Water charges and landlords responsibilities (Page: apartments, renter, how much)

[sandy1985]

I have a problem and don't know where to turn to for help. I live in a Duplex building only two apartments we have never got charged for water here and we do not have a water meter either (I just found that out). I know their are certain areas in AZ that they do not charge for water usage and places that do, my landlord was charging us $450 rent for a 2bedroom apt, now she has raised our rent up $100 more because she says her water bill has been too high since last year. I do not think that we waste $100 dollars for water and have asked her to give me my water bill so I know how much water I am using and how much I should pay she said no because she would have to put a water meter here, I barely got my kids a pool this month and only fill it on the weekends for them. She says that because we wash our cars in our house maybe 3-5x a month with a water pressure machine that waste very little water maybe 1 gallon or less of water. How can I find out if our water usage is charged in her water bill? We had a contract with her since 2010, she never does maintenance to the apartment she provides one air filter per year only maintenance she does is the a/c yearly. I had to paint my inside walls, I have to do or pay my own plumbing, they did roof repairs once and my kitchen light has not worked since (3yrs ago) and told them and they did nothing about it. We clean the yard for both apartments cut weeds make sure it looks clean outside, and we have asked for exterminator and she refuses also instead gives us cockroach bombs to put in the house which is bad for the kids. What can I do, I know other apartments I lived at the landlords did much more than she has in the last 4 years. Please help!!!

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by sandy1985

I have a problem and don't know where to turn to for help. I live in a Duplex building only two apartments we have never got charged for water here and we do not have a water meter either (I just found that out). I know their are certain areas in AZ that they do not charge for water usage and places that do, my landlord was charging us $450 rent for a 2bedroom apt, now she has raised our rent up $100 more because she says her water bill has been too high since last year. I do not think that we waste $100 dollars for water and have asked her to give me my water bill so I know how much water I am using and how much I should pay she said no because she would have to put a water meter here, I barely got my kids a pool this month and only fill it on the weekends for them. She says that because we wash our cars in our house maybe 3-5x a month with a water pressure machine that waste very little water maybe 1 gallon or less of water. How can I find out if our water usage is charged in her water bill? We had a contract with her since 2010, she never does maintenance to the apartment she provides one air filter per year only maintenance she does is the a/c yearly. I had to paint my inside walls, I have to do or pay my own plumbing, they did roof repairs once and my kitchen light has not worked since (3yrs ago) and told them and they did nothing about it. We clean the yard for both apartments cut weeds make sure it looks clean outside, and we have asked for exterminator and she refuses also instead gives us cockroach bombs to put in the house which is bad for the kids. What can I do, I know other apartments I lived at the landlords did much more than she has in the last 4 years. Please help!!!

From what I understand about your area the rent is very reasonable.
Perhaps a public pool would be better.
Find a good car wash and wash your vehicle there.
Any repairs should be put in writing (keep a copy) with the date, specific details and sent return receipt asking for the repair to be completed.
We have to pay for our own filters for the furnace.
According to specific rental guidelines the landlord is responsible for painting the walls every so often and I think there is a specific time frame in the rental guidelines/laws.
Plumbing is a repair that should be put in writing with details sent to the landlord as stated above.
The kitchen light is another repair that should be put in writing with details as stated above.
If you are responsible for your own lawn then do that and leave the other lawn for the renter that lives there.
We have to pay for our own pest control and the bug bombs are only bad for the children if you set the bug bombs off while the children are inside the house.
If you follow the specific directions exactly on the bug bombs you should have no issues.

Read your lease line by line, learn the rental laws for your area, put everything in writing and send it return receipt so the landlord has to sign for it or find a new place to live.

[crystalys]

By saying you have a contract with her since 2010 do you mean you have a written lease? Did you renew the lease in writing every year? If you had a written lease for 2010, what was the lease term for....1 year? If the lease was for one year then it would have ended. You would then have been on a month-to-month lease since then, but the terms of your month-to-month lease would still be the same as the original written lease.

Unfortunately, it is my understanding that if your water is included in the rent and there is a continued rise in water usage, the landlord has the right to increase your rent. You do however have every right to proof of this.

I am trying to understand how your living situation is.....you say you live in a duplex with no meter. Does the landlord live in the other unit and has a meter?

Also, if there are repairs that are needed then you need to put that in writing and present it to the landlord, as suggested, send it registered mail for proof of delivery. I disagree though about the painting issue. If the walls were painted and the apartment was clean before you moved in, then the only requirement is that when you move out the apartment needs to be in the same condition but allowances are made for normal wear and tear. If the apartment was not painted and had issues when you moved in, then that was when you should have addressed them. If you accepted the condition of the apartment when you moved in then cosmetic issues do not have to be remedied. Any issues that effect the habitability of the apartment are required to be fixed by the landlord.

Here is a link to a website with information and a copy of the Arizona Landlord/Tenant Act:

Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act - Arizona Department of Housing

It concerns me that you might have let a lot of things go on too long, but you still have certain rights as a tenant and you need to contact the numbers at the link I posted to find out exactly what those are and to compel your landlord to follow the laws. Good luck.