Tenant windows open landlord pays for heat

[adjusterjack]

Every time she keeps an open window she gets charged.

Not unless the penalty is written in the lease or expressly allowed by statute.

You can't just fine people without the proper authority (either contractual or statutory).

 

[xylene]

I am not understanding where this "fine" business comes in.

Some people like fresh air.

The solution is in having tenants pay there own utility charges and nowhere else.

Micromanging tenants is a terrible idea.

 

[TigerD]

I am not understanding where this "fine" business comes in.

Some people like fresh air.

The solution is in having tenants pay there own utility charges and nowhere else.

Micromanging tenants is a terrible idea.

There are a lot of lower value multi-unit rentals in converted houses where it would be prohibitively expensive to remove and rebuild the utilities. I don't own any of those properties for the reasons presented by the OP, but they serve a segment of the market that needs them. The landlord must figure out a way to protect the variable cost of wasted energy use.

I had a unit that was on the same utilities as another residence. I installed a limited thermostat. The tenant was free to adjust the temp within a certain range. I picked the range because I paid the bill. This was a short-term lease and I have since removed the mother-in-laws apartment.

TD

 

[xylene]

The landlord must figure out a way to protect the variable cost of wasted energy use. etc etc.

That's a nice anecdote about you being a landlord. It doesn't support the position that a landlord may fine his tenants for opening a window during heating season.

And if costs are prohibitively expensive, then perhaps not that much energy is actually being wasted.

One more note, for the worries about freezing pipes, even in Boston water doesn't freeze until 32° ...

 

[TigerD]

That's a nice anecdote about you being a landlord. It doesn't support the position that a landlord may fine his tenants for opening a window during heating season.

I didn't take a position on that. If the lease allows for it - do it. If not, rewrite the lease to allow for it and do it.

And if costs are prohibitively expensive, then perhaps not that much energy is actually being wasted.

Ridiculous. It could cost tens of thousands to refit a building with separate utilities. Not to mention that that big of a job could very well require remodeling the entire building to current code and ADA accessibility. The cost of these changes - I'll not call them improvements - can and is frequently more than the building is worth and definitely outside the ability of tenants to pay for. (That is after all, who ultimately bears the cost of changes to a rental property.) A change that does not make economic sense will not happen.

TD

 

[FarmerJ]

Karen A good place to start if you want to learn about sub metering and re billing for a landlord supplied utility is start with your states public utility commission asking for the rules for sub metered billing of landlord supplied utilities, 2nd place to search is your states landlord tenant laws, 3rd is to learn from your city if they have any ordinances regulating residential sub metered utility services, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-submetering-water-for-tenants has sections that address this. ( lastly you could change the thermostat in her unit to a conservation model so it cannot be set to more than 70-72 Keep in mind that this way of doing it doesn't stop the heat from coming on while windows are open ( old well known round thermostat manufacturer makes them and Ive used them in the past) OR even consider having a heating tech change the wiring so your units thermostat controls both units and be ware of state set minimums for heating degrees and defined heating season when utilities are included. Keep in mind it is up to you to verify that the information in these links is still valid https://www.malawforum.com/content/electric-and-heat-submetering read update on separate utility bills in Ma as well as the others above it. Lastly to make sure you should consult a real estate attorney who has a lot of landlord tenant background. ( feel free to talk to a local electrician to determine if your rentals electric service is large enough to handle electric heat and to find out what it would cost to install energy efficient baseboard electric heat. There are baseboard units that use less energy than cheaper standard units) Lastly if this is a hot water or boiler system with each unit having its own thermostat then it may well be affordable to have a second boiler installed to serve that unit even if its a all electric model since the piping is already separate.