Jacksonville, FL asked in Contracts for North Carolina

Q: Can an apartment landlord, who currently pays for water utility, put in the lease that water is sub-metered to tenants?

The landlord/property owner pays for the water; however, they put in the lease that it is submetered to each tenant and that the tenant is responsible for the bill. They said this is in the lease because they have the "intent" to start charging for water sometime in the future. Essentially they are writing the lease based on future expectations. The way the lease currently looks, they have the option of selecting "yes" or "no" to the current submetering aspect, but they are checking the "yes" box, even though they now water is not currently submetered. Is this legal?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer

A: Unless you are being damaged it does not matter whether this scheme is legal or not.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.