The water bill is always the landlord’s responsibility. The best you can do is have the bill sent to someone else. Here’s a link to the City of Toronto’s website, where you can name a renter. The cost of having the bill mailed by the city is also $16 per bill.
Is a landlord in Ontario liable for a tenant’s utility bills?
The burden lies on the renter if the landlord has written into their rental agreements that tenants are responsible for scheduling and paying utility bills for a unit. Tenants who do not pay their utilities, such as electricity and water, may get warnings, financial fines, or even have their services terminated. When payments are not paid, private utility firms must notify tenants in advance, and they must give notice before disconnecting or terminating services.
Should tenants be responsible for paying the water and service charge?
Utilities are the fees that the tenant must pay in addition to the rent. These fees are paid in addition to the rent, and the tenant and landlord must agree on which additional fees the renter will pay in advance: electricity, water, sewerage, rubbish removal, or parking. The tenant has the right to examine the landlord’s municipal account to see what charges are being passed on to him.
Eskom has drastically increased electricity tariffs over the last few years, causing the cost of electricity to skyrocket. The tenant is required to use electricity wisely and to be aware of his responsibility to pay for it. Only if the lease expressly allows it, the landlord is allowed to pass on increases in his levies, rates, and taxes as monthly charges.
What portion of the water bill is paid by the renter?
Any fixed water charges billed by a water company in New Zealand are the responsibility of the landlord. Whether your property is inhabited or not, you must pay these fees.
If your property’s water is billed based on usage, your tenant is liable for paying for metered water that is directly related to the property. If the property does not have an individual meter, the landlord is responsible for both the metered and fixed charges.
Some water companies are increasingly included wastewater utilization calculations in their computations. Water that drains down your drains, such as from the shower and toilet, is referred to as wastewater.
Tenants may be charged for wastewater that is directly related to their usage, such as when the wastewater price is calculated as a percentage of metered consumption.
Landlords are responsible for paying fixed wastewater rates, which are calculated as a fixed annual amount divided by twelve.
Is the landlord liable for the unpaid utility bills of the tenants?
Normally, no. Landlords are not accountable for unpaid bills left over by renters as long as the bill is in the tenant’s name and it is indicated in the leasing agreement that tenants are responsible for utilities.
However, if you find yourself in this difficult situation as a landlord, there are several precautions you should take to protect yourself.
- When a new tenant moves in, always notify the local government. You will need to submit the names of the new tenants as well as the old tenants’ contact information so that they can contact you if necessary.
- Notify the property’s energy suppliers of any tenancy changes (this includes gas, electricity and water)
- Encourage new renters to update their utility invoices with their new names as soon as feasible.
- Keep a record of the meter readings at the beginning and conclusion of each tenancy for the utility companies.
- Make sure your leasing agreement expressly indicates that the tenant is responsible for utility bills.
- Keep a signed copy of the tenancy agreement somewhere safe and easy to find.
In Ontario, how do I transfer utilities to a tenant?
To begin, you must contact your current utility provider to cancel service at your previous address. Disconnecting service from any utility requires at least five days’ notice, so don’t wait until the last minute. It’s best to give yourself a week or two’s notice. You should be able to reach out to your utility by email or phone.
Your account number, which can be found on your energy and natural gas bills, is required. You’ll also need to call an electricity or natural gas retailer if you have a contract with them. Give your retail provider at least two weeks’ notice if possible. If they are unable to serve you at your new address, they will transfer your service or cancel your contract.
Who is responsible for paying the electricity bill among the tenants?
When a property is vacant between tenancies, landlords are usually expected to pay utility bills. If a landlord is in control of an HMO, he or she may choose to pay the utility bills directly if the property is rented out by bedroom. The landlord would include the expense in each tenant’s monthly rent in this situation (split accordingly).
If the relevant names on the utility accounts were not updated when new tenants moved in, landlords may be held liable for utility bills. Due to the fact that landlords are responsible for paying utility bills during vacancies, the former tenant’s name should be substituted with the landlord’s until a new renter moves in. To prevent being hounded for payments they don’t owe, landlords should amend the relevant utility information as soon as the new renter moves in.
While tenants may be responsible for changing utility names, having the landlord oversee the transition may alleviate any confusion and give them piece of mind. When a renter incorrectly names the landlord on utility bills, the landlord can be relieved of any payments if adequate documentary evidence of the tenant’s occupancy is presented to the local council and the energy supplier.
Can you get evicted in Ontario if you don’t pay your power bills?
An application to End a Tenancy and Evict a Tenant or Collect Money can be filed by a landlord who wants an order requiring a tenant to pay money for something other than rent arrears, such as unpaid utilities, expenses related to substantial interference or damage to a rental unit or residential complex (L2 Application).
What should you do if a tenant fails to pay their rent?
If outstanding utility bills are registered in the tenants’ names, I wouldn’t be concerned. This has occurred to me a few times, and it’s a simple fix.
Remember that overdue utility payments are the responsibility of the account holder, not the property (s). The only reason my situation was tense this time was that I was still the account holder.
If your tenant has vacated with unpaid bills and is the account holder, all you have to do is notify the utility companies, and they will stop sending bills to your home. They’ll almost certainly ask for the tenant’s forwarding address, but don’t worry if you don’t have one (many landlords don’t in this situation).
This serves as a reminder of the importance of having formal tenancy agreements.
While I’m not sure why, I know a lot of eccentric landlords who don’t bother getting a written contract in place. It’s simply incredible.
- Even if your renters have moved out, keep your leasing agreements. They can be particularly handy in situations like these.
- As previously said, I cannot guarantee that all service providers follow the same policy! But I’m presuming foolishly that most people do! So long as you can show that your tenant was the occupant during the bill’s validity period, they should be held responsible.
- When new renters move in, double-check that all of their accounts have been moved to them. I made the error of not double-checking, but I will now double-check with the service providers directly. Don’t rely on your tenant to do it!
What is a tenant’s responsibility to pay for?
You may still be held liable for:
- a tenancy deposit of no more than five weeks’ rent that is refundable
- a refundable holding deposit of no more than one week’s rent (to reserve a property)
In addition, your landlord or agent may impose the following fees:
- a cost for late rent payments, which can be imposed interest on if the rent is 14 days or more late.
- for the real cost of replacing a misplaced key, as proven by a receipt
- Payments to change the tenancy (for example, a change of sharer in a shared tenancy or to retain a pet at the property) are limited to 50 dollars, or reasonable costs spent if greater, as proved by a signed receipt.
- When a tenant requests it, payments are made for leaving a tenancy early, before the conclusion of the fixed-term. Landlords should only collect rent for the time it takes to find a substitute tenant.
Unless utilities, broadband, phone, TV license, and council tax are included in the rent and specified in the leasing agreement, tenants are responsible for paying their own costs.