[FIXED] Bills are really high

Product: The Sims 4
Platform:PC
Which language are you playing the game in? English
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
What is your current game version number? Latest patch 11/17/2020
What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? All of them
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? When the bills come in the mail.
What happens when the bug occurs? Bills seem way higher after Snowy Escape
What do you expect to see? Bills the way they were before Snowy Escape
Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Not now. I've removed them.
Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system? Yes
Please describe the patch or change you made. Snowy Escape

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This isn't just in the Snowy Escape area. I have had other sims with various sized houses. For example, I have a famous artist who has a rather large two story house with a basement, pool, and garden area. She has no turbines or solar panels, etc. on her lot. When Eco Lifestyle came out, her monthly bills (even with using the thermostat in the summer to cool the house) was $1,300. That's understandable because it is a large house and she was using the thermostat. Now, after Snowy Escape, the exact same house, with nothing new added (ie furniture, walls, rooms, etc.) now has a monthly bills total of over $5K!
Another Sim of mine lives off the grid in Sulani. She has a turbine, recyclable, and dew collector and she grows her own food, paints and lives in one of the starter homes. Her bills before SE were around $700. Now, as of this morning when I played, she pays $4K. She has recycled furniture and nothing new was added to the house.
Did the lot taxes go up or something with the Snowy Escape pack?

Edit By Crinrict: Added Tag to Title

crinrict
5 months ago
Fixed cases of really high Bills. Lot Taxes will now only count the property value and household_net_worth not add value from anything in inventories.

Fixed in Patch 1.112.481/2.05
Please create a new thread at the EA forums if you're still experiencing this issues

86 Replies

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ValiantRedKnight
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
Were they like that after the October patch? Because the bills after Eco Living were accidentally way too low because there was a bug with the lot taxes capping out at 300 simoleons no matter how much the lot was worth. I remember the lot taxes on a huge mansion baron house being like that low, but after the patch they became about 14,000.
Out of curiosity, what's the lot value of the off the grid house and are there a lot of things in the household inventory?
Either way, I think this is by design.
Thread about the lot taxes: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/FIXED-Lot-taxes-seem-too-low/m-p/9171466#M133665
WhantSomeEggs
5 years ago
This is happening to me too, but I started a new game in Komorebi. There is a bug affecting the lots there at least that are adding a power drain even on bulldozed lots. None of my games in other neighborhoods have this power drain, but I didn't go through every lot. https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/NEEDS-INPUT-SE-Large-Bills-on-Mt-Komorobi-lots-due-to-high-power/m-p/9734428#M161773

You could check if your lots have this drain on them, by starting a new game on them after bulldozing the lot, and checking the bills info to see if there is any drain.
DDWard1972
5 years ago
@ValiantRedKnight $3k in Sulani.
ValiantRedKnight
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
@DDWard1972 Do you mean the lot itself is worth $3k? I meant how much is everything on the lot worth, including stuff like plants. Maybe you could post a breakdown of what the bills are in Lot Taxes, Water, and Power.
DDWard1972
5 years ago
@ValiantRedKnight That's the whole lot. She's Off the Grid so she has solar panels, two turbines, dew collectors, 6 garden boxes. No computer, TV, or electronics at all. Her toilet and shower are off the grid functional (she collects water) and she cooks with a grill.
crinrict
Hero+
5 years ago
@DDWard1972

To me it sounds like others have said: You had the bug where lot taxes were capped at $300 when eco first came out. Now that was fixed and the lot taxes are back to normal. So for big houses, yes, the can be rather high.

Could you maybe post a picture of your off-the-grid house and of your bill break down ?
DDWard1972
5 years ago
@crinrict I think so too. I was so used to the lower taxes for five months that it shocked me to be paying over double what I was normally paying before. I couldn't take a picture of the billing information for some reason but the property taxes were almost $3K and the power and water were nothing (off the grid) but the Tax Breaks and Penalties were almost the same amount as the property taxes.
crinrict
Hero+
5 years ago
@DDWard1972 I'm wondering, were you ever on another lot when the bills came ?
DDWard1972
5 years ago
@crinrict No. The Sim who lives on the lot goes to work but she has a "rabbit hole" job and not one of the Get To Work jobs. Other than that, she's only been to the bar nearby.
crinrict
Hero+
5 years ago
@DDWard1972 But you weren't on the bar lot when the bills came ?