My room mate moved out and has yet to pay the utilities for their last month here. We had a verbal agreement that they would pay the utiliti...

Question

My room mate moved out and has yet to pay the utilities for their last month here. We had a verbal agreement that they would pay the utilities. Is there anything I can do to get the money for the utilities. I live in Pennsylvania! Thank you, Ed

Answer

The issue is where does your roommate live? I would try writing a demand letter. If th=e demand letter fails, if they live in PA, I would take the roommate to small claims. Its not worthwhile to get a lawyer or go much farther than that.

I assume the utilities were in your name. Since you only had a "verbal" agreement, proving that he owed 1/2 of the utilities is going to be your word against the roommates and it will come down as to who is more believable. And even if you win a judgment, there generally is no wage garnishment in PA for a typical judgment (other than back rent and a few other things which are not at issue here). So collecting on any judgment is going to be problematic.

Next time, get a written agreement and do yourself a favor.