Tenant Utility Bill Obligation

[Garrett Brunell]

If the lease that your tenant signed states that they are responsible for the electric and gas utilities does the start date for those utility responsibilities coincide with the start date of the lease? If it does and the tenant did not transfer the utilities into their name within a reasonable amount of time (say 1-2 days) then is it a good idea to try and get the utility bill pro-rated to the tenant for the additional time that they owe on the bill? Say the extra bill time amounted to 2 weeks and the landlord is paying the bill for that interim.

Does anyone have experience with making this a smooth financial transition? Advice for the next time...

[Ryan Dossey]

I would say 1-2 days isn't very much time for them to get it switched necessarily. I wouldn't necessarily burn a new relationship over it. Maybe ask what the hold up was and put the ball in their court? But I'd rather eat 2 weeks of utility bills and have a good tenant than evict and lose months of rent.