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I feel like I'm getting screwed on a utility bill

A

AntiFreze

Golden Member
So, I am renting a place in a high rise in downtown phoenix. The building opened up sometime around last April (2008). I moved in on July 1st, 2008. The cold water is all "chilled water" as well as the A/C (something about cold water is pumped up and a fan blows air across the pipe which cools the air). The electric bill covers heating and appliances/lights. The unit I am renting is around 1000 sq ft.

Our bill has been around $40-$70 a month for electric and chilled water. Well, we all got an email in the building saying that a different company was taking over because the previous one made huge mistakes. The building was underbilled by $54,000 since it opened. They say that there is no way to tell which unit used how much, so they took the total cost and divided it by the number of units. Now, all the floor plans repeat as the floors go up. So unit 509 is the same as unit 1409. So they did find a way to divide it up by the units (assuming they did some calculation based on sq ft).

Well, we get a bill the other day saying that we are past due by $600, and owe $140 for the previous month. I have always been current with my utility bills before this. They need payment by March 15th.

Does this seem right? Am I really responsibly for this? Is the owner of my unit responsible? Did our building screw up and they should eat the cost?

I am kind of at a loss and wanted to know what everyone thought.
 
Originally posted by: ggnl
$40-70 per month does seem extremely low. How many sq ft is your place?
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About 1,000 sq ft. Keep in mind that I live in phoenix and ran the heat for probably... 25 days total this winter.
 
Is it an apartment or a condo?

Apartment I would say that they made the mistake, too bad for them.
Condo I would say that the condo association should be working towards resolving this from association fees.
 
Originally posted by: AntiFreze
Originally posted by: ggnl
$40-70 per month does seem extremely low. How many sq ft is your place?
Click to expand...

About 1,000 sq ft. Keep in mind that I live in phoenix and ran the heat for probably... 25 days total this winter.
Click to expand...

Where in downtown phoenix? Orpheum Lofts?

That is messed up about them trying to add the past due amount to your bill. I dont believe they have any right to do that. It seems borderline illegal to me.
 
Unless the have an electric meter for each individual unit, how do they know how much to charge you? Depending on the state, by law I don't think they can do this unless they meter each unit. Metering individual units is against the law in most states. The landlord can provide utilities, but the charges have to be worked into the lease agreement and are not separated out.

I work for a gas utility in PA. If a landlord has one gas service with one meter with multiple living unit being supplied by that meter, by law he can't put a meter on each unit and charge for the gas. By doing so, he effectively made himself a distribution company which is governed by the state (public utility commision).
 
Originally posted by: AntiFreze
Originally posted by: ggnl
$40-70 per month does seem extremely low. How many sq ft is your place?
Click to expand...

About 1,000 sq ft. Keep in mind that I live in phoenix and ran the heat for probably... 25 days total this winter.
Click to expand...

But still, electricity is just more expensive now than it used to be. I'm in south Texas in a slightly smaller place, I turned on my heater maybe 4 times this winter and I still never got a single bill under $100.
 
Originally posted by: cheezy321
Originally posted by: AntiFreze
Originally posted by: ggnl
$40-70 per month does seem extremely low. How many sq ft is your place?
Click to expand...

About 1,000 sq ft. Keep in mind that I live in phoenix and ran the heat for probably... 25 days total this winter.
Click to expand...

Where in downtown phoenix? Orpheum Lofts?

That is messed up about them trying to add the past due amount to your bill. I dont believe they have any right to do that. It seems borderline illegal to me.
Click to expand...

Summit at Copper Square
 
Originally posted by: AntiFreze
Originally posted by: ggnl
$40-70 per month does seem extremely low. How many sq ft is your place?
Click to expand...

About 1,000 sq ft. Keep in mind that I live in phoenix and ran the heat for probably... 25 days total this winter.
Click to expand...

rofl, i'm in nyc and i ran the heat for 10 days this winter.
 
Check to see what the lease says?

If they messed up then they pay unless they can prove who used it.
File a compliant.
 
You're just SOL.

I moved from one town home to another in the same complex. Called elec company and informed them of the move. They accidentally began charging me for 1216 #6 instead of 1210 #6. Being that the other place was a single retired guy, my bills were low. After 12 months they somehow caught the mistake and said I owed $480. Even though it was their mistake they wouldn't compromise one bit. Called the PUC and they couldn't do anything either. Just had to pay.

Sure, I used the electricity but I still think they could have offered some kind of compromise since they're the ones that screwed up. Had the screw up never occurred and I had received my true and accurate bills that we would not have used so much electricity.
 
Originally posted by: child of wonder
You're just SOL.

I moved from one town home to another in the same complex. Called elec company and informed them of the move. They accidentally began charging me for 1216 #6 instead of 1210 #6. Being that the other place was a single retired guy, my bills were low. After 12 months they somehow caught the mistake and said I owed $480. Even though it was their mistake they wouldn't compromise one bit. Called the PUC and they couldn't do anything either. Just had to pay.

Sure, I used the electricity but I still think they could have offered some kind of compromise since they're the ones that screwed up. Had the screw up never occurred and I had received my true and accurate bills that we would not have used so much electricity.
Click to expand...

Different situation. You dealt with a public utility, he's dealing with a landlord.

In your case, the utility could prove what you used. The PUC will say you have to pay. Usually the utility will work with you on some kind of interest free payment plan and/or offer you a discount. I know that is the way it works in here.

 
Originally posted by: AntiFreze
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Check to see what the lease says?

If they messed up then they pay unless they can prove who used it.
File a compliant.
Click to expand...

Where would I file a complaint?
Click to expand...

You and the other tenants need to unite and go at this as a group.

 
Originally posted by: AntiFreze
Originally posted by: nace186
2 word: lawyer up.
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Seems like a lawyer would be more expensive than the total bill.
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It might be expensive for 1 tenant...But if you get a bunch of people from the same building, then it won't be so expensive. 😉
 
Are you renting from an individual person (who is a member of the HOA?) or is the whole building rentals? Sounds like the former, in which case your landlord might have to take a big hit.

Check your lease, but I doubt they can come back at you for that type of money.

First reaction, fight that shit. Can you tell if they're billing you for the whole time (as opposed to the time you occupied).


 
Originally posted by: tefleming
Are you renting from an individual person (who is a member of the HOA?) or is the whole building rentals? Sounds like the former, in which case your landlord might have to take a big hit.

Check your lease, but I doubt they can come back at you for that type of money.

First reaction, fight that shit. Can you tell if they're billing you for the whole time (as opposed to the time you occupied).
Click to expand...

I am renting from an individual person who is a member of the HOA. The bill came from the building, not my landlord. I'll look into my lease tonight, and yes this is the bill for the whole time. So my residency + 3-4 months.

I don't even think my landlord is aware of this. I'm going to talk to my landlord, and the building people, as well as check my lease tonight.
 
This is totally off-topic, but how do you like living in downtown PHX? I was thinking about moving down there, but there is really nothing going on most nights after 6. Where do you go to buy your groceries? What are some restaurants you frequent down there? The only places I really have gone downtown are Pizza Bianca, Majerles, Stoudemires, Hard Rock, and Fate. Do you work downtown? How is traffic during the rush hour times?
 
Originally posted by: cheezy321
This is totally off-topic, but how do you like living in downtown PHX? I was thinking about moving down there, but there is really nothing going on most nights after 6. Where do you go to buy your groceries? What are some restaurants you frequent down there? The only places I really have gone downtown are Pizza Bianca, Majerles, Stoudemires, Hard Rock, and Fate. Do you work downtown? How is traffic during the rush hour times?
Click to expand...

I <3 Pizza Bianca
 
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