Is it fraud or not?

[LisaS]

Recently my apartment building in Illinois was sold to a new management company. Prior to this switch our basic cable was free to us. The new landlord now wants to charge us $16 a month to maintain our cable. I was told by the cable company that he is charged $12 to have cable in each of his apartments. He manages 48 apartments which means that he is making an extra $192.00 a month. When he informed us of this change the letter stated that as of January 1st we were going to have to pay $16 dollars more a month to keep our cable. Isn't what he's doing fraud since it's only costing him $12 a month? He also states we are to pay him directly...not the cable company. Please let me know if what he is doing is legal. Thank you!

 

[David J. Miller]

If you are on a fixed term lease and your lease says the L pays the cable, he cannot make you pay the cable bill until the lease expires. If m/m lease, he can change this rule. It would be legal for him to charge a surplus for the cable. Call it administrative costs.