Is it fair to ask roommate to pay utilities when not here
I live in a four-person apartment where we each have a separate year-long lease with the landlord. We only pay internet and electric. Electric is in my name, so I usually just ask everyone for their share of bills.
Our lease ends soon and one of the roommates has stopped living at the apartment. She still has all her belongings packed up in her room, or scattered around the living room or kitchen. Her food is still taking up space in our cabinets, fridge, and freezer. But she hasn’t lived here in almost two months and she hasn’t paid utilities since she left. I understand maybe not paying wifi since she’s not here to use it, but we are required by our lease to have electric through the end of the lease, and the collective electric bill is maintaining the apartment where she left her stuff.
She hasn’t spoken to any of us since she left. Admittedly at the end of the semester (college apartment) I got short with everyone about dishes, because the roommates (mainly this roommate) had left their dirty dishes (and rotting food) in the sink for weeks to months. Specifically I said if the dishes weren’t washed within three days, I would just throw them out. They were washed and I didn’t bring it up again besides a quick thank you text. And if it matters, when she left and stopped responding about two months ago, she still left a dirty pan on the stove. I understand it’s not a big deal but it irks me. But also I still use her dishes even though she’s not here. (Only a few and I always wash them soon after.)
At this point I’m considering cutting my losses and just corresponding with the remaining roommates about the bills. I can cover her portion of electric, I’m just not sure I should have to. If she lived alone, she’d still have to pay utilities when not in the apartment. There’s a chance she does intend to cover utilities still and just forgot to respond, but if I follow up and she’s NOT intending on paying, I’m afraid about coming off as rude or entitled or something like that.
Between the facts that I still use her dishes, that I’ve been short with these roommates in the past, and that she’s not currently living here, does that equal out to me just covering her share of utilities for the three months of our lease?