shady landlord advice

[mxer69 10+ year member]

nameee of that girl

 

[SRim23 5,000+ posts]

why not document everything (photos of what you see, video of showing when switch is off you have no power) and consult a lawyer. theres no way what hes doing is legal and id say he knows exactly what hes doing. he deserves to get in trouble over this or hell keep doing it long after you move out.

 

[faulkton 5,000+ posts]

I stopped into the property management place today and told them what i have discovered. I have also taken pictures and a video showing how it's wired into my meter.

The rental lady was quick to reduce my rent by $30 (the difference between the high and low power bill) and asked for copies of the bills. I gave her some and told her that a $30 reduction was not acceptable. Who knows what else is wired into that meter or how much other people will use the washer and dryer...

I told her i wanted them to raise my rent by $30 a month, which would mean i owe them $180 for the last 6 month and that i wanted to be reimbursed for all the money i had paid to the power company since i moved in ($270)... and i want the power account switched into their name...

that would result in me paying about $90 less on next months rent for what i have overpaid and not having to deal with the power company anymore.

Paying $30 a month for power seems fair to me.. and it would probably be to my benefit in the sumemr when i start running the AC..

She said she was going to look over the bills and get back to me... i figure i will stop in every day until we get this sorted out and i sure as fuk wont pay any more rent until its resolved

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

ya i am thinking it's probably wise to just eat the cost of an electrician out of pocket to document the problem before confronting them. Then i'll probably just deduct that amount off the next months rent.

No.....look up your states tenant/landlord laws first. I'm sure they will specify that you can go to the local small claims court file a grievance. Until the grievance is resolved, you will pay your rent directly to the clerk of courts and they will hold the landlords rent money until the situation is fixed. Be prepared to move though after your lease is up.

I own 2 rentals in Ohio and thats how things are handled here ... might be a bit different in your state but plenty of states do it this way.

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

I stopped into the property management place today and told them what i have discovered. I have also taken pictures and a video showing how it's wired into my meter.
The rental lady was quick to reduce my rent by $30 (the difference between the high and low power bill) and asked for copies of the bills. I gave her some and told her that a $30 reduction was not acceptable. Who knows what else is wired into that meter or how much other people will use the washer and dryer...

I told her i wanted them to raise my rent by $30 a month, which would mean i owe them $180 for the last 6 month and that i wanted to be reimbursed for all the money i had paid to the power company since i moved in ($270)... and i want the power account switched into their name...

that would result in me paying about $90 less on next months rent for what i have overpaid and not having to deal with the power company anymore.

Paying $30 a month for power seems fair to me.. and it would probably be to my benefit in the sumemr when i start running the AC..

She said she was going to look over the bills and get back to me... i figure i will stop in every day until we get this sorted out and i sure as fuk wont pay any more rent until its resolved

You can't do this...you could face eviction. Sucks but thats the way it goes

 

[bonesninja 5,000+ posts]

OH SHIT *****! YOU BACK?

Don't call it a comeback...I been here fo yeerz!!

 

[WhiteEX 10+ year member]

I agree with raising hell, makes me want to double check my shit.

 

[RetroAudioinc 5,000+ posts]

Hey your lucky my power bill alone is $500 a month, I got it down to like $280 this month with NO AC...

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

lol if i said that it was most certainly trolling.. who can actually survive in this world without some credit??
I cant believe you believed me..

I believed you because it wasn't the first insane thing you've said >_>

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

So i'm living in a big old house, which was converted into 3 apartments. The heat is included in the price of rent, but i pay my own electric bill. There is a coin operated washer and dryer in the basement which i was using today.
I noticed that the outlet for the dryer looked like it went into my electric meter. Since i pay my own electric bill i was like wtf?? So i decided to flip the switch and see if the washer and dryer cut out.

Not only did both the washer and dryer stop working but so did the dam furnace! The furnace is gas, but still takes some power to run and when i flipped the switch you could see the flame go out. I noticed when it got cold, and the furnace started running 24/7, my power bill doubled!!

I ran up to my apartment to find out if maybe the meter was mislabeled, but it isnt because with the switch off i have no power in my apartment.

So it looks like i'm paying for the power to the furnace when heat is supposed to be included in the rent (it's in the lease) and i am also paying for the power for the public washer and dryer.

I called the electric company to find out if there was any possible way that the meter could keep track of two accounts and bill the landlord for the washer, dryer and furnace and they said it was not possible.

They also told me that there are only 3 accounts for the building, which coincides with the three apartments. Therefore, if the landlord knows there is power being used in common areas and he isn't paying for it, he must be aware that he is screwing over his tenants.

Just wondering what you guys might do in this situation?? What sort of arrangement for compensation would you find acceptable? Do you think if i moved out because they were screwing me over they could still collect for the rest of the lease??

I'm pretty sure this is how my place was too. My bills were outrageous. Lived there for over two years too, oh well moved out now.

nG

 

[bubbagumper6 5,000+ posts]

Don't call it a comeback...I been here fo yeerz!!

Rockin my peers and puttin sucka's in fear!

 

[edzy 10+ year member]

Again, tell them to split the panel. Adding a sub panel for "House" electricity is the legal way to do it. Shouldnt be more then $400 to do that.

At some places, common lites in the hall have 2 bulbs in the fixture, so each floor is paying for hall lighting. Also each heating zone should have thier own pump moter on tied into the correct meter. Some ppl would rather open a window and run the heat full, rather then turn the stat down. So if its a common pump, who evers panel its tied into pays.

By law, each unit must be separate.

 

[DidUHearThat? 10+ year member]

No.....look up your states tenant/landlord laws first. I'm sure they will specify that you can go to the local small claims court file a grievance. Until the grievance is resolved, you will pay your rent directly to the clerk of courts and they will hold the landlords rent money until the situation is fixed. Be prepared to move though after your lease is up.
I own 2 rentals in Ohio and thats how things are handled here ... might be a bit different in your state but plenty of states do it this way.

I told him the same thing already, but I guess he thinks he's gonna "raise hell" and not pay his rent. That'll show 'em! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif Till he gets evicted, has all his shit thrown on the curb and his credit ruined.

He thinks he's special and this is the first time in history this has happened. There couldn't already be a pile of case law and clear state law on the subject dealing with this exact issue. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[snoopdan 5,000+ posts]

Just firebomb the place. You'll feel better.