Omg Electric Bill Is Nearly $600!!!!?
I live in the upstairs of a house that has an illegal basement apartment and I split the bills with the man that lives downstairs. He has a hot tub and I”ve been trying for a year to get him to put it on a timer or turn it off for the winter. I’ve talked to the landlady about it several times but nothings ever happens. He pays $15 extra a month for the hot tub which I agreed to a year ago BEFORE I knew anything about hot tubs. The bill is in his name and I know he is going to blame me for the high bill cause I choose to heat the upstairs with energy efficient oil radiator space heaters this winter instead of the gas furnace (he asked me not to use the gas but to use the fireplace instead). I told the landlady I want to put a killawatt on the hot tub but she said no. I don’t know what to do, I cant’ afford my 1/2 of the bill which I know is mostly due to the @*$& hot tub!!!!
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December 29, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
I have a hot tub. it did not cause this, they cost maybe 15 a month to run most of the year, 30 at most.
December 29, 2009 @ 10:48 pm
hmm, I think I would look up the tenant/landlord laws in your state. What is your “normal” average winter heating bill? Request a copy of the bill from this time last year and compare. If it is a HUGE differnce, I would take it to a lawyer.
December 30, 2009 @ 12:19 am
If the bill is in his name unless you have a signed agreement you don’t have to pay. Unless you have a meter in your name or a binding agreement it’s not your bill.
December 30, 2009 @ 4:58 am
Please email me about this problem. I don’t have time to answer this completely now but I do have a resource which might help
December 30, 2009 @ 9:22 am
wow…that is really messed up.. I feel for you.. If I were you I would try to get the landlady to get you and him separate bills…Good Luck!
December 30, 2009 @ 9:38 am
I would move out. Obviously your landlord isn’t going to change anything, so find a better place for you.
December 30, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
you should not use that much eletricity
December 30, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
The bill is in his name….so only pay what you think is your responsibility!
December 30, 2009 @ 11:15 pm
Okay, first off, the bill is not in your name so it is his responsibility. Secondly, why is he dictating to you what heat to use etc. he is not the landlord. So you are in the clear. He can blame you all he wants, if nothing is in writing as to your part of the bill each month then oh well. It ultimately is the landlord’s problem ( and fault for being too cheap to put in separate meters). But… the problem is that if the guy in the basement doesn’t pay the bill, the electric goes off for the entire property. If I were you I would look for another place to live and I would turn in the landlord for the illegal apartment. She/he does not deserve to be a landlord with this kind of nonsense going on.
December 31, 2009 @ 2:42 am
Your not going to like my response, but here it go’s! The cost of running “energy efficient” oil filled electric heaters, far out weights the cost of running a hot tub. Where I live (south of Pittsburgh, where electric cost are lower than most other regions) it cost around $30-$40 per month to run the average size outdoor hot tub in the winter. The cost of heating lets say a 750 SQ FT apt, with the oil filled heaters could easily run in the $300 range per month. Electric cost much more to heat with then natural gas. The oil filled heater are only 20% more efficient than a regular heater. Think about this. The hot tub has a lot less water to heat compared to the amount of air you must heat in your apt. Plus, water retains heat much better than “air!”
Others have given you a lot of advice about checking your local laws, and I agree, you should. However, the only way to resolve this problem in short order is to move. Tell your landlady that you want her to release you from your lease. If she wont, Go to an attorney and get your free consultation, the bills not in your name, so you cant be held to it, but their are a ton of other things that could happen. Find out what they are. I know in Pa your not allowed to share utilities and if you do, the landlord can be held responsible for any unpaid portion.
You need legal advice, this is not the forum. I know a lot of people that do this “bill slitting” stuff, and I rarely see it go down without problems.
Current Landlord
I dont think that your going to end up with this great apartment, with the view that you could never afford, problem free, with the rent staying the same. Honestly, with you heating your place with electric, I think that he’s probably getting the short end of the stick. Electric is the most expensive form of heat there is. If you dont believe me, just call any heating specialist and ask. I have had many tenants that decided to heat their apartments with electric instead of gas. I tell them all the same thing. Why? Gas is cheaper! They always point out that their bill is so low. They never seem to realize these bills are estimates that dont estimate the apartment being heated with electric. When they see their actually reading their jaws drop because the overage is often in the thousands!
December 31, 2009 @ 8:46 am
I really doubt that the hot tub could be using that much electricity, unless he leaves it running even when he’s not in it. If you’re using space heaters, those heaters can really use a lot of electricity, especially when there are several of them running all the time. You need to contact the city and get them to come out to do an inspection. The landlord will be cited for having an illegal apartment and failure to keep separate meters for the apartments. You are getting scammed by this landlord.