sedgington
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Ohio
I am going to small claims court in August because my former landlord is suing me for unpaid utility bills. My question is, can I be held responsible for utility bills that are in his name? The lease stated that I was responsible for utilities but he wanted to keep them in his name due to the fact that I was on a month to month and he intended to move back into the property himself in the near future. When I moved out there were bills that I was unable to pay and he called me repeatedly and threatened me with wage garnishment etc. I paid them at that point by check and unfortunately they were returned NSF due to the fact that my new landlord had already cashed a check and I was not aware of it. I know that I got behind on the bills and part of the problem I was having had to do with the fact that they were in his name. I did not have the ability to contact the utility companies and make payment arrangements because they would not speak to anyone but him. I attempted to work out payments with him directly but he replied with "If you didnt pay the bills to begin with, why would I let you make payments to me?" Do I have a legal leg to stand on or should I just go to court and try to make payment arrangements for the amount ($1900.00) that he is suing me for???
Thank you very much for any help or advice,
Sedgington
I am going to small claims court in August because my former landlord is suing me for unpaid utility bills. My question is, can I be held responsible for utility bills that are in his name? The lease stated that I was responsible for utilities but he wanted to keep them in his name due to the fact that I was on a month to month and he intended to move back into the property himself in the near future. When I moved out there were bills that I was unable to pay and he called me repeatedly and threatened me with wage garnishment etc. I paid them at that point by check and unfortunately they were returned NSF due to the fact that my new landlord had already cashed a check and I was not aware of it. I know that I got behind on the bills and part of the problem I was having had to do with the fact that they were in his name. I did not have the ability to contact the utility companies and make payment arrangements because they would not speak to anyone but him. I attempted to work out payments with him directly but he replied with "If you didnt pay the bills to begin with, why would I let you make payments to me?" Do I have a legal leg to stand on or should I just go to court and try to make payment arrangements for the amount ($1900.00) that he is suing me for???
Thank you very much for any help or advice,
Sedgington