:: Are You Paying Someone Else's Bill?

A frequent problem throughout the New Brunswick area is the common practice of only one meter for a multi-family building. Your utility bill may puzzle you because there are not separate meters for your apartment and the other apartments in your building.

The landlord should have set up a method in your lease for dividing utility payments in this case. For instance, payment for water usage should be divided up per person, and the heating bill should be divided up based on the square footage of each apartment. Even these methods may be inaccurate ways of fairly splitting utility bills. Perhaps one apartment has air conditioning, which can use alot of electricity, and another apartment doesn't. The water bill may be high because the people in the other apartment have a washing machine or have a garden in the backyard - and you don't. All of these factors should be taken into consideration if your building has only one meter.

If you discover that you have been paying for bills for others after you've already moved into the building and signed a lease, ask for an immediate meeting with the landlord. It was undoubtedly not a part of your original agreement that you would subsidize the costs of living of people in the building who are not on your lease. When you speak with the landlord, discuss reimbursement for past overpayments you have already made and how utility bills will be handled in the future. Preferably, the other tenants in the building should participate in such a meeting.

:: What If You Have No Heat?

If you have no heat, call the landlord immediately. In buildings with 3 or more units, landlords have to maintain a temperature of at least 68 degrees from 6am - 11pm from October 1 to May 1, and 65 degrees at other hours. They must also supply the required fuel or energy, and maintain the heating system in good conditions so that it can provide the required minimum temperatures.

For buildings with fewer units, you should contact the local inspection office or board of health to find out about local ordinances regarding heating. It is likely that they will be fairly close to the requirements for buildings with 3 or more units.

If the landlord fails to respond to your heating crisis, call the local housing inspectors or the board of health.

:: Utility Complaints

Do you think you're paying more than you should for utilities? What you should do depends on the cause of the problem.

A problem that you might encounter during your first months of living at your apartment is that your electric and gas bill might be dated in such a way that you are being charged for the usage of the former tenants. When setting up your utility account, make sure that you will be starting new with only the charges accumulated by you and the other new tenants. The electric and gas company can easily adjust your billing so that you will not pay any amounts due by a former account holder.

If your bill seems high, there could be a leak somewhere in your water or gas system. You should report the problem immediately to your utility company. They should send out a technician to check your water or gas line out thoroughly and determine the source of the problem. This is important not only to see if your bill is higher than it should be but to find out problems that could be a threat to your health or safety.