You finally found the perfect London flat to rent, unfortunately your London flatmate may not be so perfect.  You might come across an irresponsible flatmate who doesn’t clean the dishes, do their laundry, maybe is anti social, but what happens when they don’t pay their bills?  It is important to take professional measures in order to avoid or help overcome these types of situations.  Check out these few tips on how to deal with the issue, if it were to arise.

• Screen Your Potential Flatmate

Before moving in, make sure you sit down and talk to your potential flatmate and understand their financial situation.  Although it may be awkward to speak about money, it is important to set the lines straight before you move in, you do not want to get burned in the end. Another suggestion is to write out how the bills will be split, who collects them and when. It would be wise to split the bills in half, so one wouldn’t have a larger burden.

• Organization is Key

Staying organized is a good tactic to help prevent falling behind on bills.  We live a busy lifestyle and often forget the most important tasks. Hanging a white board on the wall, in clear sight, explaining each bill, the due date and person responsible for paying, will help avoid falling behind on important bills.

• What happens if they still don’t pay?

You tried everything you can to lay out the rules, but your flatmate still falls behind.  What now? Money is a touchy subject and should be dealt with in a professional matter, after all you don’t want to burn bridges with the person you live with.

• Don’t be shy, approach the matter in a professional matter, it must be addressed.
• Stick to your ground
• Remain calm, don’t raise your voice
• Don’t avoid the issue, it is money and it needs to get paid. You don’t want to be stuck with the entire bill.

Approaching your flatmate regarding money can be a difficult task, however with the right attitude it can be solved in a professional manner.