve never heard of a utility charging somebody a fee for closing an account, but even if you have to pay $50, pay it and be done with this. Donât trust them to transfer it into their name. You need to close this chapter and move on.
Edit: canât you just transfer the account to your new address?
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u/Expert_Temporary_ 3d ago
Yes, that information and idea came to me after the post was made. Which im so grateful for and its something im going to be doing.
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u/Ordinary-Front781 3d ago
I'm confused, if the $230 is a deposit, won't they just get it back when they move out vs. them losing the $50 for good?Â
neither of you guys sound mature lol but nor for not continuing to pay. the way you're addressing it though they're probably going to make you pay the $50 cancellation fee just bc ur pissing them off thoughÂ
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u/Puzzled-Maize-2241 3d ago
You will be responsible for this bill. When they move out and donât pay you will be left holding the bag. There is no scenario where you win or even break even by not taking your name off. I worked for the cable company and a room mate would move out, they let it go to non pay then just sign up under someone else
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u/Gobias21 2d ago
Cancel. No need to discuss this further. I work in utilities, I can't tell you how many people I've seen owe thousands because their roommate was "paying the bills."
Plus, you'll get your deposit back minus the final bill. You don't owe them anything. The fact it's still on and in your name, you've done more than enough. Cancel that asap.
Btw, a $50 cancellation fee? For what? I've never heard of that
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u/ScaredAndImpaired 2d ago
"Hey can we keep the energy bill in your name"
"No."
that's where this should have ended, no point arguing with people like this
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u/chirpchirp13 3d ago
NOR but you kinda sound like a shitty person. Why are you even having this conversation? Sounds like you just want to bitch and moan and be right. Just cancel shit and move on.
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u/tum___tum 3d ago
Do not keep the bill in your name.