When the Memphis Apartment Landlord Pays Utilities
Sep 22nd, 2007 by Memphis Apartments
With the high cost of utilities many renters are looking for Memphis apartment landlords who pay utilities. While this might seem like the best of both worlds, there are issues to consider. Do not rush into a lease agreement in which the rent includes utilities without considering all of your options.
You typically pay higher rent when utilities are included in the monthly rent amount. Many renters believe that when the rent includes utilities, the Memphis apartment landlord is paying for them. This is not true. What it really means is that the Memphis apartment landlord controls usage of the utilities. Your Memphis apartment landlord provides the utility. It is in his name.
Understand what this means. Your rent payment will not fluctuate monthly as utility costs fluctuate. This is because the Memphis apartment landlord regulates utility usage. He may not turn the heat on until the end of November even if an early winter arrives. You will not be able to turn your heat up beyond a certain temperature. This can be particularly problematic for senior citizens and tenants with health conditions.
If your Memphis apartment landlord pays for the water, do not think you can shower all day long. He will regulate your water usage. He might even control the water pressure. This can be a problem if you have a family and use more water than a single tenant. You might only be able to wash a specific number of loads of dirty laundry.
While you are free from utility bills, you do not have free reign over utility usage. This can be risky for you if your Memphis apartment landlord does not pay his utility bills. You can face cold winter days without heat. If this happens, contact your local housing court to see if you can use your rent payment to get utilities turned on in your name. If you decide to go the route of utilities included in your rent payment, carefully check out your Memphis apartment landlord’s utility payment history.
There is another way the Memphis apartment landlord can pay utilities. He can keep the utilities in his name but require you to pay the bill directly to him. This can get complicated. If you decide on this option, make sure you have a meter separate from other tenants. Otherwise, your Memphis apartment landlord is going to use a formula to allocate utility bills, which may or may not be fair to you. If there are four Memphis apartments on one meter and three of the Memphis apartments have families while you are single, it is not fair for the Memphis apartment landlord to simply split the utility bill into four equal amounts. The families probably use more utilities than you do.
If you are not sure how either option would benefit or harm you, ask the Memphis apartment landlord for a reference to another tenant who is similar to you in terms of family size and amount of time at home. His reference should be able to give you a sense of what to expect especially in terms of temperature control and water usage. Be specific with your questions.
Having another person responsible for your utility bills seems like a good idea. But that person also controls the amount of usage you have with those utilities. This can be problematic. It might be better to get an Memphis apartment in which you pay the rent and utilities. Try to get on a budget or payment plan for each utility. This will help you in the long run. If you are rarely home and do not think the utility regulation will be a problem, consider the rent option in which utility costs are included. You will not have to deal with the hassle of paying utility bills.