Nightmare! What shall I do?? (lease, appliances, house)

[Syadnan]

So I moved into a shared living arrangement on July 22, signed the lease agreement on July 18th. When we signed the contract we agreed that UTILITES WERE INCLUDED. I am paying $900 for one private bedroom, private bathroom, use of kitchen and appliances, use of downstairs den with tv, and my room came furnished with a bed and dresser. Right now, they only two people living in the house is me and the landlord. So to my situtation, last night she told me she needed to talk to me about her electricity bill being extremely high for the month of July. Remember, UTILITIES INCLUDED. So, the bill for July is $185 (give or take some change), she tried blaming me for the high amount. In June her bill was $115, so the difference between the months is $70. She is claiming that from July 23rd to July 31st I used $70 worth of electricity. There were probably 3 instances where I left the kitchen light on and the garage light on when I left for work. She told me about the kitchen twice and about the garage once. After she told me about that, I didnt repeat. She is saying that the kitchen light I leave on when Im eating using 6 bulbs so that increases her bill. She is saying the garage light consumes a lot of energy and the one time I left it on added to her bill. She wants me to pay $85 for the ten days I was there in July. I told her I wouldnt pay that much because there is NO WAY her bill is high because of me. At least $85 worth of electricity. She is kicking me out because I refused to pay the amount. I have thirty days to leave the property. Oh, and in the termination contract she emailed me this morning she listed that she is charging me the $85 for "abusing" her electricity.

What shall I do? Obviously I will be moving out, but is she justified in charging me? I just moved here from Chicago and In my house that included 8 people our bill never exceeded $85.

Thanks!

[GCPA]

Tell her July 2012 was the hottest month on record. Can you blame the air conditioner?

[mrchanello]

she probably can't charge you that fee under the lease - you should read it closely, consider refusing to leave and taking her to small claims court.

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by mrchanello

, consider refusing to leave and taking her to small claims court.

"Consider refusing to leave"?? And choose to live in a hostile, shared living quarters with someone who wants you out? While you may have a ground to legally stay (and I don't know if you do or not), I can't imagine a more miserable situation.

If your lease clearly states "utilities included", you do not owe the money. And since you are leaving, I wouldn't be too concerned with a light that is left on........

[ACWhite]

I would not want to share a house with that person, so I think you are doing the right thing to move. However, I agree you should check your lease language about how utilities will be calculated. I would also demand to see a copy of her July 2011 electricity usage statement. July 2011 was about as hot as July 2012 and so the usage should be similar if there were similar #s of people in the house and she didn't make energy changes (e.g., more insulation, new windows) between those times.

And, obviously, her argument that one week accounts for the entire difference in usage between July and June is ridiculous.

[Yankeesfan]

The difference probably is due to the air-conditioning. She has no right to charge you for it.

Does your lease say that she can evict you so soon after you moved in?

[FCNova]

My electricity bill for that period was around $180. Your landlord is a moron

[jmking]

My bill was $185. It was the heat not you that caused it. I feel for you. I would move and and if possible sue her ass.

[oneasterisk]

My bill for June was $85 and the bill for July is $123. So yes there was an increase, probably for the heatwave. Regardless, I'd move out. I wouldn't want to live with that batty landlord. Wait till they see the water bill and their head will spin...

[Syadnan]

Originally Posted by oneasterisk

My bill for June was $85 and the bill for July is $123. So yes there was an increase, probably for the heatwave. Regardless, I'd move out. I wouldn't want to live with that batty landlord. Wait till they see the water bill and their head will spin...

Yeah, I totally agree! Im definitely moving out. She has given me 30 days to leave the property. I thought it was completely ridiculous that she's trying to charge me $85 because she doesnt want to pay the high bill. I never asked for the AC, I dont need it. Im at work from 8am to 6pm, by the time I get home and eat dinner and do whatever else, its only maybe 4 hours thats Im awake "using" electricity.