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

Tin

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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?
 

Puck it

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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?
 

prsboogie

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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??��
 

freeski

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

Tin

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Thanks for the input guys.


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.
 

MadMadWorld

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Leominster, MA
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.
 

prsboogie

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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!
 

Not Sure

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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 $$$$$
 

bigbog

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Bangor and the state's woodlands
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.
 

Tin

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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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