stupid landlord

[Nepix]

alright guys and gals I need your opinion (even though I dont have a gs anymore)

i moved into my house in may and we were given a bill for 40 dollars for the water that we had to pay when we moved in, no problem paid it to the landlord '

just got a bill from san diego overdue for that payment

i want to burn the house down. but, I took a deep breath and put the lighter and gas away (jk). Im going to call them about it tomorrow and charge them for it but is there a reasonable amount of interest i can apply?
how would you guys recommend going about this

thanks

[frankieG]

municipal taxes and water go to the home owner and not the tennant.  the municipality can put a lean on the property or worse shut off the service

[pantablo]

pass it along to the owner.

[spc]

Frankie:  WTF,  the utility bill goes to whoever is paying it.   I've been in rentals and payed the water bill before.  Also, I tend pay little creedance to advice from a person incapable of spelling a simple 4 letter word.  Especially when that person constantly nags others about their grammatical errors.
It's lien, not lean.

[Jay_wolf]

+100000000 Terry 

Also , in england u have your rent , goes to the owner , every other bills goes to you . the owners not using the water etc you are , the owner Keeps the property in the correct standards , eg all fixtures like showers , and plumbing.

id imagine its the same over there 

[Suzuk-E]

burn it.

[Jake D]

pass it along to the owner.

You should call your landlord and tell them the situation and ask them in a calm manner if you can without they amount of the bill from your next rent payment and then pay the water bill.  This isn't worth messing up your landlord tenant relationship over, trust me.  They can be pretty nasty sometimes.  You don't want that.  Not for $40. 

[spc]

Yeah,  jake is right,  $40 bucks isn't worth the next however many months being tense with the landlord.

[frankieG]

most water supplies are run by the municipality though some are private.   municipalities deal with the owners and will not usually deal with tenants, at least in my experience.  this was the case in the town that i was a councillor of.  others may be different.

[Dan02GS]

Water is usually taken care by the property owner, not the tennent. Here in CA water is expected to go up. In the county where I live we are expecting a 50% increase this year, yes that is 50%. Most property owners are having a fit, a lot are trying to pass this cost on to the tennents. If you are paying a water bill then make sure you are making the check out to the water company and not the landlord!!! If you have a property mngt company then I am sure they will tell you that the owner is resp. for the water bill. DO NOT give the landlord any money thinking that they pay the bill. You pay a utility company only. For example you pay the lights then you write the check to I believe SDGE not Joe the landlord. If joe the landlord ask for the water to be paid tell Joe that he needs to pay it. Then ask Joe if he is even the owner cause he might not be. Prop. mgnt companies can be the best people to rent from, because they have to follow the rules in most cases. They work for you the renter and the owners best interests. Good luck, I hope your bike is treating you well.

[pandy]

Nepix:

What does it say in your lease about who's responsible for paying water and other utilities?

[pantablo]

Nepix:

What does it say in your lease about who's responsible for paying water and other utilities?

ultimately thats what it comes down to. Every rental is different, some rents are inclusive of some or all utilities (it depends on whether the utility in question is separately metered for your unit mainly), some rents exclude utilities so they are up to the tenant.
Most times, you move into a place and you have to turn the utilities on yourself in your name, same as you would your telephone line.

[Jake D]

Is this where some wise apple comes in and says, "Nope, where I live the water is paid by the homeowner.  You guys don't know."?

Talking about laws on the internet is pointless unless you are talking about a federal law.  The lease is really the only thing that matters, I agree.  If the lease is silent about it then I suspect that you will have to pay it yourself.  Sounds like the City has sent the bill to you and will likely continue to do so.  The only issue remaining would be the $40 you gave your landlord. 

[jserio]

just call the landlord and discuss it with him. dont be an ass bout it just talk to him/her. every lease and every area/town/city etc are different. i pay all my own utilities and the only thing i pay the landlord is rent. but that is pointless to tell you really. your lease etc can be very different from mine. hell, it could be different even if you lived in the same town as me. best bet would be to talk to the landlord. get all the details of whats expected straightened out. if he insists that you are supposed to pay him and the city is billing you too then show him the bill you are getting. i'm no legal expert but i'm sure he can't charge you for something you are allready paying.

[Nepix]

alright, in my lease it does say that i am responsible. the issue is though that i have a letter (that im glad I saved ) saying that i owe that amount for the water. I called and talked to my landlord and calmly told him that it still says that it wasnt paid. He told me that I was responsible for that bill and he never sent me a letter, so then I held back the 4 letter words including liar, and said "what about the check you cashed for the 40 dollar water charge on move in" then he told me that he would call me back and he never did.

i think im going to eat the 40 dollars but i really dont want to.

[pandy]

Dear Mr. [Landlord]:

I'm hoping to clear up the confusion over the $40 I gave you for the water bill upon moving in at [address here].

Since you'd originally asked me to pay you $40.00 to cover the water bill for the first month, I was under the impression that you paid the water bill. Upon reviewing the lease and after our discussion, I understand now that the water bill is my responsibility, so I'd like a refund of the monies I paid you for the water bill.

I've attached a copy of the letter you originally wrote requesting the $40.00 check to cover the water bill. I've also attached a copy of the check.

Kindly refund the $40.00 immediately so that I can apply it to the water bill that has been sent by the City of [insert city name].

If you have any questions or need to talk to me further, I can be reached at [phone number].

I look forward to hearing from you soon, and thank you in advance for your assistance.

Kind regards,
[you]

[pantablo]

^^ what she said.

[yamahonkawazuki]

i tell ya pandy is the go-to-person for some rather nasty letters  no   

[pandy]

I just love that stuff.