# I've been paying my neighbor's electric bill.



## Tin (Jul 22, 2015)

So last month our electric bill was triple what it has been at previous apartments. Our downstairs neighbor stated they had an issue with National Grid in that they have been doing "estimates" based on previous years and calculating your electric bill that way (their bill went from $137 a month down to about $40). Suspecting this was the issue I contacted National Grid, come to find out in our three apartment house there are only two meters. So we have been paying the third floor's electrical bill for the past 11 months (and possibly all the common areas). Just cutting bills in half this is well over $700 (I'm a poor graduate student so that is equal to two season passes lol). But it's much more than half, for example we are not home most weekends in the summer and our upstairs neighbors have two A/C units running and even when we are home we avoid using the A/C. 

Our landlord, who has been great, is pinning this on the third floor tenants who have it in their lease that heat and electric is included. The tenants are blaming it on the landlord and round we go. I've never had this sort of issue before and am curious what others would view as a possible solution. I will refuse to just split the bill history in half (we are paying about 3 times what we used to for electric in similar apartments and are very conservative with our electricity) and not to mention we are paying for the common areas which include some spotlights and a washer and dryer that three tenants have been using for the past 11 months. Our lease is up August 15th and we had already planned to renew prior to this.

Any input?


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## Puck it (Jul 22, 2015)

Move


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## Tin (Jul 22, 2015)

Puck it said:


> Move



Break a lease and fight the landlord who is an attorney? Sounds good lol

Plus finding a decent and dog friendly apartment under $1600 is impossible around here.


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## Puck it (Jul 22, 2015)

Tin said:


> Break a lease and fight the landlord who is an attorney? Sounds good lol
> 
> Plus finding a decent and dog friendly apartment under $1600 is impossible around here.


  It is a month until your lease is up.  How would that be breaking it?  Dryers are expensive to run too.  I would not be paying for that.  So who gets the money for he upper stairs electric included?


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## Tin (Jul 22, 2015)

We renewed the lease last month for the next year.


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## Not Sure (Jul 22, 2015)

Tin said:


> We renewed the lease last month for the next year.



Easy Solution if the Panel is in your apt....Start turning off breakers that don't affect your apartment.


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## thetrailboss (Jul 22, 2015)

Siliconebobsquarepants said:


> Easy Solution if the Panel is in your apt....Start turning off breakers that don't affect your apartment.



:lol:

He needs to get three separate meters.  Beginning and end of it.  

Or he pays your electric.


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## prsboogie (Jul 22, 2015)

I believe you still have the right to terminate the new contract before the actual start without penalty. As an aside, I have a dog friendly room for rent with everything included for $1000/mo you will just have to share space with my yellow lab, two kids and overbearing in laws, you want in??&#55357;&#56843;


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## freeski (Jul 22, 2015)

Short pay your rent a reasonable amount (estimate upstairs and common) until he installs another meter.


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## Tin (Jul 22, 2015)

Thanks for the input guys.




prsboogie said:


> I believe you still have the right to terminate the new contract before the actual start without penalty. As an aside, I have a dog friendly room for rent with everything included for $1000/mo you will just have to share space with my yellow lab, two kids and overbearing in laws, you want in??��



Sounds good! My dog needs all the company and play time he can get. Damn border collie genetics. During Brown graduation weekend you could get $1000 for the weekend lol. Air B&B can bring it in. Our place during Brown and RISD graduation can get $300 a night.


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## ScottySkis (Jul 22, 2015)

Why due that.


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## Savemeasammy (Jul 22, 2015)

I need a neighbor like you.  


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile app


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## MadMadWorld (Jul 23, 2015)

Savemeasammy said:


> I need a neighbor like you.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile app



Agreed. I don't know the best answer but here in MA people would call good ole Lizzie Warren's office for that shit. There are resources within the AG that may be able to give you information at no cost.


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## prsboogie (Jul 23, 2015)

Too bad she wouldn't do anything for him! He's not under privileged enough for her to care about! He's trying to better himself!


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## Not Sure (Jul 23, 2015)

Maybe a call to local Code enfrocement official ?, wont cost anything and they would know if it's a violation. Landlords dont want them poking around they may find other violations $$$$$


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## Tin (Jul 23, 2015)

MadMadWorld said:


> Agreed. I don't know the best answer but here in MA people would call good ole Lizzie Warren's office for that shit.



Prior to coffee this morning I really thought that said Lizzie Borden. :-D


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## prsboogie (Jul 23, 2015)

Tin said:


> Prior to coffee this morning I really thought that said Lizzie Borden. :-D



You would have better results


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## Puck it (Jul 23, 2015)

prsboogie said:


> You would have better results 


Faux- chantas!!!!!!


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## bigbog (Jul 23, 2015)

Yeah...so you have a lease..y/n?  If so DID YOU READ the thing?  Take the lease to the people mentioned and take the bill(a couple bills if possible) to them as well and let them know just what you've told us.  We can't do anything!  ...but don't let this sit Tin, god forbid you..at some time..need the landlord's name and opinion of you as a tenant...for another apartment.


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## Tin (Jul 23, 2015)

I was just looking for opinions. I've never had any thing close to this happen and even discussion of it online with solutions is limited. 

Have a lease...I'm responsible for my electric/gas bills. Upstairs lease...landlord responsible for their electric and gas. The first floor tenants had an electrician come and they are paying for the washer/dryer/common space electric. Big mess. So there are two people paying the electricity for 4 accounts.

All of us living in the house last night had a meeting and are presenting a solution that the two floor's that have paid about $1200 extra in the past year get a month with rent half off (about $600 off for each of us) and the landlord put in a third meter so the third floor starts getting their own bills. We are going to be as civilized as possible as we cannot bluff that we will break leases (apartments with August move-ins are hard to come by since school starts in a month and it's short notice) but we could go after her for well over $1200 because of several other things that were discovered last night. We shall see today!


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## ctenidae (Jul 23, 2015)

You're probably SOL on recovering anything without a lot of arguing and fighting. Definitely demand a re-wire with 3 panels, or convert your lease to electric included.  

I find it hard to believe the landlord included electricity in the upstairs without knowing full well it was being paid by you. That's unethical at least, illegal at worst. He's an attorney, you say? You know, you can get disbarred for that kind of shit. With that ace up your sleeve, maybe a recovery isn't so far out of the question...


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## Puck it (Jul 23, 2015)

Did you try this?

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/07/23/student-lives-in-tent-to-save-money/


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## Tin (Jul 23, 2015)

ctenidae said:


> I find it hard to believe the landlord included electricity in the upstairs without knowing full well it was being paid by you. That's unethical at least, illegal at worst. He's an attorney, you say? You know, you can get disbarred for that kind of shit. With that ace up your sleeve, maybe a recovery isn't so far out of the question...


I

It's getting fun now. 3rd floor says they have an email from the landlord that states it is included in their rent because it is "cheaper for her to not have another meter".


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## Puck it (Jul 23, 2015)

Tin said:


> I
> 
> It's getting fun now. 3rd floor says they have an email from the landlord that states it is included in their rent because it is "cheaper for her to not have another meter".


then it should be for the rest too


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## ctenidae (Jul 23, 2015)

Tin said:


> I
> 
> It's getting fun now. 3rd floor says they have an email from the landlord that states it is included in their rent because it is "cheaper for her to not have another meter".



Sure is cheaper. Not so much for you, but it's definitely a good deal for her. And the 3rd floor. I don't know RI tenant law, but in Mass you'd have quite a few options for recourse.


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## MadMadWorld (Jul 23, 2015)

That's it I'm calling crime stoppers!!


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## skiNEwhere (Jul 23, 2015)

MadMadWorld said:


> That's it I'm calling crime stoppers!!



Won't the call just eventually route back to you?


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## MadMadWorld (Jul 24, 2015)

skiNEwhere said:


> Won't the call just eventually route back to you?



I guess if you want to get technical!


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## marcski (Jul 24, 2015)

1st thing to do is to get the email from your upstairs neighbor.

Then, the thing to consider is do you like where you live and how long do you plan on staying there?  If just for the next year that you recently renewed, then tell your landlord that your recently found out that you have been paying for the 3rd apartment's electric.  If he refuses to split your electric, then you should take him to small claims and show the judge the email.


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## AdironRider (Jul 26, 2015)

You need to move. Period.  Quit worrying about breaking your lease, the landlord is already breaking it.

Otherwise you are in for a long and messy battle. Just walk away and save the battle for court to get your deposit and last months rent back. If you do have that email, you will win easy peasy in court and not have to live below folks that are going to resent you for the remainder of the lease, not to mention a landlord who sucks.


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## frapcap (Jul 27, 2015)

Thats a bummer man. What did the landlord say about your proposal? 
One thing I wonder about is if that house you live in is actually considered a 3 apartment tenement. If the upstairs has included utilities, I'd say that it might be a fair bet that the landlord doesn't have that section of the house named as a tenement since there isn't a third meter. If this is the case, they may be dodging some property tax due to a lower assessed value. The state generally frowns upon that. 

If the upstairs folks are friendly with you, could you possibly cut them a 50/50 deal for your power bill? Granted, you use less than 50% of the power, but some money is better than no money. They may not go for that since its 'included' in their rent, but maybe if they're decent people...

Thats a crummy situation man.


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## Tin (Jul 27, 2015)

New meters going in next week, a month rent-free, and picking up half our electric bills since we moved in. Decent resolution imo.


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## bigbog (Jul 27, 2015)

Hey, that's good news!


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## ctenidae (Jul 27, 2015)

Tin said:


> New meters going in next week, a month rent-free, and picking up half our electric bills since we moved in. Decent resolution imo.



Factor in the quick turn around on the resolution, and that's a pretty good deal, overall. Cash back in your pocket for season passes, anyway!


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## Puck it (Jul 27, 2015)

Sweet.  My bill is in the mail.


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## wa-loaf (Jul 27, 2015)

Tin said:


> New meters going in next week, a month rent-free, and picking up half our electric bills since we moved in. Decent resolution imo.





ctenidae said:


> Factor in the quick turn around on the resolution, and that's a pretty good deal, overall. Cash back in your pocket for season passes, anyway!



I think the landlord, despite being some kind of lawyer, realized they really f-ed up on this. You could have refused to pay rent and tied them up for years. It can be very tough to evict tenants in MA/RI.


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## frapcap (Jul 28, 2015)

Tin said:


> New meters going in next week, a month rent-free, and picking up half our electric bills since we moved in. Decent resolution imo.



Outstanding man!! 
New found money, too! Time for a season pass?


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