Responsibility for Utilities

[JonnyC]

Dispute over Responsibility for Utilities

Hi,
I could use some advise. I moved into a new apartment in Sept. of this year. Before signing the lease, I was shown the apartment by the landlord's maintenance man. He told me that included in the rent was the cost of heating gas and water, and that I had only to cover the electricity and "cooking gas." When I met with my the owner of the apartment, my current landlord, he also assured me that the water and heating gas were covered in the rent. Well after signing the lease the maintenance man installed a new wall-mounted gas heater in the apartment similar to one you would find on someone's screen porch. Now that it is getting into the winter and I've been using the heater, my gas bill has shot up more than $20, obviously because the heater is run off of my gas line. Though it's not stated in the lease that the landlord agrees to pay heating gas or water, I was sure that a verbal agreement made in such a manner was binding, and that installing a heater off of my line after the fact and not giving any notice of it was a breach of that agreement. I hope someone can spread some light on the issue for me.
Thanks, Jonny C.

 

[mike]

Hi,
I could use some advise. I moved into a new apartment in Sept. of this year. Before signing the lease, I was shown the apartment by the landlord's maintenance man. He told me that included in the rent was the cost of heating gas and water, and that I had only to cover the electricity and "cooking gas." When I met with my the owner of the apartment, my current landlord, he also assured me that the water and heating gas were covered in the rent. Well after signing the lease the maintenance man installed a new wall-mounted gas heater in the apartment similar to one you would find on someone's screen porch. Now that it is getting into the winter and I've been using the heater, my gas bill has shot up more than $20, obviously because the heater is run off of my gas line. Though it's not stated in the lease that the landlord agrees to pay heating gas or water, I was sure that a verbal agreement made in such a manner was binding, and that installing a heater off of my line after the fact and not giving any notice of it was a breach of that agreement. I hope someone can spread some light on the issue for me.
Thanks, Jonny C.

My understanding is that the landlord is responsible to state in the lease what utilities are to be paid by the tenant. In the absence of including such, the landlord pays for them. Why have you been paying for them if they were to be included in the rent?