Flatmate moved out. The bills didn't.
You paid their share to keep the roof on. They left with a promise and a forwarding address you're not sure about. A letter before action turns "I'll sort it" into a sum and a date. Written free, today.
Alongside the money itself, courts may award simple interest on money you have been kept out of — commonly 8% a year under the County Courts Act 1984 — and the court fee is typically added to a successful claim. Interest is discretionary. The letter sets this out so the other side can see what ignoring it costs.
How people describe it when they reach us
The sorts of things people tell us. Illustrative, based on patterns in the cases that reach us.
Your legal rights when a flatmate owes you money
In England and Wales an agreement between flatmates to split rent and bills is a contract, and money you paid on their behalf on the understanding they'd repay it is a debt. Joint tenancy liability to the landlord does not cancel what one flatmate owes another.
Case lawContract law — a loan is a debtMoney lent on the understanding it would be repaid is usually recoverable.
A loan between individuals is typically a contract, even without paperwork. If the money was handed over on the understanding it would be paid back — and messages, bank references or witnesses show that — a court may order repayment. Money that was clearly a gift is different, which is why the evidence of what was said at the time matters most.
Case lawContract law — breach of contractFailing to do what was paid for may amount to breach of contract.
A job, a purchase or a loan is typically analysed as a contract. If one side does not perform a central promise — work not done, money not repaid, goods not handed over — a court may find a breach and will then consider what loss flowed from it. The measure is normally the money you are out of pocket, proved with evidence.
This is general information about the law in England and Wales, not advice about your case. Which provisions apply, and how, depends on the facts.
Four things you'll hear. None of them end it.
To the landlord, yes. Between you, no. Joint tenants owe the landlord together, but a flatmate who agreed to pay half and didn't owes you that half. The letter claims it.
Then the letter asks for a plan. 14 days to pay or propose instalments; silence is what turns this into a claim.
Then the letter itemises them. Each bill, each split, each payment you made. Disputes about the numbers are settled by the numbers.
A letter can go to a workplace, a parent's address, a new tenancy. Tell us what you know; there is usually a route.
Five things worth gathering now
The letter first. Court only if they ignore it.
Your side, your words
What happened, what was agreed, what you are out of pocket. We ask what a court would ask, so the letter says what a court would need to hear.
Written for you, free
A formal letter before action with a 14-day deadline, setting out what is owed and why. You see it at no charge. Posting it by tracked mail and watching the deadline is £15.
Court claim, prepared
If the deadline passes: one tap turns the letter into a small claim, drafted, checked and filed. The £15 comes off our fee. The decision is the court's.
What JustClaim is: we prepare and file the paperwork for your claim, for a fixed price shown before you pay. We're not a law firm, this isn't legal advice, and no outcome is ever guaranteed — what you get is the strongest honest version of your case, properly made.
Questions people in this exact spot ask
Can I claim my flatmate's share of the rent I covered?
Usually, yes. If you agreed to split the rent and you paid their share to avoid falling behind, that is money paid on their behalf which they agreed to bear. Bank statements and the tenancy agreement usually prove it.
We were on a joint tenancy. Doesn't that mean we both owe it?
To the landlord, yes — that is why you paid. Between the two of you, the agreement to split it stands, and the letter claims their half from them.
Can I claim for bills and the deposit too?
Yes, where you can show the split and the payment: utility bills in both names, a deposit deduction attributable to their room. The letter itemises each.
I don't have their new address.
A letter has to reach them. A workplace, a parent's address, a new landlord — tell us what you have.
How much does it cost if it goes further?
If the letter is ignored, a court claim has a court fee set by the amount: £35 up to £300, £50 up to £500, £70 up to £1,000, £115 up to £3,000. If you win, the fee is normally added to what the other side is ordered to pay. Our fixed price is shown before you pay anything.
Is the letter really free?
Yes. Tell us what happened and the letter before action is written and shown to you at no charge. If you want us to post it by tracked mail and watch the 14-day deadline, that is £15, shown before you pay — and it comes off our fee if it later becomes a court claim.
Left holding the bills?
Tell us what happened. The letter before action is written free and shown to you today; posting it and watching the deadline is £15.
Write the letter — free →