Landlord had electricity as $80 plus rent, now wants me to put account that already had a balance on it, in my name.

Submitted by thatboul1000 t3_zk5ci5 in philadelphia

I moved into a studio on the 3rd floor of 3 story town home. If you read my previous posts you would see that my heat is not working and that my power keeps going out. Now my landlord sent me a peco account she wants me to put in my name but the account reads $237 by 12/27/22. She said this is split between me and two other tenants but I dont see anyway these accounts are separated on the paper she gave me. Its one account that’s $237 a month. If I put this account in my name, am I liable to pay that full balance to peco?

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CathedralEngine t1_izy0jce wrote

I’m no landlord, but I’m fairly certain that all the apartments need to be on different meters. So, if they are all on one meter (which it sounds like it is) and you do put the bill in your name, then yes, you will be responsible for the bill for all the tenants.

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thatboul1000 OP t1_izyefdt wrote

Thank you for taking the time to add clarity to the situation for me. I will definitely keep that bill in her name.

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cold_toes_poe t1_j00930e wrote

To add to my other comment... If you all share a meter than fuck that, no, absolutely no.

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Indiana_Jawnz t1_izzy1b8 wrote

They don't have to be on separate meters but in cases like that landlords usually just build the price of electric into the rent.

This apartment and landlord definitely are on the more slipshod and shady side.

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banjoleletinman t1_izy0u3p wrote

Absolutely do not put that bill in your name. If the landlord does not have individual meters for each apartment that is their problem, not yours and they are trying to pass off financial responsibility to you. Yes, if the bill is in your name you will be responsible for the charges.

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worsedadever t1_izy3hei wrote

Yes you are liable. Do not put bill in your name. Do not be bullied or conned into doing so. Personally, I would start looking at other places to live. The landlord is most likely in arrears across the board.

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Zhuul t1_izy0p7n wrote

I’m gonna go on a limb here and say you should be looking for advice on http://www.phillytenant.org and not Reddit. I wouldn’t sign anything in the meantime

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SnapCrackleMom t1_izy09ad wrote

Is she saying the other tenants will be paying you towards the PECO bill? That's insane.

Edit: regarding the heat not working -- http://www.phillytenant.org/no-heat/

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Acewrap t1_izycosi wrote

Since there's a flat charge for electricity they could also grab some old cheap servers on ebay and heat the apartment with them

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flamehead2k1 t1_izyvap3 wrote

With the way crypto has been, there's gotta be some burned out mining rigs for cheap.

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Mysterious_Bobcat483 t1_izy8fnm wrote

Landlord has some trouble going on. Not your responsibility.

Be prepared to get your stuff together to move if this is found out. I don't know if you can be evicted because of this and possibly other related issues you don't know about, but it's best to be prepared. Are you holding rent until heat is turned back on?

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thatboul1000 OP t1_izy8pom wrote

No i paid rent even though the heat is still off but I saving for a unexpected situation.

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Basic_Visual6221 t1_izzkjqp wrote

Talk to tenants rights association. You can hold rent in escrow until heat is fixed. I think they have a certain amount of time to fix before they forfeit rent. But it sounds like this is not going to be a longterm renting situation.

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newmanification t1_j00aqfk wrote

Stop paying rent or escrow it until the landlord fixes the issue. After that, you should request some sort of rent credit for the inconvenience.

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thatboul1000 OP t1_izye8mi wrote

Thanks everyone for your help. I will definitely NOT put this bill in my name and will instead op to pay her $80 direct. But will also note this as one of this things to tell L&I.

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defusted t1_izymsju wrote

If it's in your contract don't pay for it. Also, if your heat isn't working stop giving money to your landlord and start putting it into an escrow account until it gets fixed. As long as you can show that escrow account and your rent money in to there's nothing they can do. If they try to retaliate make sure you document everything, and record every interaction.

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autimaton t1_izyntqm wrote

If you convert the account to your name the balance will follow you. I would check the language in the lease as it relates to utilities. It sounds like the place might not be properly zoned as a multi-unit complex and therefore has just one electric meter, and if that is the case, you taking over would make you responsible for any balance unpaid by the other residents. I wouldn’t do it if I were you.

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Leviathant t1_izyxt6f wrote

> I would check the language in the lease as it relates to utilities.

Exactly this! This is what legal documents are for. A nice, black and white definition that you can point to and say, "we both agreed to these terms." The reality is, if the landlord gets squirrely, you may be in a situation where you either batten down the hatches and engage in a protracted legal battle, or you determine that it's not worth the effort, and you go somewhere else. I once sublet from someone who, it turned out, was not supposed to be subletting. I'd seen some fishy nonsense with another tenant who was moving out as I was moving in, so I changed the lock on my bedroom door (very, very easy to DIY), which proved to be a prescient move. But before you even do that - read the lease.

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thatboul1000 OP t1_j00aaro wrote

Regarding utilities: Lessee shall be responsible for arranging for and paying for all utility services required on the premises. The Tenant shall pay all utility bills as they become due. The Tenant shall apply to the necessary utility companies for the above services, provide all necessary deposits required from those companies and be fully responsible for all utility payments from the date of move-in until the date of move. out. In the event the Tenant shall vacate the premises without advising the utility companies of the date of moving from the premises, the Tenant shall continue to be responsible for all utility bills until the accounts are terminated by the utility companies. In the event the Tenant fails to pay any utility bills will results in termination of services, it shall be the Tenants full responsibility to pay all reconnection fees.

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Leviathant t1_j00cl1u wrote

Well, this is a little bit tricky because this is written as though you, upon renting, would take ownership of utilities. However, you can probably assume that everyone else who's signed a lease has the same agreement.

I guess the main thing is: You don't take over someone else's debt, full stop. If your landlord wants utilities to be in your name, they should draw up a new agreement that puts down, in black and white, how utilities are split among the other tenants, and I would even argue that having to take on the responsibility of managing the utilities for the other tenants should be worth a reduction in your rent. That may be pushing it, but hey.

My advice would be: speak sensibly and reasonably, agree to pay your share of what you've used so far, but draw up a new agreement, because the current one doesn't reflect the proposed usage.

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aaavvvvv t1_izyrly8 wrote

Does your landlord have a rental license? This is very weird

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casp514 t1_izyyydp wrote

my apartment doesn't have the meter split and so we are legally off the hook for the electric bill. i believe your situation should be the same. i'm not sure if charging a flat fee for electricity is allowed (we get charged a flat $60 for water), but i definitely don't think that putting the peco bill for the entire building in one tenant's name is kosher

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Cobey1 t1_izzg6gp wrote

Definitely don’t put anything in your name if the bill is link to other tenants that you do not live with. You will be liable for that bill every month. If your landlord has one giant bill for all his tenants, chances are he’s probably renting illegally. Check to see if he has an updated rental license and how many units the property is zoned for on this site: https://eclipse.phila.gov/phillylmsprod/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=BusinessLicenseSearchByLocRent&IconName=Contract_Mag.png

If I were you I would put your rent into escrow until you have heat, even ask for a discount since you have no heat…

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cold_toes_poe t1_j008sn9 wrote

Absolutely not! Do not do that. Have her clear the balance then you can move it to your name. If you have the bill in your name when your leaving make sure peco turns that shit off before you move. If they are not allowed access to the meter (let's say it's in a basement you can't get to - or a closet) it can take 3 attempts before they take you off the bill due to lack of access. Keep every text/email to your landlord when discussing that bill. And never go on the water bill that's the property owners responsibility.

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newmanification t1_j00a9v7 wrote

Thing about landlords is, they very often don’t know shit and are just trying to shift costs onto their tenants. You should tell your landlord to fuck off and if she gives you any shit tell her you’ll report her ass to L&I.

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AlbrechtSchoenheiser t1_izyyocx wrote

If it's split between you and two tenants why aren't the tenants names on it? Smells like bullshit to me.

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anonymous_lighting t1_izzipcv wrote

what does your contract say? that is king

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thatboul1000 OP t1_j00abpb wrote

Utilities: Lessee shall be responsible for arranging for and paying for all utility services required on the premises. The Tenant shall pay all utility bills as they become due. The Tenant shall apply to the necessary utility companies for the above services, provide all necessary deposits required from those companies and be fully responsible for all utility payments from the date of move-in until the date of move. out. In the event the Tenant shall vacate the premises without advising the utility companies of the date of moving from the premises, the Tenant shall continue to be responsible for all utility bills until the accounts are terminated by the utility companies. In the event the Tenant fails to pay any utility bills will results in termination of services, it shall be the Tenants full responsibility to pay all reconnection fees.

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Fun-Transition1230 t1_j01bp4a wrote

If it is a shared meter, I would suggest she puts it in one of the other tenants names.

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rlpeiffe t1_j01nfol wrote

Sounds like the landlord only has one meter installed. Others have covered this.

One note - if you place service in your name the back balance will be sent to the previous entity as a final bill. Won’t carry over unless you request that.

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