Forced to include utility bill with home monthly rent (Houston: 2015, apartment)

[Susan Wilshusen]

We rented a house in April 2015 from a leasing company. We also paid our gas and electric bills to a local utility company. About 5 months into our lease, the utility company merged with our leasing company. The utility provider included an announcement on their monthly statement saying they would no longer be accepting utility payments and we were to pay our utility bills to our home leasing company. The utility company would still send out monthly statements but will no longer accept utility payments. We never received any notice from our leasing company about this change. They never gave us a choice to stick with the utility provider they merged with or to choose a different utility provider and continue to pay our bills separately.

These bills were due on different dates. Now when I pay my rent I have to include my utility bill with it at the same time. The leasing company won't accept my rent pmt unless the utility bill is included. I have rented numerous houses over the years and this is the first time I had to include my gas and electric with my rent payment.

Is this even legal? Shouldn't the leasing company have given us some kind of 30 or 60 day notice of this merger to give their tenants ample time to find an a different utility company provider?

[ilikeme]

What companies are these? Can't really help without more info.

[bpollen]

Is this one of the deregulated entities that provides electricity, that merged with your leasing co.? What's it's name?

Never heard of a utility merging with a property management company.

As long as you are being charged exactly the right amt for your utilities, I don't see the problem. It's not on the day you want, but you have to pay it iwthin a few days, anyway. So it's only the 1st month, when you won't have the utility $ in hand at 1st of month, that is a problem. After that, you know in advance the date of when it's owed, and can budget.

If the leasing co. merged w/the utility company, I would not expect that you could choose another utility co.

The only big issue I see is that the utility may increase its rates in the future, since the tenants have no recourse and there's no competition.

You may want to start looking for a new apartment, if that happens.

[ej35401]

I think what has happened is that the property owner signed a contract with the electric provider.

[ej35401]

What does your lease say about payment of utility bills?

[elnina]

Originally Posted by Susan Wilshusen

The utility provider included an announcement on their monthly statement saying they would no longer be accepting utility payments and we were to pay our utility bills to our home leasing company. The utility company would still send out monthly statements but will no longer accept utility payments.

Some Houston apartment rental companies incorporate utility bills into a flat, monthly payment built into the price of the rental unit. This means that all utility bills are sent directly to the property management company. Tenants may enjoy this service because it saves them the time and hassle of dealing with monthly heating, water, gas and electricity bills. It also allows property management company to keep easy track of all the natural resources the tenants at their investment property are using.
Check your rental agreement, and see if there is any clause about it.

But if I were you, I would just go to the Property Management Office and ask some questions. They should explain the rules of the new payments, and the motives behind the changes.