Utility bills can be expensive, but you shouldn’t have to pay your neighbor’s utility bill for them.

In today’s story, one neighbor claims another neighbor is sharing their utility meters, but the utility company disagrees.

Let’s see what happens…

AITA for not paying my neighbors utility bill?

I (21F) live with my disabled mom, bro, & sis on the 1 floor of a duplex.

For context, our house became code violation recently so our landlord skipped town and no one can find him. He stopped paying the utilities included in our rent.

In the meantime, while looking for a place to move, our upstairs neighbors (Rose & Jerry) got the gas and electric meters for their apt in their name, and I did the same for mine.

Keep in mind each apt has separate meters.

The neighbors have a question..

Well, the other day my neighbors came to me and said due to our landlords poor work that my apt was drawing off of their utility meters for both electric and gas and asked if I would help pay their bills.

Confused since I was told when I got the accounts in my name that I was on completely different meters, I told them to let me talk to the company and figure out what was going on.

This morning I woke to many texts from my neighbors saying “We got our gas bill, we need you to give us $111 so we can pay it or we’re shutting it off and you won’t have gas.”

The situation got worse on Monday.

It’s Monday so I finally get on the phone with the util co. and ignore their messages until I can get the other side of things.

Because I don’t text back they text again, “If you don’t pay I’ll sue you which will make it harder for you to find a place to move. Idc if I have to get a shared meter reading which will turn everyone off since i have a generator to keep electric.”

The electric company cleared things up.

Finally, I get off hold and speak to the util co. and explain.

They tell me I’m on my own meters and bill and on their end, nothing is running off of my neighbors.

Hearing this I text my neighbor back and relay this info and tell them I will not be paying their bill since the company tells me I’m not drawing off of it at all, and angry over their threats ask them what grounds they have to sue me just because I won’t pay their bill.

The neighbors won’t back off…

I get another string of texts back saying things like, “I talked to the company too and they told me gas isn’t even hooked up to the first meter, so I don’t know why they say you’re paying for gas when you’re not.”

I send a last reply reiterating what I said before and saying I will not pay their bill unless I have proof I’m running off their meters somehow.

In response my male neighbor puts a padlock on our basement doors where all the meters are, then tells us his wife called code enforcement and they’ll be here tomorrow and we’ll all be kicked out (from my experience they can’t do so that fast.)

She is considering paying the bill.

They’ve started slamming the entry door, stomping louder than they usually do upstairs (which is loud another time anyways) and I expect them to bang on our window in the middle of the night and throw things at our door like they usually do when they’re mad at us, but they haven’t yet.

This drama just leaves me wondering if I should have just paid the bill. AITA in this situation?

It doesn’t seem like the neighbors have any proof that they’re is using their utility meters, or else they should just show her the proof and she’d help pay for it.

Let’s see what Reddit thinks…

This reader thinks she needs proof of her own.

This reader doesn’t believe the neighbors at all.

This is probably what’s happening…

Another vote for her keeping written proof.

This reader shares a good idea…

I’d believe the utility company before I’d believe the rude neighbors.

Also, I’d look for another apartment ASAP!

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.