They owe you £47 from the electricity bill. You mentioned it once, they said "yeah for sure, I'll sort it", and then absolutely nothing happened. You mentioned it again. They said "oh sorry, remind me later." You are now the unpaid debt collector living in the same building as your debtor and eating breakfast with them every morning. It's awkward, it's annoying, and it doesn't have to be this way. The good news: there's a way to handle it that gets you your money back without nuking the house dynamic — and a way to prevent it entirely going forward. The full guide on setting up a fair bill-splitting system is worth reading once you've sorted the immediate problem.
Be Direct, Once, Clearly
The first step sounds obvious but most people soft-pedal it and then wonder why nothing happens. Send a clear, calm message with the specific amount and what it's for. Not "hey did you sort that thing?" — "Hey, you owe me £47 for the electricity bill from last month. Can you transfer it by Friday?" A deadline helps. Vagueness gives people an out.
Do this over text or a messaging app so there's a written record. Not because you're building a legal case — just because it removes the "oh I forgot" defence entirely.
Don't Let It Stack Up
If this is a recurring pattern, the problem isn't that they forgot once. It's that there's no system making the debt visible and hard to ignore. A number sitting in a group chat message is easy to gloss over. A number sitting in a shared expense app — where they can see their balance every time they open it — is harder to pretend doesn't exist.
This is exactly where a shared expense tracker earns its keep. When every flatmate can see the running balance, the accountability is built into the system rather than relying on you to bring it up every time.
If It Keeps Happening
If direct messages and a shared app still aren't working, have one clear in-person conversation. Not heated, not passive-aggressive — just honest. Something like: "I've noticed this keeps happening and it's starting to feel uncomfortable. Can we agree on a system so neither of us has to think about it?" Most reasonable people, when it's framed as a shared problem rather than an accusation, will engage.
If they genuinely can't afford it right now, that's a different conversation — and worth having plainly rather than dancing around it.
Stop It Happening Again
The real fix is structural. Agree upfront on how bills get paid: who's the account holder, what the amount is each month, and when flatmates transfer their share. A shared app where everyone logs payments and can see the balance in real time means there's no ambiguity and no excuse. If the numbers are visible, the "I forgot" stops working as a reason.
Getting your money back matters, but building a system that means you never have to have this conversation again is the actual win.