OK here it goes....If you have a lease and it is NOT stated the tenant pays for heat, then the landlord must pay for it, untill the lease ends.
If you DO NOT have a seperate thermostat in your apartment, then the landlord cannot charge you for the heat by splitting the bill, since you have no control over the amount of heat YOU require to be comfortable.
That is the standard they use......in NY and NJ area...
NO thermostat in your apartment the landlord pays.
That is fair!
PS..of course if you are living in an Illegal basment or attic apartment the landlord cannot legally put in a thermostat, or a seperate electric meter....so splitting the bills is a RED FLAG that the apartment might be illegal!
[Edited by mary hartman on 04-13-2001 at 09:19 PM]