Need advice, switched electric meters

[heyzeus]

So here's a weird situation. I have lived in this apartment complex for about 4 years. Recently we found out that our power meter was switched with one of our neighbors (whose only been in that unit for about 6 months). So apparently, I've been getting bills for their power usage and vice versa.

Obviously there was a screw up when the complex was built because according to the service guy, it's clearly always been this way. So apparently this was true for previous tenants of that other apartment as well.

I'm assuming that when the power company gets involved it will want to do an "adjustment" to both of our accounts. This obviously scares me as I have no idea how my neighbors use their power or what the difference might be if I actually should have been getting higher bills for my actual usage and we're talking about a fair length of time here.

So, if this happens and one of us gets a huge adjustment bill from the power company, is the landlord at all financially responsible for this fiasco?

Thanks for any insight ya can give me!

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I doubt the landlord will be responsible for the 'fiasco' except minimally, if at all. This is because you were liable to pay for your electricity usage. The fact that the meters were switched doesn't mean that you used any less electricity or that you shouldn't owe the money for the amount used. Only in very limited cases could I think that the landlord may bear some responsibility for a part of the bill but it would likley be negligible, e.g. you relied upon the first month's bill in testing out the electricity consumption of your new electronic heater and it seemed fine but now you know it used much more electricity than originally aniticipated.

Originally posted by heyzeus
So here's a weird situation. I have lived in this apartment complex for about 4 years. Recently we found out that our power meter was switched with one of our neighbors (whose only been in that unit for about 6 months). So apparently, I've been getting bills for their power usage and vice versa.

Obviously there was a screw up when the complex was built because according to the service guy, it's clearly always been this way. So apparently this was true for previous tenants of that other apartment as well.

I'm assuming that when the power company gets involved it will want to do an "adjustment" to both of our accounts. This obviously scares me as I have no idea how my neighbors use their power or what the difference might be if I actually should have been getting higher bills for my actual usage and we're talking about a fair length of time here.

So, if this happens and one of us gets a huge adjustment bill from the power company, is the landlord at all financially responsible for this fiasco?

Thanks for any insight ya can give me!