Landlord Accessing Utility Information

[mrdog101]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Nevada
We recently moved from California to Nevada,
We started renting our house in the Middle of April
All of the Utility bills started coming in at the End of May , Some of them came with deposits (rightly so we are new to the state)
I paid all of my May bills,
June bills have come in and it being the start of summer the electric was a little higher then May's bill along with the water, I moved 2 of them to a different date due to only getting paid twice a month and I didn't want to be short on $$$ so I spaced them out.
Landlord apparently gets copies of utility bill and Call us up yesterday asking why I didn't pay the water bill from June , I responded that I got a payment arrangement and a date change and that bill was now due July 10th. She called the water company to confirm all of this with them.
Now my question is :
1.) My bills and how I pay them are my business , All of the bills are current and not in danger of a shut off,
Can she call me and ask if I am paying my utilities, ( In the Lease it clearly states that I am responsible for all of the utilities)
2.) Is there a way for me to request that she not get this information on my utilities with out my permission.
She is telling me I can not get a payment arrangement , that I need to pay the bills how they come in, Now I feel like she is invading my privacy, I am not sure really what to do, I have rented for years and I have never had a landlord tell me how to pay my bills or even get in the middle of my utilities. I pay my rent on time every month and I feel like how and when and If I get a shut off notice one month is not her concern, She says it is , I know she has the legal right to check and see if a utility has been taken out of a previous tenants name and put into a new one, but I don't feel it is her right to check up on how I am paying my bills. I am not sure what to do . I do understand that she has to make sure that I have running water, heat etc, but My finances and how and when I pay them I don't think are here concern.

 

[Gail in Georgia]

"Can she call me and ask if I am paying my utilities?"

Yes

"Is there a way for me to request that she not get this information on my utilities without my permission"

Call the utility company yourself and ask. Keep mind, however, that in cases of utilities for water and sewer (which is done through the local company connected with your city/county) it is not unusual that if the tenant does not pay this the owner (i.e., the landlord) is billed for this.

Gail

 

[mrdog101]

But If I am currently paying the bills and there is no shut off notice etc being sent and all I did was ask to move the payment date, How is that her right to call and check up on my current bills?

 

[Gail in Georgia]

"How it is her right to call and check up on my current bills?"

See my response in regards to your landlord being responsible for the bill if you don't pay it. You may be casual about a shut off bill but it sounds like they would be responsible for both the bill and the fee for getting the utility (in the case of water/sewer services which are handled by local municipalities) turned back on.

Gail

 

[FarmerJ]

Is your electric company a city /county owned utility or a for profit company ? water sewer are not very often under private industry control but if a util is not a govt owned system then I would suggest you set up a pass word with them and tell them your landlord has been accessing your account and if they keep giving out your acct info your going to complain to your states atty generals offices, If its a city-govt owned util first ask for a copy of the written rules that allow them to talk to your LL about your account , if they hem , haw etc insist on speaking to a supervisor , because that information would have to be public and they have no reason to not tell you what they are. As far as your LL goes if the electric and or water are private firms make it clear via certified letter on paper to your LL that your lease with them does not give them consent to talk to utilities and as long as your bills are indeed paid if they continue to access your utility account information you will speak to your attorney.

 

[OK-LL]

But If I am currently paying the bills and there is no shut off notice etc being sent and all I did was ask to move the payment date, How is that her right to call and check up on my current bills?

Because your non-payment (especially with water/sewer/garbage) can result in a debt to the landlord and quite likely a lien on his property, he feels he has a right to make sure that you pay so he avoids the repercussions of your service shut-off. In order to avoid the repercussions, he needs to be sure you don't actually default on the utility payments, hence the review of your account and the communication with you. In my area, two local municipalities require that the landlord receive a copy of the monthly billing sent to the tenant, they insist on it since the landlord bears the ultimate responsibility. Best you can do is inquire what the situtation is with your particular utility provider.

 

[RRevak]

Are the utilities in YOUR name or the landlords?

 

[Stephen1]

My water/sewer/garbage utility is city owned. If the tenant doesn't pay then it can become a lien against the property (so I pay). Because of this, the utility sends me a copy of any notice to the tenant (not the regular bills). So, the LL may have received some notice from the utility.