Utily charge for tenants

[Chris G.]

I was wondering if anyone had a better insight on this issue. We have a deal with the owners that anything over $200 per month on utilities the tenants pay. So if there's 3 tenants in the unit and the utility bill is $260 each tenant has to pay an additional $20. Some owners want this done and others don't really seem to care. Most of the tenants don't seem to care because it may only be $10-15 every few months but we have a few that will not pay it because it's not stated in the tenants lease that anything over $200 is charged to them. The tenants never see the bill it's between the owner and us, so is the tenant right that they wouldn't have to pay this?

[Nathan Gesner]

1. If it's not stated in the lease, then you really don't have a leg to stand on. Go by what's in writing.

2. Provide a copy of the actual bill to the tenants so they know why they are being charged. If it's a shared property, maybe you can provide one copy to a responsible tenant and ask them to post it where others can see it.