Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi
I would like some information on the current situation.
I live in Michigan have a lease agreement where it is stated in writing to have to the electric meter in the tenant name. So when I did that and got a bill for 800$ after calling DTE and the Landlord it turns out that it is only one meter for all the house, 5 apartments.
This month when i went to pay the rent, online, there was some new open charges for electricity service coming from the landlord not DTE, so i paid the rent amount but didn't pay the open charges, mainly because i wasn't counting on them and i couldn't afford them right now. Today i got a DEMAND FOR POSSESSION NONPAYMENT OF RENT in the amount of the open charges.
Apparently it is a shared meter where each tenant pays 20% of the bill, so the Landlord pays the bill and them each tenant pays the landlord, which was never mentioned verbally or written when renting the apartment.
Is there any grounds in this that can get me out of this lease?
Thanks.
Last edited by tuttifrutas; 04-11-2017 at 08:35 PM..
I live in Michigan have a lease agreement where it is stated in writing...
It sounds like you have an incompetent landlord who used a preprinted lease they found somewhere
that isn't appropriate for YOUR property and probably not for that county either.
Quote:
Is there any grounds in this that can get me out of this lease?
Absolutely. There are many way to approach the issue but the first step is to lay out
your complaint (also in writing) and present that to the landlord asking him to remedy
the situation to your satisfaction and to do so in a fixed amount of time.
In the even the LL does not... THEN you go to Court.
Find a tenant advocacy group there and ask for help in drafting the demand letter.
Last edited by MrRational; 04-12-2017 at 05:49 AM..
I don't undedstand? You thought you were going to live your life without paying for any electricity? 20% of the bill split among 5 houses seems fair enough.
It should have been explained to you better, or you should have listened better, or you should have asked more and better questions. I don't know which it is, but you can always ask the landlord to let you out of the lease because you didn't understand how you would be paying for the electricity you use. He might say yes, he might say no.
If nothing else most leases have a lease buy-out fee so you can buy your way out of the lease.
Did you have any back pay from a previous energy bill? Does the house have a back bill? I'm pretty sure DTE requires a deposit, did you pay that?
In one paragraph you say you have the 1 meter for 5 apartments in your name paying for all 5 hence the $800 bill. The next you say the landlord is tacking on the 20% of your portion of the energy bill that the landlord is receiving. Is it one or the other problem, or both?
Michigan isn't pro anything. Its about as basic and generic as you can get.
I don't undedstand? You thought you were going to live your life without paying for any electricity? 20% of the bill split among 5 houses seems fair enough.
It should have been explained to you better, or you should have listened better, or you should have asked more and better questions. I don't know which it is, but you can always ask the landlord to let you out of the lease because you didn't understand how you would be paying for the electricity you use. He might say yes, he might say no.
If nothing else most leases have a lease buy-out fee so you can buy your way out of the lease.
well never said i wasn't going to pay, i would like to pay what i spent as agreed. A 20% split when you only have 5 lights, fridge and electric stove comes to 70$+- a month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MigratingCoconut
Did you have any back pay from a previous energy bill? Does the house have a back bill? I'm pretty sure DTE requires a deposit, did you pay that?
In one paragraph you say you have the 1 meter for 5 apartments in your name paying for all 5 hence the $800 bill. The next you say the landlord is tacking on the 20% of your portion of the energy bill that the landlord is receiving. Is it one or the other problem, or both?
Michigan isn't pro anything. Its about as basic and generic as you can get.
when I entered the lease I changed the meter as agreed then comes out that bill after landlord and DTE shorted it out, dte closed my account and bills the landlord. All bills, that one included, are divided by the amount of tenants in the building i presume, i was never told how this was calculated going forward. the landlord just bills an amount
this is all very confusing to me as well, seems to me the landlord might have more properties and just messed up, i tried talking but got nowhere. as it stands now i have no control over my electric spending.
Last edited by tuttifrutas; 04-12-2017 at 07:16 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
