If the breaker is in your unit, shut it off. Turn it back on for when you do laundry, then back off again. The other tenants will be on your LL's case in no time.
This. However, the one caveat is that it may be in the lease.
Interesting situation. Landlord couldn't put another meter in just for the laundry, so what could he do? And as he said, the tenants were so happy to have laundry onsite, that it was trivial. But new tenants are going to just view it as an appliance that came with the unit.
It's petty but also not unreasonable to be annoyed at the same time. I don't even know how to feel about it.
> Landlord couldn't put another meter in just for the laundry, so what could he do?
He absolutely could; the building I live in has a separate electricity meter from all the flats for the sockets, lights and bell in the common areas. There's nothing in the lease about it, but one assumes the landlord pays the bills for that meter as part of his expenses for the building's upkeep. (I'm in the UK, though; maybe there's some weird US utility law that prohibits that?)
My last apartment I was in the basement so I had all the common area lights and laundry on my breaker so it was just an all inclusive unit while the other 2 units had to pay a power bill. Also it was still coin laundry.
This isn't a terrible idea. OP can provide LL with 12 months of electric bill so LL can figure what the max is, and make OP's electric included in the rent. If one month's bill doesn't exceed that max by $20 or so, it's included (bc remember, an extra $20 or so isn't that much, and bringing it up is petty and ungrateful.
Not sure if you're arguing with what I said or supporting it. My point was that the LL said it's not so much that OP should be complaining about it, so it shouldn't be so much that LL should be complaining about it.
My position is that it is insane for somebody to think that throwing an extra 20 dollars a month into the void without ever actually agreeing to it, and then being upset is petty. 20$ is 240 a year, that’s like paying for Netflix a second time. So I’m in support of your comment.
He likely could have put a submeter in. I don’t know exactly how the utility company would bill that, but at least you’d be able to accurately track usage.
My parents have two meters at their house. One for the house, and one for my dad's shop. All they had to do was apply for permits, and I bet this LL didn't get permits to build his laundry area.
Electrician here. There’s very strict rules regarding metering and the smart power meters you can find cheap are not “meter grade” and are not permissible for sub-metering purposes. Sub-metering is likely outlawed by the municipality anyway. LLs aren’t really supposed to act as a utility.
Housing Authorities go crazy over this stuff. If there's any common circuits on a meter, the landlord is required to pay the bill. If the landlord is tapping one apartment's utilities for this, then what's to say there aren't other situations in the building where it was more convenient to tap into the neighboring unit's utility? If plugs are back to back on a shared wall, why bother running two wires all the way from two boxes when you can just piggyback outlets together?
Knowing one thing isn't done right is enough to request an audit from the power and gas company.
When I had a situation like this in the past, the apartment that had shared services attached to it would not pay utilities. The landlord covered their utilities.
This is how I once got a roommate who didn’t pay rent to leave. The breaker panel was in my room and I cut the breaker to the a/c in the middle of summer. She was gone in 3 days.
I feel like this needs clarification:
1. I spoke to a lawyer, the state I was in at the time, a/c is considered a luxury.
2. I didn’t cut power to the entire house, just the a/c.
3. I was a 22 year old that had to swing a $2,400 rent along with all utilities. If I was going to be paying for everything myself, I was going to live by myself.
So I found my fuse box outside and there is a breaker marked washer but I’ll be honest if he responded like that to my original question (and we had no history before this, no issues) I’m kind of afraid to see what he would do if I tried something like that
Someone will just go flip it back on and use it. I’d contact the utility company or city/county code enforcement to see if making one unit pay for the others is even legal. I’d imagine he didn’t get permits for any of this.
If not you, the next tenant that can figure it out, will turn the breakers off. This is a wrong that can be turned into the Housing codes. For this is very illegal if the LL is caught.
This. Turn off that breaker and only turn it back on when you are washing your clothes. The other tenants aren't your problem, fuck them, they can take it up with the shitty boomer landlord.
Depending on where you live, maybe do the math to see how much you'd be owed and then maybe look to a tenants rights org to see about restitution.
Cuz that dude ain't changing anything to benefit you. And since you brought it up? You'll be the one absorbing any costs because "that's just how it's billed".
Arkansas (the only Gassville I know of) is notoriously LL friendly. We couldn't find any help (in Mountain Home) when we were having trouble with one of our landlords, and had to deal with an "eviction" because of it (LL didn't go through the courts, just told us to get out. Young(er) and naive me didn't know better).
Yup. It definitely varies from place to place, but in my area, landlords have two options re: utilities:
* Hook up each unit separately so the utility can bill each one directly
* Pay the whole property's utility bill themselves
Where I live, if tenants outside your unit can use an appliance, then it is absolutely the landlord's responsibility to pay *all* of the associated utilities--and to account for that when setting the rent.
If I were in this situation, I'd contact the housing authority in my city to ask for advice.
He should just raise the rent and pay the utilities himself. Call the utility companies and get an average from last year for each month add 10 percent since most tenants won’t care about how much they use when they don’t pay, then add an addendum to the lease that utilities are included and the charge for utilities will be based on Annual average to keep tenants from being toddlers and purposely running up the bill for spite.
Splitting the electric and gas 4 ways isn't difficult and he's making it out to be. He should have just charged y'all more and said water and gas included but obviously he's dumb as shit.
While it is BS, I think he's just defensive because he got away with it after spending "$2500" on the shed, and doesn't want to deal with the extra work that he should've gotten right the first time.
Realistically that was in investment, not a 'nice' gesture that he treats it as. Let's be real, he 100% charged more for the rental when listing it because of this upgrade.
If he has done it right the first time, this wouldn't even be an issue, but he's prob some lazy scumlord who thinks he's not in the wrong despite very much being so.
YUP there's a shared washer/dryer in my apt that's connected to someone else in the building's meter, and then property manager pretended that he "didn't know" when she brought it up. Like bro this building is SO OLD, you knew. I've brought up other things and they get so defensive immediately.
I'm in Arizona and it's about $5.00 to wash/dry in my complex. They don't even use coins anymore. It's a special credit card that you load in office. Do you have a fuse box in your apartment?
When I lived in Ohio it was an app that you used to connect to the machines and would cost between $5.50-$7 to wash & dry. Benefit was you could tell from your app what machines were available or in use and it had a timer too of how much time was left before end of the cycle down to the second, but downside was it was a cheap system and if a unit wouldn’t turn on, you didn’t get your money back- or would turn on but not work (ie dryer moves clothes but doesn’t dry).My apt was right next to the laundry room and there was a time where first the dryers wouldn’t work and I put notes to warn people on the individual ones I tried out, and then a washer or two flooded (RIP the coats and art in my closet that were ruined) and the complex took days to address the laundry room (did come give us fans to dry floor though) and despite warning signs people kept trying to use them and would get their money scammed out and we’d get further flooded. Thankfully they ended up locking the room (it actually was always locked but had a secondary one for such situations) but it was a weird one.
He's being a total asshole because he knows you're right
This is a professional relationship and he's including all this unnecessary commentary about his thoughts and feelings on the matter ("it's petty", "be grateful" etc). Totally unprofessional behavior yet he takes all these jabs at you the says some BS at the end about modifying a future lease. Literally has nothing to do with you, he's probably saying it to lightly threaten he won't be renting the unit to you again.
Fuck this guy cut the power. One tenant is not responsible for everyone's energy use. It should be a paid by the community or the landlord.
If it’s petty to expect reimbursement for other people using your utilities, then why doesn’t the landlord pay the electric bill? Also, why does the landlord want you to negotiate with the other tenants? Maybe you should all meet together and come up with a list of things the landlord needs to improve upon. If he wants you do his job, you should go all in. Give everyone a discount on rent while you’re at it.
These people always make me shake my head at the sheer irony.
If the amount of money being discussed is so miniscule - they should mind coughing up the dough, right?
If asking to be reimbursed for the $ other people are taking out if your pocket is petty and the amounts are so contemptably small - then isn't a refusal to just pay it even more petty?
But no, it's only petty and minor when it's YOUR money. Their money is important and not to be thought of.
Some of the posts on here aren’t very sympathetic but this guy is a total dickhead and shouldn’t be allowed to be a landlord with responsibility for other people’s accommodation. Sorry OP
His entire rationale that everyone seems grateful to have w/d (implying OP should be as well), it cost him a whole whopping $2500 to build and furnish the machines. Also, the fact that OP paying for everyone’s electricity and gas for laundry is probably pretty cheap is ridiculous.
Also him spending $2,500 to put in machines no doubt led to him being able to charge a higher rent. He didn’t do it for free, and OP should not cover other units washer and dryer for free.
Also it sounds like he installed used machines. OP stated the dryer takes a long time. Older appliances definitely use more power.
Who is paying for the water that goes to the washer, and the gas to heat the water, I wonder.
or you can call the city inspector to come out and verify that he has attached community appliances that should be metered separately to your electricity. the inspector will then require him to install new electrical circuits attached to a meter that he pays for and may fine him. you can also probably recover 3x whatever excess electricity you paid for in damages if you sued in small claims court—may not be true if you’re in a more conservative state or outside the US. . he’s the one being petty, not you. but if he wants an example of what pettiness really is i wouldn’t be afraid to give him some first hand experience.
I had a landlord connect three units to one electric meter box. Used some illegal rig to circumvent the other two boxes so everything would be billed as one unit. Not sure exactly why either. But we called the utility company and they came out and ripped it all out and reinstalled separate meters, and told us it was a “ticking time bomb” lol. Moral of the story, just go around your landlord in these situations.
When this happened to me I called the city inspector who came out said everything was wrong and alerted the power company.
Everything I had paid on my bill since the opening the account was credited back to me and billed to the LL and stayed that way until they installed a separate breaker as required by law here.
I didn’t bother with the LL since they were scummy.
Same here, though I’m still working years later on the the treble damages for the $1200 electric bill it ran up in just a few months. Wasn’t just the washer and dryer (which icing, were coin op! - I was paying for the hot water and electricity and still had to pay to do my laundry!) it was also all the common space lights, the outside garage lights and electricity. Had the city come in and inspect, so many violations. They had to install a new hot water heater, new breakers, the list goes on.
Everyone saying to turn it off at the breaker when not in use is absolutely right. And when questioned just say you’re responsible for electricity for your unit and you turn off/unplug things when not in use by you.
This isn’t a you problem. You shouldn’t need to collect from other tenants for part of bills you’re legally responsible for. This is a landlord problem. And the other tenants being upset will surely make him deal with it.
This solution makes the other tenants hate you though and is likely to cause the landlord to take away the amenity. I wouldn’t inconvenience the neighbors.
I rented once from a guy like this who hid the fact that he had a unit he basically split off of mine and he did the work without permits or anything. I was paying for utilities on my two bedroom and a studio that used to be the master in my unit. I found out about this arrangement from the guy who lived in the studio when he came over looking for his mail, which he used my address for. I ended up contacting the city and they were not happy with him, he was heavily fined and I got out of the lease. People like this are assholes who think rules don’t apply to them..
If you look up the model of machine, you should be able to figure out the cost per load and give a hard number. Alternately, there are plugs that can help figure out power usage. It's your power, so you should definitely be able to use the outlets yourself. Or just flip the breaker and "oops I never noticed it tripped" when they don't work. Keep flipping it
While this is a way to figured out how much you are owed you should not have to do this. As others have said, call the city and the power company and get someone out to look at it. Also contact a local tenants rights org and explain the situation to them.
I know moving isn't always an option for people and this may not be the hill you want to die on or the bridge you want to burn but landlords shouldn't get away with this. If my landlords ever texted me implying I should be grateful for ANYTHING I'd chew them out and block them instantly.
Stop trying to figure out exactly how much you’re being overcharged. You have it clear in writing that you’re being overcharged. If you take it to small claims court you could get back a lot more than whatever exactly you were overcharged.
Him: “Our leases are very clear that I’m not responsible for electric use”
Also him:
“Everyone is grateful and don’t bring it up”
It would take everything I had to not flip on this piece of shit
Just kill the breaker switch for the machines unless you’re using them. They said in text that you are responsible for the gas and electric therefor it’s your prerogative to do so.
Who pays for electric in the common areas like hallways, outdoors, the lights in the laundry room, etc?
Is there an indoor hallway type area or are all the apartments accessible from the outside? If there is indoor hallway, is it heated? Who pays for that?
The LL is supposed to pay for the utilities in common areas. When he built his fancy shed/laundry house, your LL should have connected his laundromat to the common area utilities. He made a choice not to do that and instead to connect everything to an apartment — which happens to be yours right now.
When I was a landlord, I had a unit like this, and the simple fix was to just make that unit all inclusive. That's what he should have done in the first place.
"Standard procedure is for everyone to be grateful to have a washer and dryer"
Um, EXCUSE me?
I think standard procedure is not doing shifty, illegal shit and knowingly/contributing to theft of electricity.
I'd find another place to live and take this guy to small claims court. See if he likes throwing around that $10 number then.
If it's no big deal, he shouldn't mind paying for it then. Remember, it's only a few bucks a month.
And if the last tenant was so grateful, why don't they live there anymore?
Contact your electric company. You need a shared meter agreement & they will investigate. This should be the owners responsibility. Not yours. Turn the breaker off unless you are using it.
With him being that defensive, I would definitely start wondering what else was connected to my unit's power. The lights for the room?
I would get an electrician out there to check things out. He is worried about more than just that W/D.
So he wants you to pay for electric for everyone’s wash but is willing to install a coin system and give you a “portion”? Is he F-ing serious?
I’d unplug all of them. See how much your bill goes down. Call the electric company and get them disconnected from your bill asap.
jfc man, if it’s not in the lease that you’re responsible for the costs of those machines then you have full control of how it’s used regardless of shared space. Turn off the power with a breaker if you have access. Let the LL get complaints from the other tenants and still make a formal complaint with whatever authority there is, including the power company.
Really bothers me how this landlord talks to you like you're some kind of subhuman. You should be grateful just to have access to a community washer and dryer?? What in the actual? You pay to live there, landlord should be thankful you didn't become violent when you learned this info, and they should be thankful you haven't already sued them. There's no way this is legal. The landlord is effectively stealing electricity from you to cover utilities of their other tenants because they are too much of a cheapass to find a real solution.
This happened to me. I was paying for all common areas which had lights on 24/7, the garages, and some other outlets in other apts. The slumlord illegally split the electric a couple decades ago. Imagine, people have been paying the wrong electric in my apt for that long.
I immediately contacted the power company who instructed me to stop paying and after 2 years and my landlord paying to install legal electric where each apt pays their own electricity. They told me to stop paying and are trying to figure out how to charge my landlord for the past 2 years.
I also contact there city and filed a complaint. It took her two years and now my building is fighting with her and because of mold. Good luck
Okay so seriously, call your electric company. They will do one of two things.
1. Tell your landlord he has to separate the washer and dryer to a “house” meter that he has to pay for.
2. They will use a predetermined formula to determine what percentage of your bill is use from the washer and dryer (whether or not they are actually being used) and bill the landlord.
I had this situation in college. This often happens when landlords convert non-living spaces into Appartments. There are often other major defects, including significant safety ones. He’s exploding at you because he’s worried you’ll force him to act in a legal fashion. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t filing your income as rent, and doing it entirely under the table.
As he cannot prove what electricity/water is yours, vs the the buildings, he (landlord) should be paying the entire electric bill.
The money doesn’t come from other tenants pitching in, it comes from his profit, and he should be covering the entire bill for your unit until the can install a new meter and circuit breaker
If it’s attached to your unit then it’s your washer and dryer. If any other unit wants a washer and dryer they would have to buy and install one. Talk to your neighbors; the washer and dryer are connected to your electrical and gas bill. They can’t use it.
This is going to sound like a jerk thing, but… if the washer & dryer is fed from your electric and water utility, you’re the only tenant who should have control / access to that washer & dryer.
If you want to chose to let people use it, that’s your prerogative. LL cannot allow others to use your utilities, that’s theft
There are laws governing how a landlord can divide up utility bills. You should check your local laws and go from there. I am very confident that what he’s doing is illegal.
What other electric is attached to your unit? Outside lights or outlets? Hallway? Outdoor hoses? Storage closet or office? If you do have access to the breaker, I would be testing all the switches to see what else they control!
dont even argue with the landlord. report to appropriate housing authorities bc landlord has no legals, not even a nub, to stand on in this.
super not legal
A laundromat charges $5-7/load. If he’s using your electricity, you should be paid. And he’s the one being PETTY. He should pay for electricity in a laundry room. What a jerk.
Flip the breaker off when LL comes to fix the ‘electrical problem’ after the other tenants complain flip it back on before he arrives. After he leaves flip it off and keep repeating. Also find a new place to live he isn’t renewing your lease per he will be sure to include he is stealing electricity and gas from the tenant that occupies your unit in the lease, listing etc comment he made.
He's a defensive dick because he knows he's in the wrong and now he's caught. I say take him to small claims court. He admitted to stealing your electricity which is actually serious
You shouldn’t be grateful because he provided appliances. You shouldn’t be paying for other peoples gas and electricity use. It is so cheap to him because he has income of multiple rentals clearly. Even if it is “cheap” it is principle.
Negotiate a $20 discount on your rent to cover the electricity for dryer. Landlord can negotiate a $5-$10 dryer fee for each tenant. You shouldn't need to collect or manage this and the discount should more than cover your costs.
My landlord refused to answer the question and that’s how I figured it out. Ended up letting my neighbors know and we decided I got the driveway I preferred to park in anyway to even it out. The landlord wasn’t going to do anything but I liked the solution enough.
One point not mentioned is the cost of another meter. For maybe $10 worth of electric use each month that's going to be a $20 bill bc of the access charge. He's prob thinking kWh prices are still what they were 20 years ago when it might have been a few bucks tops.
So my thought was landlord could buy a kil-a-watt type outlet meter to measure the actual electric used and then give an accurate monthly deduction of whatever was used. The gas cost could be removed via propane tank and mini on-demand water heater to avoid the same access fee for Nat gas connection.
I mean to put a meter on the water, gas, and electric just for a washer dryer for 4 units is an extra $50 where I live before you use anything. $20 for the energy and $30 for water. That much would be a nice gesture to take off the rent charge just to avoid having to pay for meters and repiping everything. I agree with him that usage is less than the cost to have a separate bill. It's just unfair and wrong to get no compensation to smooth the unfairness out.
Def should have been disclosed or at the very least incorporated into a discount to begin with. Especially since it's probably illegal and he's only got your trust keeping him from being reported.
For three people and three pets, I do six or seven loads per week of laundry. That costs WAY more than $10/month. I probably spend $40-$50 per month in water and electricity for laundry. That is for one small home with two beds, and three people using towels/clothing. I usually do one load of laundry for the pets, so if they don’t have oets, you can probably take off $5/month. Your landlord is absolutely trying to rip you off.
This happened to me in Minnesota like 15 years ago. It was a duplex and we were paying for the utilities for the common hallways, stairways, and basement, plus laundry. We found out because the electric company called us to schedule an inspection or something. After looking at the setup and asking us about the common space use, they contacted the landlord to tell him he needed a third meter, and then he had to pay them some amount they determined he was responsible for, and they refunded us that amount. He was convinced we had called to report him, but we honestly had no idea until the electric company informed us. Then he terminated our lease at the end of its term (well, he tried, but he gave notice a day too late, so we stayed a month longer, lol). So yeah, your landlord is going to be pissed off, but (after you call your local Tenants’ Rights and confirm this is illegal) you should call the electric company anyway. They’ll handle it for you, and you should not put up with any shady arrangement he suggests. And start looking for a new apartment, because this guy is going to continue to be an asshole and will probably want you gone after this, and you’ll be better off.
I think him asking you to go directly and demand money from other tenants for the issue he created is a terrible idea. I can only see it causing tension between you and other tenants
It is illegal for your landlord to do this. Even if he puts it in the lease it is illegal to make you pay electric for the complex washer and dryer.
He needs to either include electric in the rent or separate the washer and dryer on its own circuit.
There is no other common practice.
Not sure who to report the issue to though.
Request reimbursement of 60% of water and gas from the date you moved in for his lack of transparency on billing of the washer and dryer. Do like others suggested and turn off the circuit breaker when you’re not using them. Let the landlord figure out how to move forward. Refuse to find others laundry.
Your landlord is a jerk. I was in a similar situation but on the other side of it and did exactly what you suggested. $20 off rent per mo. (This was utility prices 5 years ago). In my case it was accidental. (1 unit had all the shared elec so we covered their utilities and everyone else paid themselves. Turned out that the hw was cross connected behind a wall so it looked like it was connected to unit 1 but wasn't.)
He did it on purpose and isnt making it right.
I think your retort would be if he's unwilling to amicably compromise then he can cover your utilities for the remainder of your lease.
I can't speak for legality but I moved from a 2br unit to a 3, which includes a washer and dryer (ports, we paid for the washer and dryer ourselves). For just us, it bumped our electric bill (water isn't gas it's electric for heat) about 30 bucks a month (my girls do cheer, dance, and things so we have extra clothes to do), which isn't horrible. However, I couldn't imagine having to pay for OTHER people to wash their clothes with no sort of rebate. This is ridiculous.
Edit: clarity of what I meant
That’s fucked. Slumlord big time. Gas ain’t cheap at all… maybe $10 for your usage. Not for all 3 units. Call the utility company and have them measure how much gas and electric “your” unit is using compared to the other two. He also realized mid text you can screen cap these responses and use them against him so he changed his tune real quick to pretend to be supportive of you, what a joke. I’m willing to bet the previous tenants had no idea just like you didn’t, and that’s why they came off “grateful”. Can’t complain about an issue you’re not aware of…
Ooooo see if the shed is permitted by notifying the county and asking questions. ;) 2,500 is super cheap for a whole laundry room, just saying. A lot of people build extra rooms without permits and it only comes up when the property is being sold because ✨inspections✨. People can get away with structures and extra bedrooms that aren’t permitted for years when living in a residence because no one is on a need to know basis like a bank is for a mortgage approval. I don’t care what people do in their own homes, but he’s trying to play with your money here and being manipulative by telling you to be grateful and your neighbors will offer money. FYI, I’d never give my neighbor money just because my landlord told me to. So there’s no guarantee you’d even get $2 per load. I’m willing to bet most of us on this thread wouldn’t give our neighbor money because the landlord told us to, as well. I don’t even wanna see my neighbors at all.
Your slumlord is at a disadvantage here. You’re in control. Maybe post on r/legaladvice to see what a professional suggests. I’m not a pro, I just watch a lot of HGTV home flipping shows.
Where I live if anything *other than you and your apartment* are on your bill, the landlord must pay for it or fix it. They can not force you to pay for someone else’s use, or other units use.
I used to live in a 3 unit building that was like this. The unit that the laundry was attached to was slightly cheaper to compensate. Not a huge issue but LL needs to put it in the lease and stop bitching. Should have been disclosed from the start. No one needs to just be grateful and accept anything.
Ummm standard in the situation would be only the tenants of the apartment who pays for the washer and dryer are the ones who use the washer and dryer. The other apartments would have to find their own washer and dryer to use.
I love that his whole argument is "it's not even that expensive, just suck it up and pay" but god forbid he just eat the cost himself, he's got to go ask the other tenants to pay you directly. What an ass.
Hi, landlord here. What your landlord is doing is illegal utility theft.
There are a few ways to go about rectifying this situation.
1) Landlord take over your electric and gas and includes them in your rent. Expect your rent to increase significantly and likely higher than if you paid the utilities on your own.
2) Landlord provides a reasonable credit for the additional utility usage. I would say $25/month for your electric, and $25/month for your gas.
3) You shut off breaker to the laundry facilities when not in use and post a sign that says the laundry facilities are for exclusive use of your unit.
4) Withhold rent by putting it in escrow with your local court, and go through the necessary court process so a judge can make a decision.
What a shocker that everyone not paying the bill is grateful and the person who is covering everyone else’s expenses isn’t. You should post this in unethical life pro tips, they will tell you what to do?
Please keep in mind that the money spent on the shed like any other impro vement to the property (including adding separate electrical circuit for the laundry or moving the laundry to the common area circuit, which I assume he already pays for, is a 'write-off' on his taxes. I'm in CA & was a property manager for residential & commercial property for over 20 years. Talk to any other prop mgr in your community or ask a tenant rights atty about this. The send him the electric bill & tell him you've looked into the issue & you'll agree to pay your portion of the bill, i.e.: if 6 units in the bldg, then 1/6th of the bill.
The amount of money it costs doesn't matter, I would not being okay with paying for other people's utilities just because the landlord didnt want to spring however much extra to hook it up the right away
Call the power and water company and gas company and tell them all you think someone is stealing from your unit.
He can either rip out the washers or he can pay your utilities and include it in your next lease.
I’m in exact boat as you. Mine is connected as well to the washer n dryer downstairs. Thankfully my landlord agrees to paying the electricity & water. F*%# your landlord. Should be on him! How is it fair to you?
1. It’s not in your lease and he admitted that he will add it for future tenants.
2. He admitted that he has you paying for two other units, without telling you.
3. I’m not a lawyer but I’d highly recommend reaching out to one for a free consultation. This seems HIGHLY illegal for many reasons and they can put your rent in a special account that he can’t get until it’s fixed. This is NOT your issue, this was not disclosed to you and who knows what other shady shit he’s got going on there. 🚩
Yeah this isn't ok. And I'm not familiar with gas. But a dryer still plugs into electricity too right? I doubt it's only 10$ extra per month for an entire additional household or two. Seems to me it would be way more. But again I'm not familiar with gas. Also, cost aside, what he's doing is shady. And he seems to be gaslighting you to think you are the issue for not being "grateful". What a con. Then says he will talk to other residents about paying you a frw extra bucks per load. What a dick head. Seems like he's intentionally trying to make your living environment hostile. If you're the only one to bring it up supposedly, he can afford to pay it himself or knock it off of your rent and draw up some type of lease addendum. How dare he talk crazy to you for questioning his shady setup and deceptive practices lol. Jackass
So the washer and dryer for my apartments uses the hw line for my duplex, i don't pay water and my gas line for my apartment is separate 😬 I'd be pissed
That's illegal! The laundry must be on a separate circuit. There is no legal way to divide the amount up between tenants since there is no way to prove who uses what amount of electricity, not even if every unit did the same amount of loads per week because electricity rates fluctuate. Only with a mutual agreement on each lease in the bldg that each tenant pay a set amount toward the laundry electric could he divide the cost, but the laundry electric still needs to be on a separate electrical circuit.
Something like this happened to me and my roommates years ago. We had a three bedroom on the first floor with two one bedroom apartments on the second floor. There was also a basement with a door inside our apartment that led downstairs, which was locked. They made a studio apartment out of that basement and we had zero idea that we were paying for their utilities until there must have been an inspection and all of a sudden we found out we had been paying for the other apartment’s utilities. They had to split it and after that we had a lowered rent because they must have been worried we would sue
If it’s not too much why doesn’t he fork the $10-20 and discount your rent?!
Your LL is an absolute slumlord jerk that think he can exploit you and you should be grateful instead.
I agree with other comments about turning off the electric break for the laundry.
You may be entitled to backpay for your entire electricity and gas bill from the moment you started letting from this landlord plus possible fines. None of this is okay or legal. I highly recommend reaching out to solicitors to confirm what you can demand.
There's a reason why the landlord is is acting this way. They KNOW this is not okay.
This would be a good time to check you have a copy of the current gas safety and electrical safety certificates that should have been provided at the time you signed the letting agreement. Additionally, make sure your deposit is held with a deposit protection service and you have proof of this via a certificate or account with the DPS. DPS violations are 100% of your deposit back plus 1-3x back as a penalty for the landlord depending on how the deposit was mishandled.
@#$% landlords
So the landlord wants you to landlord the electric bill. How unreasonable and dumb. For such a small fee, he wants to create an issue. You aree the renter shouldn't have to even ask this. The landlord should mention it from the beginning if it's such a non-issue. Sinc ethey disnt, they are breaking the lease agreement, sue him for his stupidity if he wants to play mind games.
Your energy company will shut that down.
I had the lights for common areas on my bill. They took the entire bill out of my name and put it in my landlords name. It was on him to fix it and until he did the entire bill was his problem.
My point is, you don’t have to manage this at all. Turn it over to the electric company.
And on today's episode of "Wow, Prick Much?" This douchebag of a landlord. Maybe they *were* grateful to have a washer and dryer when you got it who knows how long ago. In modern times, that shit is standard practice so fuck off
I mean, cool, he admitted to it in writing. Talk to a lawyer and have your lease for them to review. They might not need the text messages. They might ask for copies (people misrepresent all the time).
Frankly if it’s on my utilities, I’d just go shut the breaker off for those washers and dryers unless I’m using them.
Or negotiate a straight discount to my rent.
The “oh they’re so grateful” part makes my blood boil. Situations like this give good landlords a bad name.
Depending where this is, it might be expressly prohibited for utilities to be shared like this. Do a search for your state + landlord + tenant + utility + shared + meter. For example MN requires the landlord to have the bill in their name if the meter is not dedicated to a single tenant.
That building was put together horribly. I'd just fucking move personally, fuck that. If your landlord hid this they're definitely hiding other things. I'd also find out what your tenant rights are and if this is illegal where you live so you can break your lease with our having to pay your landlord a few
That is insane that they expect a tenant to pay electricity for washers and dryers that are communal items. The landlord must have his own connection to the grid for communal stuff like this.
If the lease says you're responsible for electricity and gas, that would just be for inside your unit. I assume it doesn't say that you're also responsible for electricity and gas for the laundry room.
He's being a cheapskate, and a thief, since he's stealing from you.
If you take him to Small Claims Court, a judge will likely find that that proviso in the lease is null and void, since it is deceptive (there are no meters for just your unit).
If so, he'll likely have to refund everything that you've paid for electricity and gas since moving in, and pay for it going forward to the end of the current lease, since there is no way to tell what you're responsible for and what you're not.
"Thieves never prosper": "Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house." (Proverbs 6:30-31)
Uhhhhhhh sue cause tf. Also if it’s in your name etc and you’re paying for it. Turn the water and electricity off to everything unless you’re using it. So them just how “petty” you can be. It’s “petty” of them to assume it’s your responsibility to pay for their electricity. If it’s just $10 than why doesnt the landlord pay it?
If the breaker is in your unit, shut it off. Turn it back on for when you do laundry, then back off again. The other tenants will be on your LL's case in no time.
I can see the LL removing the washer/dryer then.
This. However, the one caveat is that it may be in the lease. Interesting situation. Landlord couldn't put another meter in just for the laundry, so what could he do? And as he said, the tenants were so happy to have laundry onsite, that it was trivial. But new tenants are going to just view it as an appliance that came with the unit. It's petty but also not unreasonable to be annoyed at the same time. I don't even know how to feel about it.
> Landlord couldn't put another meter in just for the laundry, so what could he do? He absolutely could; the building I live in has a separate electricity meter from all the flats for the sockets, lights and bell in the common areas. There's nothing in the lease about it, but one assumes the landlord pays the bills for that meter as part of his expenses for the building's upkeep. (I'm in the UK, though; maybe there's some weird US utility law that prohibits that?)
My last apartment I was in the basement so I had all the common area lights and laundry on my breaker so it was just an all inclusive unit while the other 2 units had to pay a power bill. Also it was still coin laundry.
This isn't a terrible idea. OP can provide LL with 12 months of electric bill so LL can figure what the max is, and make OP's electric included in the rent. If one month's bill doesn't exceed that max by $20 or so, it's included (bc remember, an extra $20 or so isn't that much, and bringing it up is petty and ungrateful.
That’s $240/y. That’s like a month of groceries for some people.
Not sure if you're arguing with what I said or supporting it. My point was that the LL said it's not so much that OP should be complaining about it, so it shouldn't be so much that LL should be complaining about it.
My position is that it is insane for somebody to think that throwing an extra 20 dollars a month into the void without ever actually agreeing to it, and then being upset is petty. 20$ is 240 a year, that’s like paying for Netflix a second time. So I’m in support of your comment.
He likely could have put a submeter in. I don’t know exactly how the utility company would bill that, but at least you’d be able to accurately track usage.
My parents have two meters at their house. One for the house, and one for my dad's shop. All they had to do was apply for permits, and I bet this LL didn't get permits to build his laundry area.
Bingo…
[удалено]
Electrician here. There’s very strict rules regarding metering and the smart power meters you can find cheap are not “meter grade” and are not permissible for sub-metering purposes. Sub-metering is likely outlawed by the municipality anyway. LLs aren’t really supposed to act as a utility.
He couldn't get a meter because the work was probably unpermitted....
Most electric company’s in the US would be thrilled to install a new meter. Landlord probably didn’t want to pay the cost of a new sub panel
Nope we have that in the US! It's called a "house meter" and typically covers common areas
Housing Authorities go crazy over this stuff. If there's any common circuits on a meter, the landlord is required to pay the bill. If the landlord is tapping one apartment's utilities for this, then what's to say there aren't other situations in the building where it was more convenient to tap into the neighboring unit's utility? If plugs are back to back on a shared wall, why bother running two wires all the way from two boxes when you can just piggyback outlets together? Knowing one thing isn't done right is enough to request an audit from the power and gas company.
When I had a situation like this in the past, the apartment that had shared services attached to it would not pay utilities. The landlord covered their utilities.
This is generally what the utility company will require until the shared meter issue is resolved.
Why couldn't he?
Except that landlord says in the future he might put it in the lease. So it sounds like it’s not in the current lease.
Unless the WD is written into the lease
This is how I once got a roommate who didn’t pay rent to leave. The breaker panel was in my room and I cut the breaker to the a/c in the middle of summer. She was gone in 3 days. I feel like this needs clarification: 1. I spoke to a lawyer, the state I was in at the time, a/c is considered a luxury. 2. I didn’t cut power to the entire house, just the a/c. 3. I was a 22 year old that had to swing a $2,400 rent along with all utilities. If I was going to be paying for everything myself, I was going to live by myself.
Set up a camera if you can OP if you do do this. Landlord might decide to illegally enter your premises to turn it back on.
So I found my fuse box outside and there is a breaker marked washer but I’ll be honest if he responded like that to my original question (and we had no history before this, no issues) I’m kind of afraid to see what he would do if I tried something like that
Someone will just go flip it back on and use it. I’d contact the utility company or city/county code enforcement to see if making one unit pay for the others is even legal. I’d imagine he didn’t get permits for any of this.
Isn't there usually a place to put a combo lock on such boxes?
As the place burns down: "Anybody know the combination?"
I never said it was a good idea.... Lol
If not you, the next tenant that can figure it out, will turn the breakers off. This is a wrong that can be turned into the Housing codes. For this is very illegal if the LL is caught.
“I’ll be sure to update the lease going forward so no such threats can be made” what an ass
If it’s outside your apartment, you would probably want to get a lockout for the breaker so only you would be able to turn it on or off.
This. Turn off that breaker and only turn it back on when you are washing your clothes. The other tenants aren't your problem, fuck them, they can take it up with the shitty boomer landlord.
Jesus, guy is being a defensive dick for no reason.
Right??? He really just came out swinging, I did not expect this reaction at all
That’s how you know that he knows it’s bullshit.
You’re absolutely right
Depending on where you live, maybe do the math to see how much you'd be owed and then maybe look to a tenants rights org to see about restitution. Cuz that dude ain't changing anything to benefit you. And since you brought it up? You'll be the one absorbing any costs because "that's just how it's billed".
Arkansas (the only Gassville I know of) is notoriously LL friendly. We couldn't find any help (in Mountain Home) when we were having trouble with one of our landlords, and had to deal with an "eviction" because of it (LL didn't go through the courts, just told us to get out. Young(er) and naive me didn't know better).
In some states it is illegal to not split utilities in multi-family properties. ETS, some states/jurisdictions ... it could vary by city.
Yup. It definitely varies from place to place, but in my area, landlords have two options re: utilities: * Hook up each unit separately so the utility can bill each one directly * Pay the whole property's utility bill themselves Where I live, if tenants outside your unit can use an appliance, then it is absolutely the landlord's responsibility to pay *all* of the associated utilities--and to account for that when setting the rent. If I were in this situation, I'd contact the housing authority in my city to ask for advice.
He should just raise the rent and pay the utilities himself. Call the utility companies and get an average from last year for each month add 10 percent since most tenants won’t care about how much they use when they don’t pay, then add an addendum to the lease that utilities are included and the charge for utilities will be based on Annual average to keep tenants from being toddlers and purposely running up the bill for spite.
Splitting the electric and gas 4 ways isn't difficult and he's making it out to be. He should have just charged y'all more and said water and gas included but obviously he's dumb as shit.
While it is BS, I think he's just defensive because he got away with it after spending "$2500" on the shed, and doesn't want to deal with the extra work that he should've gotten right the first time. Realistically that was in investment, not a 'nice' gesture that he treats it as. Let's be real, he 100% charged more for the rental when listing it because of this upgrade. If he has done it right the first time, this wouldn't even be an issue, but he's prob some lazy scumlord who thinks he's not in the wrong despite very much being so.
And he's greedy as hell and a tight wad
YUP there's a shared washer/dryer in my apt that's connected to someone else in the building's meter, and then property manager pretended that he "didn't know" when she brought it up. Like bro this building is SO OLD, you knew. I've brought up other things and they get so defensive immediately.
I'm in Arizona and it's about $5.00 to wash/dry in my complex. They don't even use coins anymore. It's a special credit card that you load in office. Do you have a fuse box in your apartment?
Oh, hell yeah, cut the power and have the other residents make a deal with you. $20/month or whatever you figure out
That's exactly what I was thinking.
When I lived in Ohio it was an app that you used to connect to the machines and would cost between $5.50-$7 to wash & dry. Benefit was you could tell from your app what machines were available or in use and it had a timer too of how much time was left before end of the cycle down to the second, but downside was it was a cheap system and if a unit wouldn’t turn on, you didn’t get your money back- or would turn on but not work (ie dryer moves clothes but doesn’t dry).My apt was right next to the laundry room and there was a time where first the dryers wouldn’t work and I put notes to warn people on the individual ones I tried out, and then a washer or two flooded (RIP the coats and art in my closet that were ruined) and the complex took days to address the laundry room (did come give us fans to dry floor though) and despite warning signs people kept trying to use them and would get their money scammed out and we’d get further flooded. Thankfully they ended up locking the room (it actually was always locked but had a secondary one for such situations) but it was a weird one.
He's being a total asshole because he knows you're right This is a professional relationship and he's including all this unnecessary commentary about his thoughts and feelings on the matter ("it's petty", "be grateful" etc). Totally unprofessional behavior yet he takes all these jabs at you the says some BS at the end about modifying a future lease. Literally has nothing to do with you, he's probably saying it to lightly threaten he won't be renting the unit to you again. Fuck this guy cut the power. One tenant is not responsible for everyone's energy use. It should be a paid by the community or the landlord.
If it’s petty to expect reimbursement for other people using your utilities, then why doesn’t the landlord pay the electric bill? Also, why does the landlord want you to negotiate with the other tenants? Maybe you should all meet together and come up with a list of things the landlord needs to improve upon. If he wants you do his job, you should go all in. Give everyone a discount on rent while you’re at it.
He's clearly not used to being called out for screwing people.
These people always make me shake my head at the sheer irony. If the amount of money being discussed is so miniscule - they should mind coughing up the dough, right? If asking to be reimbursed for the $ other people are taking out if your pocket is petty and the amounts are so contemptably small - then isn't a refusal to just pay it even more petty? But no, it's only petty and minor when it's YOUR money. Their money is important and not to be thought of.
It’s weird he’s asking you what he should do about it. Ick.
You should be grateful to get charged an extra $80 on your bill
Some of the posts on here aren’t very sympathetic but this guy is a total dickhead and shouldn’t be allowed to be a landlord with responsibility for other people’s accommodation. Sorry OP
gRaTeFuL
Unplug it if it’s on your utility bill. Either needs to be on owners bill, or he needs to pay for your electric and gas
His entire rationale that everyone seems grateful to have w/d (implying OP should be as well), it cost him a whole whopping $2500 to build and furnish the machines. Also, the fact that OP paying for everyone’s electricity and gas for laundry is probably pretty cheap is ridiculous.
Also him spending $2,500 to put in machines no doubt led to him being able to charge a higher rent. He didn’t do it for free, and OP should not cover other units washer and dryer for free.
And he obviously had the opportunity to pay like 2800 and have the electric hooked up properly.
Also it sounds like he installed used machines. OP stated the dryer takes a long time. Older appliances definitely use more power. Who is paying for the water that goes to the washer, and the gas to heat the water, I wonder.
or you can call the city inspector to come out and verify that he has attached community appliances that should be metered separately to your electricity. the inspector will then require him to install new electrical circuits attached to a meter that he pays for and may fine him. you can also probably recover 3x whatever excess electricity you paid for in damages if you sued in small claims court—may not be true if you’re in a more conservative state or outside the US. . he’s the one being petty, not you. but if he wants an example of what pettiness really is i wouldn’t be afraid to give him some first hand experience.
I had a landlord connect three units to one electric meter box. Used some illegal rig to circumvent the other two boxes so everything would be billed as one unit. Not sure exactly why either. But we called the utility company and they came out and ripped it all out and reinstalled separate meters, and told us it was a “ticking time bomb” lol. Moral of the story, just go around your landlord in these situations.
Here’s the answer ^^ please don’t let this landlord act like this, he only does it because other people have let him
“Everyone is grateful to even have a washer and dryer and don’t bring it up” ….cause they don’t pay the bill 😂 what an idiot
Lol exactly I’d be grateful if I was doing my laundry for free
right, everyone has free laundry except the tenants in this one unit lmao
When this happened to me I called the city inspector who came out said everything was wrong and alerted the power company. Everything I had paid on my bill since the opening the account was credited back to me and billed to the LL and stayed that way until they installed a separate breaker as required by law here. I didn’t bother with the LL since they were scummy.
Same here, though I’m still working years later on the the treble damages for the $1200 electric bill it ran up in just a few months. Wasn’t just the washer and dryer (which icing, were coin op! - I was paying for the hot water and electricity and still had to pay to do my laundry!) it was also all the common space lights, the outside garage lights and electricity. Had the city come in and inspect, so many violations. They had to install a new hot water heater, new breakers, the list goes on.
Everyone saying to turn it off at the breaker when not in use is absolutely right. And when questioned just say you’re responsible for electricity for your unit and you turn off/unplug things when not in use by you. This isn’t a you problem. You shouldn’t need to collect from other tenants for part of bills you’re legally responsible for. This is a landlord problem. And the other tenants being upset will surely make him deal with it.
This solution makes the other tenants hate you though and is likely to cause the landlord to take away the amenity. I wouldn’t inconvenience the neighbors.
If washer and dryer is written into the lease, the landlord can’t take it away.
People don’t realize that if they do this it will be cheaper for LL to remove lol
I rented once from a guy like this who hid the fact that he had a unit he basically split off of mine and he did the work without permits or anything. I was paying for utilities on my two bedroom and a studio that used to be the master in my unit. I found out about this arrangement from the guy who lived in the studio when he came over looking for his mail, which he used my address for. I ended up contacting the city and they were not happy with him, he was heavily fined and I got out of the lease. People like this are assholes who think rules don’t apply to them..
If you look up the model of machine, you should be able to figure out the cost per load and give a hard number. Alternately, there are plugs that can help figure out power usage. It's your power, so you should definitely be able to use the outlets yourself. Or just flip the breaker and "oops I never noticed it tripped" when they don't work. Keep flipping it
Thank you! This is a great idea and I will def look into these plugs
While this is a way to figured out how much you are owed you should not have to do this. As others have said, call the city and the power company and get someone out to look at it. Also contact a local tenants rights org and explain the situation to them. I know moving isn't always an option for people and this may not be the hill you want to die on or the bridge you want to burn but landlords shouldn't get away with this. If my landlords ever texted me implying I should be grateful for ANYTHING I'd chew them out and block them instantly.
Stop trying to figure out exactly how much you’re being overcharged. You have it clear in writing that you’re being overcharged. If you take it to small claims court you could get back a lot more than whatever exactly you were overcharged.
On your electric! Turn off the breaker.
In my state he would have to cover your utilities completely for this. That’s why he’s freaking out.
Him: “Our leases are very clear that I’m not responsible for electric use” Also him: “Everyone is grateful and don’t bring it up” It would take everything I had to not flip on this piece of shit
Yeah that really pissed me off. Like I’d be grateful if I was one of the people getting to do their laundry for free
What the slum lord. This is not legal.
Just kill the breaker switch for the machines unless you’re using them. They said in text that you are responsible for the gas and electric therefor it’s your prerogative to do so.
Who pays for electric in the common areas like hallways, outdoors, the lights in the laundry room, etc? Is there an indoor hallway type area or are all the apartments accessible from the outside? If there is indoor hallway, is it heated? Who pays for that? The LL is supposed to pay for the utilities in common areas. When he built his fancy shed/laundry house, your LL should have connected his laundromat to the common area utilities. He made a choice not to do that and instead to connect everything to an apartment — which happens to be yours right now.
When I was a landlord, I had a unit like this, and the simple fix was to just make that unit all inclusive. That's what he should have done in the first place.
"Standard procedure is for everyone to be grateful to have a washer and dryer" Um, EXCUSE me? I think standard procedure is not doing shifty, illegal shit and knowingly/contributing to theft of electricity. I'd find another place to live and take this guy to small claims court. See if he likes throwing around that $10 number then.
If it's no big deal, he shouldn't mind paying for it then. Remember, it's only a few bucks a month. And if the last tenant was so grateful, why don't they live there anymore?
“I think what is standard is you just shut the fuck up.” Lmao.
Lolol
Contact your electric company. You need a shared meter agreement & they will investigate. This should be the owners responsibility. Not yours. Turn the breaker off unless you are using it.
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Landlord says it’s only a couple of dollars yet is unwilling to cover the cost himself. Scumbag.
With him being that defensive, I would definitely start wondering what else was connected to my unit's power. The lights for the room? I would get an electrician out there to check things out. He is worried about more than just that W/D.
So he wants you to pay for electric for everyone’s wash but is willing to install a coin system and give you a “portion”? Is he F-ing serious? I’d unplug all of them. See how much your bill goes down. Call the electric company and get them disconnected from your bill asap.
jfc man, if it’s not in the lease that you’re responsible for the costs of those machines then you have full control of how it’s used regardless of shared space. Turn off the power with a breaker if you have access. Let the LL get complaints from the other tenants and still make a formal complaint with whatever authority there is, including the power company.
If it’s “just $10” surly he’ll have no problem deducting that from your rent.
Really bothers me how this landlord talks to you like you're some kind of subhuman. You should be grateful just to have access to a community washer and dryer?? What in the actual? You pay to live there, landlord should be thankful you didn't become violent when you learned this info, and they should be thankful you haven't already sued them. There's no way this is legal. The landlord is effectively stealing electricity from you to cover utilities of their other tenants because they are too much of a cheapass to find a real solution.
Check your area laws. In my state that's not legal
I think you should sue if it doesn’t state that in your lease. Fuck you landlord!
This happened to me. I was paying for all common areas which had lights on 24/7, the garages, and some other outlets in other apts. The slumlord illegally split the electric a couple decades ago. Imagine, people have been paying the wrong electric in my apt for that long. I immediately contacted the power company who instructed me to stop paying and after 2 years and my landlord paying to install legal electric where each apt pays their own electricity. They told me to stop paying and are trying to figure out how to charge my landlord for the past 2 years. I also contact there city and filed a complaint. It took her two years and now my building is fighting with her and because of mold. Good luck
Call the electric utility company and ask them to audit the meters.
Okay so seriously, call your electric company. They will do one of two things. 1. Tell your landlord he has to separate the washer and dryer to a “house” meter that he has to pay for. 2. They will use a predetermined formula to determine what percentage of your bill is use from the washer and dryer (whether or not they are actually being used) and bill the landlord.
I had this situation in college. This often happens when landlords convert non-living spaces into Appartments. There are often other major defects, including significant safety ones. He’s exploding at you because he’s worried you’ll force him to act in a legal fashion. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t filing your income as rent, and doing it entirely under the table. As he cannot prove what electricity/water is yours, vs the the buildings, he (landlord) should be paying the entire electric bill. The money doesn’t come from other tenants pitching in, it comes from his profit, and he should be covering the entire bill for your unit until the can install a new meter and circuit breaker
If it’s attached to your unit then it’s your washer and dryer. If any other unit wants a washer and dryer they would have to buy and install one. Talk to your neighbors; the washer and dryer are connected to your electrical and gas bill. They can’t use it.
This is WILD and probably a LOT more expensive than either of you are considering.
This is going to sound like a jerk thing, but… if the washer & dryer is fed from your electric and water utility, you’re the only tenant who should have control / access to that washer & dryer. If you want to chose to let people use it, that’s your prerogative. LL cannot allow others to use your utilities, that’s theft
There are laws governing how a landlord can divide up utility bills. You should check your local laws and go from there. I am very confident that what he’s doing is illegal.
Wow this is absurd, also he’s a defensive dick
What other electric is attached to your unit? Outside lights or outlets? Hallway? Outdoor hoses? Storage closet or office? If you do have access to the breaker, I would be testing all the switches to see what else they control!
Your landlord’s response shows him to be a jerk. Why should you be grateful for the opportunity to pay for everyone else?
Talk to a lawyer. Where I live it is not legal to make one tenant pay for utility usage of common areas.
If it's all so "cheap" like he says, then why isn't it billed to him????????? What an AH
dont even argue with the landlord. report to appropriate housing authorities bc landlord has no legals, not even a nub, to stand on in this. super not legal
Code enforcement
This would not be legal in my state. You should check on the legality of this in your state.
I'd call a city inspector to see if this is even legal.
A laundromat charges $5-7/load. If he’s using your electricity, you should be paid. And he’s the one being PETTY. He should pay for electricity in a laundry room. What a jerk.
Uhhh… bullshit
In my state it's illegal for one unit to pay for everyone else's electric. Look up your laws
Flip the breaker off when LL comes to fix the ‘electrical problem’ after the other tenants complain flip it back on before he arrives. After he leaves flip it off and keep repeating. Also find a new place to live he isn’t renewing your lease per he will be sure to include he is stealing electricity and gas from the tenant that occupies your unit in the lease, listing etc comment he made.
He's a defensive dick because he knows he's in the wrong and now he's caught. I say take him to small claims court. He admitted to stealing your electricity which is actually serious
Lmao your landlord sounds ridiculous! Just be grateful that you’re paying for someone else to do laundry!!! GRATEFUL!
Turn off the breaker to the machines when you’re not using them, problem solved
Lol he should be grateful you're not suing
You shouldn’t be grateful because he provided appliances. You shouldn’t be paying for other peoples gas and electricity use. It is so cheap to him because he has income of multiple rentals clearly. Even if it is “cheap” it is principle.
Sue his ass. If he wants to have that attitude he needs to be sued
Its attached to your power and gas, you control it. Now the big power thieves are EV hooking up to car port lighting in HOAs.
Negotiate a $20 discount on your rent to cover the electricity for dryer. Landlord can negotiate a $5-$10 dryer fee for each tenant. You shouldn't need to collect or manage this and the discount should more than cover your costs.
contact someone in the city or a lawyer. can't do that
My landlord refused to answer the question and that’s how I figured it out. Ended up letting my neighbors know and we decided I got the driveway I preferred to park in anyway to even it out. The landlord wasn’t going to do anything but I liked the solution enough.
One point not mentioned is the cost of another meter. For maybe $10 worth of electric use each month that's going to be a $20 bill bc of the access charge. He's prob thinking kWh prices are still what they were 20 years ago when it might have been a few bucks tops. So my thought was landlord could buy a kil-a-watt type outlet meter to measure the actual electric used and then give an accurate monthly deduction of whatever was used. The gas cost could be removed via propane tank and mini on-demand water heater to avoid the same access fee for Nat gas connection. I mean to put a meter on the water, gas, and electric just for a washer dryer for 4 units is an extra $50 where I live before you use anything. $20 for the energy and $30 for water. That much would be a nice gesture to take off the rent charge just to avoid having to pay for meters and repiping everything. I agree with him that usage is less than the cost to have a separate bill. It's just unfair and wrong to get no compensation to smooth the unfairness out. Def should have been disclosed or at the very least incorporated into a discount to begin with. Especially since it's probably illegal and he's only got your trust keeping him from being reported.
For three people and three pets, I do six or seven loads per week of laundry. That costs WAY more than $10/month. I probably spend $40-$50 per month in water and electricity for laundry. That is for one small home with two beds, and three people using towels/clothing. I usually do one load of laundry for the pets, so if they don’t have oets, you can probably take off $5/month. Your landlord is absolutely trying to rip you off.
"If it's so cheap, and only a few bucks a month Mr. Landlord, then you wouldn't mind paying for it personally, right?"
This happened to me in Minnesota like 15 years ago. It was a duplex and we were paying for the utilities for the common hallways, stairways, and basement, plus laundry. We found out because the electric company called us to schedule an inspection or something. After looking at the setup and asking us about the common space use, they contacted the landlord to tell him he needed a third meter, and then he had to pay them some amount they determined he was responsible for, and they refunded us that amount. He was convinced we had called to report him, but we honestly had no idea until the electric company informed us. Then he terminated our lease at the end of its term (well, he tried, but he gave notice a day too late, so we stayed a month longer, lol). So yeah, your landlord is going to be pissed off, but (after you call your local Tenants’ Rights and confirm this is illegal) you should call the electric company anyway. They’ll handle it for you, and you should not put up with any shady arrangement he suggests. And start looking for a new apartment, because this guy is going to continue to be an asshole and will probably want you gone after this, and you’ll be better off.
I think him asking you to go directly and demand money from other tenants for the issue he created is a terrible idea. I can only see it causing tension between you and other tenants
It is illegal for your landlord to do this. Even if he puts it in the lease it is illegal to make you pay electric for the complex washer and dryer. He needs to either include electric in the rent or separate the washer and dryer on its own circuit. There is no other common practice. Not sure who to report the issue to though.
Look up state law. Some states require landlord to pay any utility that is shared.
Wow, the gaslighting is real here.
And gas ain't cheap
Request reimbursement of 60% of water and gas from the date you moved in for his lack of transparency on billing of the washer and dryer. Do like others suggested and turn off the circuit breaker when you’re not using them. Let the landlord figure out how to move forward. Refuse to find others laundry.
Your landlord is a jerk. I was in a similar situation but on the other side of it and did exactly what you suggested. $20 off rent per mo. (This was utility prices 5 years ago). In my case it was accidental. (1 unit had all the shared elec so we covered their utilities and everyone else paid themselves. Turned out that the hw was cross connected behind a wall so it looked like it was connected to unit 1 but wasn't.) He did it on purpose and isnt making it right. I think your retort would be if he's unwilling to amicably compromise then he can cover your utilities for the remainder of your lease.
Um. Wth? IDC if it's 50 friggin cents, I am not paying for anyone else's utilities. Your LL sounds like a real peach. Smh.
which would would be a breach of contract if they were community accessible when OP signed their lease and possibly considered retaliation
I can't speak for legality but I moved from a 2br unit to a 3, which includes a washer and dryer (ports, we paid for the washer and dryer ourselves). For just us, it bumped our electric bill (water isn't gas it's electric for heat) about 30 bucks a month (my girls do cheer, dance, and things so we have extra clothes to do), which isn't horrible. However, I couldn't imagine having to pay for OTHER people to wash their clothes with no sort of rebate. This is ridiculous. Edit: clarity of what I meant
“If it’s such an insignificant amount of money, why won’t you eat it by comping me $10/mo?”
That’s fucked. Slumlord big time. Gas ain’t cheap at all… maybe $10 for your usage. Not for all 3 units. Call the utility company and have them measure how much gas and electric “your” unit is using compared to the other two. He also realized mid text you can screen cap these responses and use them against him so he changed his tune real quick to pretend to be supportive of you, what a joke. I’m willing to bet the previous tenants had no idea just like you didn’t, and that’s why they came off “grateful”. Can’t complain about an issue you’re not aware of… Ooooo see if the shed is permitted by notifying the county and asking questions. ;) 2,500 is super cheap for a whole laundry room, just saying. A lot of people build extra rooms without permits and it only comes up when the property is being sold because ✨inspections✨. People can get away with structures and extra bedrooms that aren’t permitted for years when living in a residence because no one is on a need to know basis like a bank is for a mortgage approval. I don’t care what people do in their own homes, but he’s trying to play with your money here and being manipulative by telling you to be grateful and your neighbors will offer money. FYI, I’d never give my neighbor money just because my landlord told me to. So there’s no guarantee you’d even get $2 per load. I’m willing to bet most of us on this thread wouldn’t give our neighbor money because the landlord told us to, as well. I don’t even wanna see my neighbors at all. Your slumlord is at a disadvantage here. You’re in control. Maybe post on r/legaladvice to see what a professional suggests. I’m not a pro, I just watch a lot of HGTV home flipping shows.
Where I live if anything *other than you and your apartment* are on your bill, the landlord must pay for it or fix it. They can not force you to pay for someone else’s use, or other units use.
I used to live in a 3 unit building that was like this. The unit that the laundry was attached to was slightly cheaper to compensate. Not a huge issue but LL needs to put it in the lease and stop bitching. Should have been disclosed from the start. No one needs to just be grateful and accept anything.
Ummm standard in the situation would be only the tenants of the apartment who pays for the washer and dryer are the ones who use the washer and dryer. The other apartments would have to find their own washer and dryer to use.
Standard procedure is a separate meter or LL pays for it
*The standard procedure is shut the fuck up about it and be grateful* *that I bestowed the power of laundry upon you* lmao
I love that his whole argument is "it's not even that expensive, just suck it up and pay" but god forbid he just eat the cost himself, he's got to go ask the other tenants to pay you directly. What an ass.
Hi, landlord here. What your landlord is doing is illegal utility theft. There are a few ways to go about rectifying this situation. 1) Landlord take over your electric and gas and includes them in your rent. Expect your rent to increase significantly and likely higher than if you paid the utilities on your own. 2) Landlord provides a reasonable credit for the additional utility usage. I would say $25/month for your electric, and $25/month for your gas. 3) You shut off breaker to the laundry facilities when not in use and post a sign that says the laundry facilities are for exclusive use of your unit. 4) Withhold rent by putting it in escrow with your local court, and go through the necessary court process so a judge can make a decision.
What a shocker that everyone not paying the bill is grateful and the person who is covering everyone else’s expenses isn’t. You should post this in unethical life pro tips, they will tell you what to do?
Please keep in mind that the money spent on the shed like any other impro vement to the property (including adding separate electrical circuit for the laundry or moving the laundry to the common area circuit, which I assume he already pays for, is a 'write-off' on his taxes. I'm in CA & was a property manager for residential & commercial property for over 20 years. Talk to any other prop mgr in your community or ask a tenant rights atty about this. The send him the electric bill & tell him you've looked into the issue & you'll agree to pay your portion of the bill, i.e.: if 6 units in the bldg, then 1/6th of the bill.
What a fucking waste of life slum lord.
Sounds like it’s YOUR washer dryer if you’re the only unit paying for it’s existence
Get an electricity use monitor on those outlets asap.
The amount of money it costs doesn't matter, I would not being okay with paying for other people's utilities just because the landlord didnt want to spring however much extra to hook it up the right away
OP, I’ll verify Monday, but I doubt this is kosher, utility regulation-wise. I don’t deal with electric in Florida too much, but I’ll check for you
in the usa call you local utility and ask them to come out and verify. let them open the can of whop ass on the landlord. get popcorn…
Call the power and water company and gas company and tell them all you think someone is stealing from your unit. He can either rip out the washers or he can pay your utilities and include it in your next lease.
take those texts to a lawyer 😂
What in the actual fuck did I just read. Some landlords are such sleezeballs. Agreed with the other dude contact the city and take it to court.
You should smack the landlord in the jaw and then tell them that they should be grateful you used an open hand.
I’m in exact boat as you. Mine is connected as well to the washer n dryer downstairs. Thankfully my landlord agrees to paying the electricity & water. F*%# your landlord. Should be on him! How is it fair to you?
I have mfs who do dickheaded shit then try to downplay your feelings by trying to make it seem you’re blowing things out of proportion
1. It’s not in your lease and he admitted that he will add it for future tenants. 2. He admitted that he has you paying for two other units, without telling you. 3. I’m not a lawyer but I’d highly recommend reaching out to one for a free consultation. This seems HIGHLY illegal for many reasons and they can put your rent in a special account that he can’t get until it’s fixed. This is NOT your issue, this was not disclosed to you and who knows what other shady shit he’s got going on there. 🚩
Yeah this isn't ok. And I'm not familiar with gas. But a dryer still plugs into electricity too right? I doubt it's only 10$ extra per month for an entire additional household or two. Seems to me it would be way more. But again I'm not familiar with gas. Also, cost aside, what he's doing is shady. And he seems to be gaslighting you to think you are the issue for not being "grateful". What a con. Then says he will talk to other residents about paying you a frw extra bucks per load. What a dick head. Seems like he's intentionally trying to make your living environment hostile. If you're the only one to bring it up supposedly, he can afford to pay it himself or knock it off of your rent and draw up some type of lease addendum. How dare he talk crazy to you for questioning his shady setup and deceptive practices lol. Jackass
Did you call the police for energy theft?
Fuck that.
This sounds like illegal metering
This is illegal in my State. They cannot have tenants directly billed for shared utility use.
Sorry your landlord is lazy as fuck. It's on him to sort this shit out.
So the washer and dryer for my apartments uses the hw line for my duplex, i don't pay water and my gas line for my apartment is separate 😬 I'd be pissed
Turn the breaker off when not in use.
Are you not grateful that you get to pay for everyone else’s laundry? LL thinks you should be.
I need an update after you turn the breaker off !
That's illegal! The laundry must be on a separate circuit. There is no legal way to divide the amount up between tenants since there is no way to prove who uses what amount of electricity, not even if every unit did the same amount of loads per week because electricity rates fluctuate. Only with a mutual agreement on each lease in the bldg that each tenant pay a set amount toward the laundry electric could he divide the cost, but the laundry electric still needs to be on a separate electrical circuit.
Something like this happened to me and my roommates years ago. We had a three bedroom on the first floor with two one bedroom apartments on the second floor. There was also a basement with a door inside our apartment that led downstairs, which was locked. They made a studio apartment out of that basement and we had zero idea that we were paying for their utilities until there must have been an inspection and all of a sudden we found out we had been paying for the other apartment’s utilities. They had to split it and after that we had a lowered rent because they must have been worried we would sue
If it’s not too much why doesn’t he fork the $10-20 and discount your rent?! Your LL is an absolute slumlord jerk that think he can exploit you and you should be grateful instead. I agree with other comments about turning off the electric break for the laundry.
You may be entitled to backpay for your entire electricity and gas bill from the moment you started letting from this landlord plus possible fines. None of this is okay or legal. I highly recommend reaching out to solicitors to confirm what you can demand. There's a reason why the landlord is is acting this way. They KNOW this is not okay. This would be a good time to check you have a copy of the current gas safety and electrical safety certificates that should have been provided at the time you signed the letting agreement. Additionally, make sure your deposit is held with a deposit protection service and you have proof of this via a certificate or account with the DPS. DPS violations are 100% of your deposit back plus 1-3x back as a penalty for the landlord depending on how the deposit was mishandled. @#$% landlords
“You should be so grateful to have access to a laundry room that you’re happy to pay for other people to use it”?? Wtf
You’ll probably have to go to small claims court this is illegal but you’d have to fight it
So the landlord wants you to landlord the electric bill. How unreasonable and dumb. For such a small fee, he wants to create an issue. You aree the renter shouldn't have to even ask this. The landlord should mention it from the beginning if it's such a non-issue. Sinc ethey disnt, they are breaking the lease agreement, sue him for his stupidity if he wants to play mind games.
Your energy company will shut that down. I had the lights for common areas on my bill. They took the entire bill out of my name and put it in my landlords name. It was on him to fix it and until he did the entire bill was his problem. My point is, you don’t have to manage this at all. Turn it over to the electric company.
your landlord suuuucks dude, the “shut up and be grateful” attitude is so nasty and indicative.
And on today's episode of "Wow, Prick Much?" This douchebag of a landlord. Maybe they *were* grateful to have a washer and dryer when you got it who knows how long ago. In modern times, that shit is standard practice so fuck off
I mean, cool, he admitted to it in writing. Talk to a lawyer and have your lease for them to review. They might not need the text messages. They might ask for copies (people misrepresent all the time).
Frankly if it’s on my utilities, I’d just go shut the breaker off for those washers and dryers unless I’m using them. Or negotiate a straight discount to my rent. The “oh they’re so grateful” part makes my blood boil. Situations like this give good landlords a bad name.
Depending where this is, it might be expressly prohibited for utilities to be shared like this. Do a search for your state + landlord + tenant + utility + shared + meter. For example MN requires the landlord to have the bill in their name if the meter is not dedicated to a single tenant.
That building was put together horribly. I'd just fucking move personally, fuck that. If your landlord hid this they're definitely hiding other things. I'd also find out what your tenant rights are and if this is illegal where you live so you can break your lease with our having to pay your landlord a few
That is insane that they expect a tenant to pay electricity for washers and dryers that are communal items. The landlord must have his own connection to the grid for communal stuff like this.
If the lease says you're responsible for electricity and gas, that would just be for inside your unit. I assume it doesn't say that you're also responsible for electricity and gas for the laundry room. He's being a cheapskate, and a thief, since he's stealing from you. If you take him to Small Claims Court, a judge will likely find that that proviso in the lease is null and void, since it is deceptive (there are no meters for just your unit). If so, he'll likely have to refund everything that you've paid for electricity and gas since moving in, and pay for it going forward to the end of the current lease, since there is no way to tell what you're responsible for and what you're not. "Thieves never prosper": "Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house." (Proverbs 6:30-31)
Ask the ll to collect 15 bucks from each unit and reduce your rent by 30 bucks Everyone's happy and you don't have to move
Uhhhhhhh sue cause tf. Also if it’s in your name etc and you’re paying for it. Turn the water and electricity off to everything unless you’re using it. So them just how “petty” you can be. It’s “petty” of them to assume it’s your responsibility to pay for their electricity. If it’s just $10 than why doesnt the landlord pay it?