Is $110 a month a bit much for a gas/electric bill? (Tucson: apartment, rentals)

[sesameleigh]

I've recently moved into a friend's mother's guesthouse. It's all unofficial (probably not the best idea), with the idea that i'll move into a bigger more legit house at the end of the school semester. I just relocated from Northern California.

The studio apartment is small kitchen, living area tiny bathroom and a walk in closet. window cooling/heating unit. 60's refrigerator (oh, how the mother thought this was a selling point...).

I've agreed to pay $450/mo. and originally discussed working out the utilities cost after a month of usage.

Well, now, after a couple of days I've been informed that the 'average' cost of gas/electric is around $110/mo and water is $40. WTF? really? really?? That this has been the average usage cost of the past tenants, etc. etc.

First of all, I am a single tenant- from the Bay Area who puts on a sweater when it's cold rather than turn up the heat. The apartment is well shaded and I can't imagine that even during the hottest month, my studio will consume over $100 of electricity to run a window unit.

Maybe i'm wrong. and then there's the issue of that damned energy sucking fridge.

My question is: what planet is this woman from?
No, my real question is- am i being taken advantage of?
No, really- without really any 'renters' rights (no lease) and no way to determine what the actual costs are (bill includes the main house) that I can access- what's the best way to approach this issue?

I could be wrong, but if I'm an energy efficient person- lights off when not using- sweater wearing studio dweller- could an electric bill be even close to that? We're talking 550 square feet here.

And then there's the water bill...
oy. i'll save you the time: i shouldn't rent from friends!

[observer53]

That's a pretty small place for bill that high this time of year.. I haven't had that large a bill in a 2100 square foot house yet this winter (I may get to that with the next bill given the cold snap), and I'm pretty conservative about temperature, too, so the heat's not on much. About the water, $40 is high for just water, and just for personal use without watering lawns, etc. I wonder how they can tell you what previous tenants used in terms of water (or electric, for that matter), with no separate meter.

Yes, you may well be getting taken a bit. I'd find an alternate location at the first opportunity.

[CodyW]

Not a whole lot you can do here, but communication would be a good first step. Calmly sit down with her, and ask her to go over the bill with you and explain her reasoning for coming to the amount that you owe. There's no way she can narrow down your exact usage, and her bill as it is fluctuates, so it would be good to know her methodology, at least.

[tom4416]

Agree that the only way you're going to get any satisfaction is to sit down with the landlord and go over how she comes up with the numbers. Certainly sounds high to me for what is essentially a small studio apartment. Maybe before sitting down with her, do some research on electric & water rates so you've got some idea of "normal".

I can tell you that you are using the absolute worse heating and cooling method. The heat is resistance heat and very expensive to operate and even the A/C isn't going to be efficient although not as bad as the heat. Is the place insulated at all or just a block building? Nothing you can do about it except realize it's going to be expensive although not $110 expensive.

Maybe during your sit down with the landlord, after you've explained (calmly) why you think $110+$40 is a bit high, offer to pay a fixed amount that is more consistent with your budget and anticipated usage. Or, ask if she would consider having the outbuilding metered separately. I don't know what the policy or cost is with doing that and there may be some minimum monthly charge whether anyone is using the facilities or not and the landlord may not be interested in doing it for that reason.

Ultimately, you're stuck if you can't work something out. Renting from friends with no written agreement is always a risk. You hope it comes down in your favor because of the friendship but then when something goes awry, you're on the wrong side of the coin .

[TimtheGuy]

I bet that 60's fridge sucks some juice.

[PoppySead]

Just call the gas and electric companies and get the monthly amount and usage. You live there. If they won't give it to you ask to get a copy of bills for your records from the homeowner. Then you will know.

It really depends on location, and build how efficient these are. I've lived in a one bedroom that had outrageous bills and a 5 bedroom that had wonderfully low bills. A lot of variables to consider, how old is the place, does it get to much shade in winter, to little in summer, etc.

[borregokid]

The home construction in Tucson is different than California. If you have a typical Tucson home its probably brick or stucco-cinderblock with a flat roof. They are expensive to heat in the winter. For the summer it depends on how much you run your AC. I think the $100 cost is probably close to what it costs. Water and Sewer is about $80 per month so the $40 is reasonable. My house is three times as big as yours. My total gas bill from mid-november to mid January was $290. My electric bill using some electric heat over the same period was $160. On the other hand the electric-gas was very low from March thru May and October and November.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

Just call the gas and electric companies and get the monthly amount and usage. You live there. If they won't give it to you ask to get a copy of bills for your records from the homeowner. Then you will know.

It really depends on location, and build how efficient these are. I've lived in a one bedroom that had outrageous bills and a 5 bedroom that had wonderfully low bills. A lot of variables to consider, how old is the place, does it get to much shade in winter, to little in summer, etc.

She can't do that because the guest house where she lives and the main house are on the same meter, so she can't see what her usage is. And they won't give her the bills for the two houses because she's not the account holder. I agree that she needs to sit down with her friend's mother, with the mother's electric/water bills, and discuss how the "landlord" got those figures.

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by observer53

She can't do that because the guest house where she lives and the main house are on the same meter, so she can't see what her usage is. And they won't give her the bills for the two houses because she's not the account holder. I agree that she needs to sit down with her friend's mother, with the mother's electric/water bills, and discuss how the "landlord" got those figures.

Aw,I see. Well then I agree with the sit down although that might be uncomfortable. I don't really see 140 for all utilities as that outrageous though, IMO of course. They probably split the costs and the main house might not be efficient either. I don't know how they could figure a close estimate unless they got a separate meter for the guest house. Which might be more than they are willing to do at this point. I see the point though.

[sesameleigh]

Thank you all for the advice!

I absolutely agree that sitting down as asking her to explain how she figures the amount I owe for utilities is the best way to come to an understanding.
It's been a while, but I grew up in Tucson and remember when I was in college, my gas/electric were not nearly that high. I could have never as a student afforded $150 in utilities. And never had I paid for water. Of course things change.

I found this forum while I was researching gas/electric costs. From what I've gathered, it's on the high end, but the more I look at this place, the more I'm convinced it's no way near energy efficient.

The good thing about Tucson's rentals? There is an abundance of them (unlike the Oakland, San Francisco). I will be all the wiser when finding the right place. I guess I can thank my current "landlord"
for that!