Q: Can lanlord charge anything they want for utilities?
I live in Oregon. They pay the water we pay everything else. We were already being charged $100 a month for water. I live in a duplex. They are increasing it by another $100 with our new lease. That would make the total bill $400 for the whole unit. I called the water company and they said our unit should have an average monthly bill of $200 for the whole unit. Can the landlord charge anything they want for the water or do we just have to pay what the bill actually is?
A:
Unlikely this is proper. See https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/90.315
and https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/90.532
Gregory L Abbott agrees with this answer
1 user found this answer helpful
A: No, there are definite statutory limits to how much a landlord can charge for utilities, assuming they are trying to charge more than the actual amount billed by the utility company. Further, a tenant usually has the right to see a copy of the utility bill before having to pay their share of it. Plus, if your dwelling is not separately metered and thus you may or may not be paying for utilities actually used by someone else, your written rental agreement has to tell you that when you first commence your tenancy. So take your lease and utility bills, along with any written communications with the landlord to a local landlord-tenant attorney to learn your rights and whether you may have claims against your landlord for improper charges. Good luck.
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