Utilities not Connected as advised
So today my tenant is scheduled to move in. I told her two weeks ago to make sure that she has her utilities start on Friday Sept. 30th, because the utility company didn't have start dates on the weekend. Also I scheduled the stop service on my account on Sept. 30th. So when I show up today to do the walk thru, there is no power. She scheduled the utilities to start on Monday. As a result she has no power this weekend and we could not do a full walk thru because I could not start anything that was plugged up. In the lease she is responsible for her utilities. Is this something that I need to be concerned with?
I would be somewhat concerned. That is a lease violation and the tenant might be irresponsible-OK, maybe forgetful-I once forgot to pay the rent for our new office, so it happens! All the best!
It's going to depend on what your lease says. My lease requires utilities be connected in the tenant's name before occupying the unit. If this were my unit, I would not give them the keys until utilities are connected, and during this time they would still be responsible for the monthly rent.
I minimize this issue by requiring all move-in fees paid up at lease signing, well before move-in. I remind tenants of utility switching at the lease signing as well as in writing with a "move-in cost sheet."
I call the utilities provider the day before or day of the move-in, and confirm a connect order has been issued for another customer to take over that address on the specific date. If that is not the case, I would proceed as stated in my first paragraph.
