Contractor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2012 · 176 posts · 103 votes
10y
It's also good to get the utility companies to set you up with a landlord account, so when the tenant moves out and turns off the utility, it will automatically transfer into the landlord or property manager's account. This eliminates having to re-establish service and run the risk of having no power when you are about to start the make rent ready process again.
Lender · Playa del Carmen, México · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
10y
Hi @Kyle Soderman! Our tenants are responsible for all utilities (water, electric, gas, trash). Generally, we will maintain service (except for trash) in our name prior to the lease signing. As part of our pre-signing email to the tenant-to-be, we provide a list of the utility companies and their contact info. We recommend they call prior to the lease signing and switch the utilities into their name (and out of ours).
On the day of the lease signing, we remind the tenant again to switch the utilities. If they haven't, then as a courtesy we'll keep the utilities on for two business days after the lease signing. But after that, we notify the tenant that the utilities are coming down and then have them taken out of our name. By then they have nearly always made the switch themselves.
At least here in Atlanta, utility service usually requires a credit check. I don't believe we could place utilities in someone else's name, even if we wanted to.
Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2014 · 389 posts · 250 votes
10y
@Kyle Soderman -- what Mitch said . . . plus, it's in my lease that the tenants have to get the utilities in their names within 5 days of the start date of the lease, and that they HAVE to get basic utilities (electric, water & gas, if applicable) or it's grounds for eviction.
I looked at a duplex last year where the tenant had not gotten the gas turned on -- so no working stove or furnace. Apparently he used small space heaters whenever he was there, but in Atlanta if you don't have air moving, you get mildew -- the closets of this place were full of it.
Investor · Harker Heights, TX · Member since 2015 · 76 posts · 34 votes
10y
Yep, as mentioned, require tenants to establish utilities in their name rather than attempting any sort of transfer or sub-assignment of your accounts. You can contact the utilities and let them know your billing responsibility end date to have a meter recording made on that day. You can also learn in those phone calls if the tenant has followed through and established their accounts as it will come up as they inquire who is taking over, generally "yes sir/ma'am I see ______________ has an account set up to start on X date".
Contractor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2012 · 176 posts · 103 votes
10y
It's also good to get the utility companies to set you up with a landlord account, so when the tenant moves out and turns off the utility, it will automatically transfer into the landlord or property manager's account. This eliminates having to re-establish service and run the risk of having no power when you are about to start the make rent ready process again.
Investor · Corona, CA · Member since 2014 · 746 posts · 372 votes
10y
I would call the utility company and have them stop service in my name as of ____. And have the tenant start service in their name on the start date of lease.
When I was a property manager we required residents to turn on the services in their name as of the start date of their lease prior to receiving the keys. We would ensure service was in their name by having them provide an account number.
Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
8y
Tenant in one market of Memphis pay everything. It’s all in their name by whenever they move in.
In Cleveland it’s a little more tricky, the water and sewer is kept in the landlords name and the tenants pay those bills with rent.