What to do if a landlord wants their tenants to move due to a high utility bill?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What to do if a landlord wants their tenants to move due to a high utility bill?
My boyfriend and I rent a 3 bedroom house. We pay $1000 a month and utilities are included. My landlord told me today that our power bill was high (she said it was $80) and if we don’t bring it down, or pay it ourselves, by next month then we have to move out. Our rent is very high but it hasn’t mattered until they did this. What should we do?
Asked on November 3, 2010 under Real Estate Law, Kentucky
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Do you have a lease? If not you are month-to-month tenants your landlord is within its rights to give notice. In KY, a landlord must give you 30 days from the beginning of your periodic rental date (usually the day you pay rent). If you have a lease you cannot be asked to leave prior to the end of the lease term. The only exceptions would be if you are in breach of the lease. So unless your lease has a specific provision regarding excessive electric usage (although this doesn't appear to be excessive), she cannot lawfully terminate your tenancy.
If you have any further questions, you should speak to a tenant's rights association or landlord-tenant attorney.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.