Leaving utilities on after vacating (lease, tenant, renters, security deposit)

[sportsgal]

We will soon be vacating the home we've been renting and I'm going over the move-out provisions in our lease. We must keep the utilities on and in our name for three days after handing over the keys, and we must leave the refrigerator doors open after cleaning. I guess this is to air out the fridge/freezer? Should we unplug the refrigerator or turn it down to the lowest setting? What other steps should we take to keep utility costs to a minimum after turning in our keys but before the responsibility for the utilities reverts to the LL?

Thanks.

[ShaneSA]

If you clean the frig and it is plugged in with the doors open, it will run constantly. You already know that. That said, I would unplug it to reduce electric waste. Turn the water heater to the lowest setting, or off. Make sure the heat/AC is off and not running. This time of year there is no danger of freezing. If I thnk of more, I'll let ya know.

[sportsgal]

Originally Posted by ShaneSA

If you clean the frig and it is plugged in with the doors open, it will run constantly. You already know that. That said, I would unplug it to reduce electric waste. Turn the water heater to the lowest setting, or off. Make sure the heat/AC is off and not running. This time of year there is no danger of freezing. If I thnk of more, I'll let ya know.

Good info. Thanks so much. I wouldn't have thought about the water heater.

[TKramar]

I don't understand why they would mandate you keeping the utilities on for any length of time, unless they expect to do a thorough cleaning themselves on your dime.

[sportsgal]

Originally Posted by TKramar

I don't understand why they would mandate you keeping the utilities on for any length of time, unless they expect to do a thorough cleaning themselves on your dime.

I agree with you and am not happy about paying for utilities for someone else's benefit, but I intend to live up to all requirements in the lease so that hopefully we'll get most if not all of our security deposit back. I imagine they instituted the three-day period out of concern about someone moving on a weekend, since the meter must be read before the switch is made and utility companies probably don't work on weekends.

At this point, I just want to minimize the usage of electricity for that three-day period when we're paying for but not using the utilities.

Thanks for replying.

[Faworki1947]

go turn off the main breaker in the house .. thats fair!.. nothing is going to freeze or need to be working unless they turn it on and if its a weekend then your alright .. I dont think the 3 day thing is fair either ( and I'm a LL/pm) If its to be sure theres a reading try to move out befor the weekend and then shut off the main .. .. I would prefer that tenants did that anyways after the move out no reason to have it on really ..get a walk thru and PICTURES befor you hand in your keys as well .. ..

[sportsgal]

Originally Posted by Faworki1947

go turn off the main breaker in the house .. thats fair!.. nothing is going to freeze or need to be working unless they turn it on and if its a weekend then your alright .. I dont think the 3 day thing is fair either ( and I'm a LL/pm) If its to be sure theres a reading try to move out befor the weekend and then shut off the main .. .. I would prefer that tenants did that anyways after the move out no reason to have it on really ..get a walk thru and PICTURES befor you hand in your keys as well .. ..

Great advice--thanks! Come to think of it, the main breaker box was off when we moved in and we had to search all over for the second one to get everything turned on. We did take pictures of everything when we moved in (and only had to call about four times to have them repair the roof leak that had damaged the bathroom ceiling they had half-heartedly repaired without addressing the underlying cause.)

We've been model tenants--rent always paid by the 1st of month, taken great care of property, made several repairs, honored all the terms of our lease, etc. But based on the condition of the house (dirty, terrible paint job, previous tenants' stuff in attic and storage building, etc.) when we moved in and the fact that the property management company continued to "forget" the initial repairs they promised to make, we don't have great faith that they're going to be fair when we move out. I think the homeowner is mad because he hoped we'd buy this house and we're not. He's obviously in a financial pickle (discovered he's cheating on his property taxes, risking tax fraud charges and thousands of dollars in fines to save $3000 a year), so I fear he may ask the property management company to hold back some of the deposit for repairs that he likely won't make.

But I'll definitely stay on top of it and request receipts for everything.

Thanks for replying.

[texdav]

Originally Posted by sportsgal

I agree with you and am not happy about paying for utilities for someone else's benefit, but I intend to live up to all requirements in the lease so that hopefully we'll get most if not all of our security deposit back. I imagine they instituted the three-day period out of concern about someone moving on a weekend, since the meter must be read before the switch is made and utility companies probably don't work on weekends.

At this point, I just want to minimize the usage of electricity for that three-day period when we're paying for but not using the utilities.

Thanks for replying.

When you moved in did you have to pay a reconnect fee/deposit or was it just a tranfer of the accounht.Many times the oweners will tranfer the electirc to their name until its rerented to keep from having this problem. That gives them time to make the change. Some will want the electicity on and require changing with in same time to new renters.Most have a standard policy no matter what the time of year in contracts. I know a landlord that ownes quite a few homes and it save as much as 400 up front fee for reconnect and deposit if not turned off but tranferred. he alos prefers to have elctricty in all homes when vacant for maintenance reasons.

[KonaKat]

Probably the reason for this rule is, they are going to do an inspection. You can't do an inspection without electricity or water. We tell people to leave the utilities on until that final inspection which is normally done on their last day of paid rent, after all the moving and cleaning is completed. If not completed then we bring in a cleaner asap; usually in just 1 or 2 days to finish what they didn't do. Perhaps your property manager has a huge volume of properties and just can't do every move out on the exact day of your last day of paid rent?

We also usually transfer the electricity & water back into the owner's name when a tenant vacates.