Killer utility bills

Recently, the utility bills here at the house have skyrocketed into the stratosphere. I'm not sure what is at the heart of it, but it could have something to do with the downstairs neighbor here. This month's combined electric and water bills are a whopping $200 and since she refuses to pay her half of it, I am stuck paying the entire bill, something that is a real stretch for me on my limited retirement income. I'm so sick and tired of being forced to pay for my neighbor's utilities. I did not sign on to pay 100% of the utilities for this place, only 50%, but I've paid the entire water and electric bill for this place practically from the day I moved in because I've been stuck with non-compliant tenants who refuse to ante up and pay their fair share. Since the current tenant moved in, I've paid out $551.58 in utilities when my half rightfully should have been $275.79, which is what the downstairs tenant owes me in back utilities. I'll never see it, of course. I've allowed these thieves to come in here and steal me blind of money out of my pocket and I keep begging my landlord to deal with this. I thought that we were going to transition into an all utilities paid place, but I've just gotten the most recent utility bills for the house and they're $200, something pretty hard to absorb after Christmas. My mom lives in a 4 bedroom, two bathroom house and her utility bills are a fraction of what we pay here. I've no idea why the electric and water are so ridiculously high, but since it appears that I will continue being robbed by the downstairs neighbor who insists that nowhere in her lease is there anything about paying utilities and that she owes me nothing, because the utility bills are in my name. She insists that it is therefore my legal responsibility to provide her with electricity and water and pay for them since they're in my name. Horsehockey! The landlord says that her lease lays it out very clearly that she owes one half utilities. Well, I've written to the landlord again complaining that paying these exorbitant utility bills are gutting me financially and that something must be done before I am forced into bankruptcy paying for someone else's bills. He wrote back that he's just been very busy and doesn't have time to address the situation. Meaning, I suppose, that no relief is in sight. I'm almost tempted to pay the entire utility bill and then deduct half of it from my rent. I won't pay these bills anymore. I won't have money stolen from me by uncooperative tenants. I just won't. It's not fair and it's not right. I've allowed tenants to take advantage of me for a year and a half and it stops now.