Apartment / Bills issues ... someone please help!

[labellavita7]

I live in a 4BR duplex. The bedroom in the basement was just built for our move-in on Sept 1st. We just realized that bedroom had no baseboards or any heating, so they just put them in within the past few days. The problem is, upstairs, where everyone else is, we get gas heating. My roommate's room downstairs is the only one with electric heating. This is not her fault, and our electric bill is going to triple. When we signed the lease we weren't aware that when she got heating, it would be electric, and the rest of us are paying for gas. I refuse to pay her heating bill (even though it'll be hard to differentiate between our electric use and her heating use) and I don't think it'd be fair for her to pay that in full since she figured she'd be getting gas heat, and because she has to pay her share of our gas heat too since she occupies the living room and kitchen as well.

My roommates want to try and get my landlord to pay for the extra cost of electricity for heating. I don't know what to do. I absolutely cannot afford to pay a crazy high electricity bill. Ahhhh

 

[user79]

I think you should try to figure something out with the landlord. Were you made aware that it would be electric heating instead of gas? What does it say on your lease that you signed? Does it state what type of heating will be used? If it says gas and now put in electric, your landlord may have breached the contract.

Are all your roomates just splitting the entire electricity bill? If so, it's not fair for you to refuse to pay for your roomates electric bill since it will all be on the same bill. As you said, "I don't think it'd be fair for her to pay that in full since she figured she'd be getting gas heat, and because she has to pay her share of our gas heat too since she occupies the living room and kitchen as well."

 

[Girl about town]

why not just split all the gas and electiricty bills between the number of people living in the apartment , this is the most fair way x

 

[labellavita7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissChievous I think you should try to figure something out with the landlord. Were you made aware that it would be electric heating instead of gas? What does it say on your lease that you signed? Does it state what type of heating will be used? If it says gas and now put in electric, your landlord may have breached the contract. Are all your roomates just splitting the entire electricity bill? If so, it's not fair for you to refuse to pay for your roomates electric bill since it will all be on the same bill. As you said, "I don't think it'd be fair for her to pay that in full since she figured she'd be getting gas heat, and because she has to pay her share of our gas heat too since she occupies the living room and kitchen as well."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Girl about town why not just split all the gas and electiricty bills between the number of people living in the apartment , this is the most fair way x

It's not fair for the rest of us to pay her heating bill. The electricity bill is high enough because she leaves the lights on ALL the time, I doubt she'll remember to lower her heat when she leaves, meaning the bill is going to skyrocket. The rest of us aren't willing to pay her heating bill, and we shouldn't have to because the downstairs is ONLY her bedroom, I can't afford to split an electricity bill that covers her heat and pay a gas bill that covers my heat. It's not fair to any of us! As for what it says in the lease, I need to have someone help me read it, I don't understand it completely.

I wasn't aware that only her room would have electric heat when we moved in, I expected everyone to have gas heating, and I was fine splitting the gas bill. But she has the only room with electric heating, so I feel like either she should be paying for what she uses in her room, or the landlord should because we weren't aware that they'd be installing electric heating instead. I just don't know what to do! I just want to move out, this is such a pain in the ass.

 

[Raerae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Girl about town why not just split all the gas and electiricty bills between the number of people living in the apartment , this is the most fair way x

Because she's useing more electric than anyone. And electricity costs more than gas typically. So to heat her room, costs more money than to heat the same room with a gas heater. Seems kinda wierd to have one room on electric heating though... Very strange.

 

[user79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by labellavita7 It's not fair for the rest of us to pay her heating bill.

Yes, I think it is. It's not really HER heating bill, it's the house's heating bill. It's not like it's her choice that her electricity is electric while the others are gas. That is part of the house expense, where each room should be heated equally. Anyway, unless you have a separate meter for the basement part, there will be no way to know how much of the electric bill is hers. Heating isn't actually that expensive btw...I mean have you got an estimate from the electric company to know how much it would cost?

It seems like you were not informed enough about this place before you moved in. I think it's only fair to split the entire bill by how many people live there. I mean, if you were living in the basement part, do you think it's fair that one person should pay more? Everyone in the house has a right to feel warm enough.

It's up to you but if I was that other roomate, I would not accept your solution to the problem either.

 

[cami101]

She didn't pick which room she got, I'm assuming. Everyone needs to split it evenly, unfortunately. That's the only way to possibly avoid drama. How would you begin to calculate it otherwise?

 

[labellavita7]

Well she did pick her room, actually. She can afford the most so she picked the biggest room, which happened to be in the basement. I don't think it's fair I have to pay more for a utility I'm not using. Some of the roommates thought we should subtract what the bill usually is, and figure the rest is from heating, and try to get the landlord to pay for it since we weren't aware that the downstairs would be heated electrically. This whole thing isn't fair to any of us and we're having trouble finding a good solution. I know I can't afford to pay her heat on top of mine, and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. So now we're stuck in a tough place and we're all having trouble finding a good solution. Regardless of whether splitting it evenly is the most fair thing to do or not, I can't afford that, and I wasn't aware of this when I moved in. I have no idea why her room is heated a different way than ours. This is more trouble than it's worth I'm so sick of this!

 

[gigglegirl]

Can I ask how much more the electric bill is?

And like MissCheivious said, it wasn't her choice to have electric, but got thrust upon her after the fact. And to say she should pay more A) b/c she has a room in the basement with electric heating that wasn't her choice and B) she leaves the lights on--will go over like a lead balloon--people can get really defensive if something like that is pointed out and then they are penalized. And considering there are communal living areas I can see this being a real pickle of a situation. I would personally split bills based on the amount of personal space/room each person gets. IE if someone gets a larger room perhaps they should pay more rent and portion of bills.

Its a hard situation and definitely hard to allocate after leases have been signed. Best of luck and I hope you get some advice that satisfies everyone!

 

[Raerae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gigglegirl B) she leaves the lights on--will go over like a lead balloon--people can get really defensive if something like that is pointed out and then they are penalized.

I disagree.

I constantly got after one of my roomates because they had a habit of leaving their TV on 24-7. Everytime I had to turn it off I would bring it up that it's not fair to the two other people living here that we have to pay more electric because of their inability to hit the off switch on their TV.

It's not, "their" electric bill. It's the houses. And if someone is doing something thats causeing everyone else to pay more, it's well within reason for the other roomates to point out the problem, and ask the other roomate to be more aware.

I think it's perfectly fine to ask that person at bill time, to pay more as well, if it's a constant thing. It might just be a few more dollars for each person a month, but over a year, that could be a few hundred. And I know i'd rather have some new shoes with that money, than wasted money because a roomate can't be responsible to turn a light off.

 

[Jacq-i]

I agree. I think it's unfair for you to have to pay more for
somebody that is irresponsible with electricity...

Personally I've had a lot of roommates and finding a good one is tougher than you'd think! It's pretty sad how many won't put in their fair share, and mooch of other people's kindness/money. From nutsos, to slobs, to people that bring drunk strangers to my living room on weekends, I've seen it all.

I think it's quite rational to expect people to pay for what they use... [Which is why I keep my food separate from my roomates'.] If 2 people want cable or high-speed internet, and 2 don't watch tv/have a computer, then I think only those using it should pay for it.

If you can pick out any words from your lease, I'd definitely talk to the landlord about it. If it is in the lease, and the landlord won't help, then you could go to small claims court...

 

[gigglegirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raerae I disagree. I constantly got after one of my roomates because they had a habit of leaving their TV on 24-7. Everytime I had to turn it off I would bring it up that it's not fair to the two other people living here that we have to pay more electric because of their inability to hit the off switch on their TV. It's not, "their" electric bill. It's the houses. And if someone is doing something thats causeing everyone else to pay more, it's well within reason for the other roomates to point out the problem, and ask the other roomate to be more aware. I think it's perfectly fine to ask that person at bill time, to pay more as well, if it's a constant thing. It might just be a few more dollars for each person a month, but over a year, that could be a few hundred. And I know i'd rather have some new shoes with that money, than wasted money because a roomate can't be responsible to turn a light off.

Yea I'm realizing I reallllyyy have to better explain things the first time! My comment was basically to say at this juncture to not go in full stop and say "b/c you leave the light on (or whatnot) you have to pay more" but I am all for the comments being made and communicated until (hopefully) they get it through their skull to turn off the light! (yeah, still working on this with my brother...... :S)

 

[captodometer]

This is why you never sign a lease until repairs/upgrades to the place you are moving into have been completed, or are at least clearly specified in the lease.

Sorry to say this, but you are probably headed to small claims court, with either your basement-dwelling roomie or the landlord. If I were the roomie, I would pay the increased electric bill myself and then sue the 3 of you for your shares. The room as to be heated, and the electricity to the entire house will be cut if the bill isn't paid. If everyone agreed to pay 1/4 of the utilities, you are all legally bound to do so.

You might have better luck going to court with the landlord. I don't know where you live, but in a lot of places basement apartments/bedrooms aren't even legal. Duplex suggests to me that you live in the northeastern US. Properly finished living spaces have a heat source; the fact that this basement room didn't have heat prior to your moving in suggests that the landlord may not even have a valid certificate of occupancy, and that your house is only legally a 3 bedroom. If this is indeed true, you may get a judge to void your lease altogether. But then of course, you all will have to move.

And if you do have to move, get a place on your own. I'm assuming that you are a college student; you will just have to take out the extra loan and repay it later. It doesn't really seem that roommate living situations are for you: they are rarely completely fair, and you sound distressed at having to pay what you perceive to be someone else's share. The unexpectedly increased electric bill is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what could happen. Worst case scenario is that all 3 of your roomies could bail, leaving you responsible for the entire lease. Joint and severable liability this is called: basically means that anyone who signed the lease can be held responsible for it.

I would go back and take a good look at the lease. And maybe check with your campus housing office: they can tell you more about landlord/tenant law in your area.

 

[user79]

Another solution that has been mentioned is split the heating bill by the size of the room. The biggest room pays a bit more, the smallest room less, and the middle ones somewhere in between.

I would look at the contract you signed and see where it states what kind of electricity will be supplied. Your landlord may not have been allowed to put in electric if it states that he will supply with gas heating. There should be some kind of board that deals with rental disputes, I would ask there what your legal rights are in this situation, instead of ganging up on your roomate.

It is your responsibility to be informed of all these costs before signing a lease, or to get a written contract made when anything changes.

 

[captodometer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissChievous I would look at the contract you signed and see where it states what kind of electricity will be supplied. Your landlord may not have been allowed to put in electric if it states that he will supply with gas heating. I would ask there what your legal rights are in this situation, instead of ganging up on your roomate. It is your responsibility to be informed of all these costs before signing a lease, or to get a written contract made when anything changes.

It's not very likely that the lease actually specifies what type of heat will be provided. I have moved 13 times in the last 16 years, and signed apartment leases in Canada, New Zealand, and four different US states.
I've never had a lease that said what kind of heat was to be provided by the landlord. I did have leases that said I as the tenant couldn't use portable gas space heaters, etc. The lease always says who pays each utility: i.e. the landlord pays for water, sewer, and garbage and the tenants pay for everything else. It sounds like your lease clearly says that tenants pay gas and electric.

Whether or not the basement room is legal or not, your landlord doesn't sound like a slumlord. You complained that the room was cold, and he/she quickly provided a heat source that is now permanently part of the building structure.

I am a landlord because I rented out my house in Rochester, NY before I moved to New Zealand. The situation between you/roomies/landlord can't happen to me. My house is legally a 4 bedroom, and could be advertised as such. But I listed it as a 3 bedroom with a finished basement: the basement has several windows, 2 closets, and 2 exterior doors. It also has ducts for central heating/air like the rest of the house. But it wouldn't matter if it had baseboard heat. I believe the only NY requirement to be considered a bedroom is that it have a window. The town building code office knows that my basement is finished: I pay property tax on it.

My lease says that the tenants pay all utilities, and that I pay for major repairs that cost more than $50. So if the furnace, kitchen stove, or water heater dies, I will replace it. But if the furnace dies, I could just decide to put in electric baseboard heating instead. I wouldn't, but I could. To be habitable, the house has to be heated. My lease doesn't specify how, and most leases don't. Otherwise, the tenants are on their own. The electric and gas bills cost whatever they cost and they can fight it out among themselves; it has absolutely nothing to do with me.

And you are in exactly the same situation as my tenants unless your lease specifically says "unit will be heated by natural gas." Or if the basement bedroom is illegal, and you can get the lease voided. Because these are your only outs. No judge is going to accept "we didn't understand the lease" or "we didn't realize the basement was heated electrically" as a valid reason to make the basement roomie pay most of the electric bill; she has a much of a right to be warm during the winter as the rest of you. And all 4 of you are equally at fault in the signing of the lease in the first place.

I hope that you all find some way to work this out, but please let this be a learning experience for all of you. Understand what you agreeing to before you sign any type of contract.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I think you should pay rent according to room size. That should help defray some costs.

Then I think you should have a talk about electricity use. I assume there are thermostats for the heating, both electric and gas? Agree to keep it on one setting. Also, talk about turning off appliances and lights when not in use. How long have you all been living together? If it's early, you can brooch the subject as a means of avoiding future fights.

 

[lipstickandhate]

You moved in Sept. 1st and you've already determined who the scape goat is for the high electricity bill cause you think she leaves the lights on? What's the girl supposed to do, have no heat b/c no one in the house knew that hers would be electric? Please.


I agree with the Beauty Mark.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[labellavita7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lipstickandhate You moved in Sept. 1st and you've already determined who the scape goat is for the high electricity bill cause you think she leaves the lights on? What's the girl supposed to do, have no heat b/c no one in the house knew that hers would be electric? Please.

We don't blame her without reason. I've come home at night with her passed out on the couch with the TV on, living room light on, kitchen light on, bathroom light on, her downstairs room light on, and she's sleeping there without a care in the world. This happens OFTEN so it's not like we're blaming her for nothing, we've already talked about shutting things off when you leave the room and not falling asleep with absolutely every light in the house on. Obviously she has to have heat, but since they didn't install gas in her room like they've done in all our rooms, it's a lopsided share of the bill and we don't know what to do about it yet.

 

[CantAffordMAC]

I think you should have a house meeting first and foremost. Your basement roommate needs to know that you guys have a problem with her. You guys should talk about whats "fair" and how you should go about things: whether you should blame the landlord, or blame your roommate. I think you should try to get your roommate to stop leaving electricity on before you take any other steps. Then you can see how high the bill is going to be for her electric gas (without her leaving lights on 24/7) u kno what I mean??

I'm not sure whats fair. I wouldn't want to pay for someone else's irresponsibilities either. Good luck with everything, and I hope you reach the right desicion

 

[redambition]

unfortunately it's the landlord's choice as to what is installed in the house.

maybe the landlord did want to put gas heating in that room, but wasn't able to. you don't know that at this stage.

i've lived in share houses where i have had to pay a portion of a bill that i felt was unfair to me - houses where people used a lot more power, gas or water than i did, and i got stuck paying an "equal" share.

it happens to everyone, but if you've agreed to split bills in a certain way, then you have to pay your portion even if you feel it's unfair. a good, considerate flatmate will realise that they are the reason for the extra cost and will offer to cover what they estimate to be the extra portion, but these people are few and far between.