<prompt> Human: Hey everyone,Not sure if this is really a personal finance situation or ethics question. Anyways, last fall, I moved into a new apartment in Chicago. During the first week, I was setting up all my utilities when I noticed that I could not setup an account with my electricity provider as the previous tenant had not cancelled his service. After a few emailphone calls back and forth with the provider, they ultimately stated I would not be able to set up an account and start service until the previous tenant called in to cancel his account.In an effort to make this situation right, I spoke with my property management company and requested contact information to reach out to him. They refused to provide it to me stating it was a violation of privacy. Long story short, its now a year later and the guy finally called property management as he got a bill sent to collections for my usage and managements usage when the unit was vacant.Should I pay for my portion of the bill around 1,000. I have the means to pay for it but I cant help but feel that I took all the necessary steps to avoid the situation. I was hoping property management would foot the entire bill but theyve been great to me and I dont want to burn bridges.Thanks for the advice.Assistant: Not an expert, dont know if there are legal issues or complications, you may want to get expert advice.Id say you should pay for your part of the usage, but not accept any interest penalties etc since you were not at fault. It wouldnt be fair to expect the property management to foot the entire bill.Human: I dont think this is necessarily a situation where I need expert advice but ill definitely proceed with caution. I agree, I will pay for my portion.  <response>: It may be paying some accepts ownership of all. If it doesnt have your name on it, speak to a lawyer. 