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

[ctenidae]

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...

 

[Puck it]

Did you try this?

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

 

[Tin]

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".

 

[Puck it]

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

 

[ctenidae]

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.

 

[MadMadWorld]

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

 

[skiNEwhere]

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

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

 

[MadMadWorld]

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

I guess if you want to get technical!

 

[marcski]

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.

 

[AdironRider]

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.

 

[frapcap]

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.

 

[Tin]

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

 

[bigbog]

Hey, that's good news!

 

[ctenidae]

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!

 

[Puck it]

Sweet. My bill is in the mail.

 

[wa-loaf]

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!

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.

 

[frapcap]

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?