Man takes former housemate to court over her share of utility bills

A dispute between two former tenants who rented from the same landlord wound up in a BC Civil Resolution Tribunal dispute involving one housemate being sued for failing to reimburse her share of the utility bills.

Lloyd Andrew Small claimed that Rebecca Sian Aubrey Hunt agreed to reimburse him for half of the electric and natural gas utility bills.

Hunt denied liability and said that Small and his family used more electricity than expected. She also claimed to not have power in her kitchen and living room for some time.

Here’s why the tribunal found that Small proved his claims and was entitled to a reimbursement of $1,838.21.

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In July 2021, Hunt and her family moved into the upstairs portion of the rental house this dispute centers around. Small was renting and living downstairs at the time.

Small claimed that both tenants were in separate agreements with the landlord, but the electricity and gas accounts were in his name, “and he paid them in full.”

Small proved that Hunt agreed to reimburse him for half of the utility costs.

Between February and October of 2022, there were regular emails between Small and Hunt, including spreadsheets and owed amounts. While Hunt had made partial payments, they were late and less than required under the agreement both came to.

At the start of this dispute, Hunt apologized for falling behind on payments but later stopped responding to Small altogether.

Small also disproved Hunt’s claim that his family used more electricity than hers.

When it comes to the power outage that Hunt brought up to the tribunal, it was discovered that Small complied with her request to flip the circuit breaker, and there was no evidence that Small prevented or obstructed Hunt from drawing power.

“So, I find it unproven that Ms. Hunt is entitled to any setoff for this,” the tribunal decision stated.

Ultimately, the tribunal awarded Small $2,030.93, including the $1,838.21 in debt and tribunal fees.