Brooklyn, NY asked in Landlord - Tenant for New York

Q: Hi I am landlord of New York State. I rent out a basement and the agreement is we will pay the electricity.

But the tenants use so many electricity per month and I got a thousand electricity bill per month. What can I do. The contract will be ended after 1.5 years.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Elaine Shay
PREMIUM
Elaine Shay
Answered
  • Landlord Tenant Lawyer
  • New York, NY
  • Licensed in New York

A: Parties are responsible for the bargains they make by written contracts such as a lease. Therefore, if a tenant is using the rented premises as intended by the lease and the electric charges are higher than the landlord may have expected, the tenant is not under an obligation to agree to modify the terms of the tenancy to benefit the landlord. However, since the landlord will have to decide whether to renew the lease down the road, many tenants will still work with the landlord to reach a reasonable compromise.

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