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Around 2 years ago, when I turned 18, my mother begged me to put my name on her section 8 lease. Being naive I agreed after she explained that meant I could stay with her when I needed to without running into any problems. A few months later, she called me in distress about how she couldn't turn her utilities on and how awful it would be for my many younger siblings (knowing they are a soft spot of mine) and begged me to put the gas on in my name. She promised to pay any fees, and had me go down to get a paper notarized agreeing she was responsible for any of the bills. The past few years up until now she has refused to give me any of the account information and after contacting national grid, I've learned that I owe over 4,000 on my account. I do not have a very good relationship with my mother, and she has a history of doing these kinds of things with other people and family members. Should I make a fraud claim, or would I even be able to since I technically gave her permission? Or is my notarized statement valid and if so, how would I go about getting rid of this debt? It is affected me greatly as I now have bad credit and am in debt. I'm trying to move forward but this has made it very difficult.

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I suspect you will have to pay the bill - and then go after your mom to reimburse you - probably in small claims court.

How much a court will order her to reimburse you depends a lot on what that notarized "paper" says. Is it a promissory note? Is there a set amount she agrees to repay, or is it vague and somewhat open ended? Do you have any other documentation, such as e-mails or text messages, showing she agreed to pay for this? If so, make sure you save anything in which she acknowledges she is responsible to pay you back.

I think there are a few things you need to do kinda right away:

1) Get your name off that account ASAP. This should be your first call.

2) Talk to the utility company and explain the situation. I don't imagine they will out and out forgive the loan, but you might be able to work out a doable payment plan with them.

3) Tell them you want copies of all of the bills, so if you decide to pursue your mom in court, you have documentation that these bills are for your mom's home, not yours. If your name is on the account, there is no reason they should have to refuse to give them to you. You don't have to depend on your mom to get them. I would also check those bills very carefully, and make sure that the only thing on them is the cost of the gas to only the 1 apartment.

Have you co-signed anything else with mom? If so, I would check on those accounts as well; if you have, and she is current on those accounts, get your name off of those as well!

I understand that you were doing this for the good of your younger siblings, and I think it is awful that you are being put into this position by your mom. I hope you can come to some sort of favorable resolution to this!
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GardenArtist Mar 2021
Excellent advice.
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You'd better call the company to whom you owe money, accept the debt as your own, agree a payment plan, and close the account. It will affect you for years, until you're able to pay it off, but once you do that will be the certain end of it.

It's just possible that the piece of paper she gave you to have notarized has some kind of legal weight, but seriously - what are the chances? Even if it does establish that your mother is responsible for payments the payments have not been made and this is your account for which you are liable; besides I doubt if the contract with the utility company allows for any such guarantor's arrangement. You need to get that account closed down.

Have a look online and see if there are any debt counselling charities in your area. They can be very helpful, but be VERY selective - do not get conned by bottom-feeder low-life scum debt consolidators preying on desperate and vulnerable people. You want advice, not loans or paid services.
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BurntCaregiver Mar 2021
If somebody has to resort to getting utilities turned on in a teenage kid's name, it's because they screwed off on their bills and can't have it in their own name. ShilohRyl isn't going to get a cent of that money her mother owes. Not even if a judge in court orders it. People like this get by all their lives off of others and they know all the loopholes and how to work the system.
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You need a fraud attorney. Most of them will have a free consultation with you, so they can aim you in the right direction.

A high school friend's dad did the same thing to him when he was underage. It destroyed his credit before he even had credit. Fortunately, his girlfriend's dad was an attorney and took care of everything for him. Perhaps you'll find someone who can help you, too.
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JoAnn29 Mar 2021
This is a different thing. The child was underage so cannot sign a contract. The parent created the fraud.
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Your Mom was smart. Being 18 means you can enter into a contract. I would do what notgoodenough suggests. When you get the info I would then tell the utility company to remove your info by a certain date. Lets say March 31. Then you notify Mom that she will need to put the utility bills in her name by that Date or she won't have her utulities. There is help she can get if she can't afford them especially if minors are involved. I would get myself off of the section 8 too. I bet Mom has not paid her share. If not, she could be eventually evicted.
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BurntCaregiver Mar 2021
When people put the bills in their kid's name it's because they can't get them in their own because they've burnt the utility companies in the past and don't pay their bills. Mom needed her 18 year old's name on the Section 8 housing voucher otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get the utilities turned on in her name.
The fact that the bill is $4,000 and they haven't shut the power off yet is because there's a handicapped person on disability in the residence. That's the only reason why the lights are still on. I'd be willing to bet she worked this scam somewhere else and ran the utility bills up through the roof from lack of payment, then moved to different housing. This is why she has to put the light bill in her kid's name. That's absolutely disgusting and I'm not ashamed to say so. Ruining your kid's credit for years to come before they've even started out in life because you're a reckless freeloader who screws off on their responsibilities is shameful.
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You agreed to open the accounts, but she opened them?

Did you get a copy of the notarized statement that you signed? You signing that she is responsible is worthless, so I suspect that it really gave your authority to open the accounts. If she signed saying that she was responsible, that would be a paper that you'd really want to have.

The companies won't just take you off of the accounts, but they should let you disconnect service.
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So, your name is still on the Section 8, correct? You work and live with your boyfriend correct? Does mom claim your income in respect to the Section 8 voucher? If you are on the lease, she should the voucher is based on income levels.

The debt would be an easy fix, your problem is the Section 8 voucher and possible cover up of income. You need to speak with a lawyer on this one.
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I was thinking "there should be a way to handle this w/o bankrupting you..." until I read the "notarized statement"...that can go either way. Basically you signed a document saying if mom couldn't/wouldn't pay her bills you'd step in and be responsible.

Those exist for a reason: so people can't wiggle our of debts and show responsibility for their choices. Also to prove you are who you are, but that's a whole other thing.

HOW IN THE WORLD did the gas bill get to $4k in 2 years? I'm not judging you, I'm just very curious. I haven't spent $4k on gas services in almost 10 years.

You DO need a lawyer to get you on the right track. I do not know if this can be fixed quickly or if you are going to be on the hook for a while.

Is mom's name also on the bill? If so, that will help. If it's just you, then just you are responsible.

This will probably have to be dealt with in a court setting, or perhaps just in front of a judge, IDK. I wish you luck--that's a big ol' debt for a young person.
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JoAnn29 Mar 2021
I think in some places gas and electric are supplied by the same company. So, if Mom is not paying for it she probably is not conserving either.
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How old is your mother? Is she collecting disability? And what is she spending money on?

Please consult an attorney!
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You foolishly put your name on something. A fraud case will be very difficult now. I would see a lawyer. Your credit is ruined and you will have to rebuild it over time. I am so sorry. Untangle yourself NOW from everything to do with your mother. If this forces you into bankruptcy then it does, and you start over. People do survive that, especially in these times when it is more and more common.
You might consider an hour of time with a lawyer you see if there is any other recourse, but when we sign our names to things it is usually well and certainly DONE, and the results can be dire indeed. The thing that concerns me is what Stacey says below. She is pretty smart on these things, and if there was some nonsense being done re section 8 you could be in legal trouble. I will revise my "you might consider a lawyer" to "see one now".

I sure wish you the best and I sure am sorry for what has happened to you.
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Just a question concerning section 8. I know there is a yearly enrollment period coming up in the Summer. Like Medicaid, is there not a yearly re-application that has to be done? If so, then Shiloh can refuse to resign as a co-renter under HUD ? Also, refuse to sign the new lease as a co-renter? She is not living there. If she didn't sign the renewals last year, who did? If Mom forged her name then its fraud. If she did sign renewals, stop. This is fraud on Shilohs part. HUD is based on how many people are living in the house/apt and how many rooms are needed.

Ex: a woman may need a two bedroom apt because she has a child. When that child leaves for good, she has to make HUD aware of the change because she is now only allowed a 1 bedroom apt.
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Stacy0122 Mar 2021
Joann, OP already in the original post admitted to fraud, " I agreed after she explained that meant I could stay with her when I needed to without running into any problems.". Then again with utilities.

I am not sure what you are asking but sometimes we all give benefit to the doubt when we shouldn't.
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