Is the landlord responsible for paying my energy bill if they caused it to go up during repairs?
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Is the landlord responsible for paying my energy bill if they caused it to go up during repairs?
Asked on August 3, 2011 California
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you have a written lease with your landlord regarding your rented unit, read the lease carefully in that it typically controls your obligations to the landlord and the landlord to you unless in violation of California law. Check to see if there is a specific provision about who is to pay the the monthly utility charges for the rented unit.
If the provision states something to the effect that you are "for your own use" then any increase in utility charges resulting from repairs by the landlord would not be your obligation to pay, it would be the landlord's. Even if there is no provision similar to what I wrote is in your lease, the landlord should pay the increase above the average monthly amount that you had in the past.
From a practical aspect, you should just ask the landlord to pay the monthly increase. Hopefully the landlord is a realistic person and agrees to do so.
Good question.
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