Home help...breaking our rental lease after buying a house

[I Love My Sailor]

My husband and I bought a house this week. We had to break the lease on our apartment. We paid $850 a month for rent and a set amount of $250 a month for utilities. We knew that we would have to pay 2 months rent and forfeit our SD. Well... when my husband did the walk through, the agent said we have to pay not just the 2 months rent but the monthly utilities too !!!! I said WHAT That's $500 in utilities that they want when we would not even be there? Is that right? Our contact doesn't say we have to pay the utilities it just says 2 months rent and we forfeit our security deposit. What do you think?

 

[nclrgirl]

Stick to what the lease says. If it says 2 months'' rent and the security deposit, ONLY pay that. Bring your lease to show them.

 

[cara]

Go over the contract with a fine tooth comb. What does it say? If you can't find the line about utilities then ask the building management where in the contract it says you continue to be liable for utilities that you are not using. *Some* utilities are required to be left on for health reasons in some jurisdictions (sewer, water) and if it were winter, maybe some heat would be required to keep the pipes from freezing. But its not winter. And you are not the owner so why should you be responsible? So the management is just trying to get what they can get from you; whether or not you have to pay up should be in the contract.

 

[neatfreak]

You are only required if it is in the lease agreement. Period.

 

[I Love My Sailor]

the apartment is one large house that was renovated to be 2 appartments...one upstairs and one downstairs.....a guy built it for his 2 sons so, our landlord lives downstairs and we were on the top... the house only has one meter so that's why we paid a set amount. I don't see why we would have to pay for electric, cable,internet and water when nobody would be up there. they still are on the bottom floor using utuliries so its not about pipes freezing or sewer fees



I just read the contract, it does say that we are responible for utilities for the duration of the lease which means to be as long as we are leasing the property...

since the lease is being terminated we are not responible for the utilities after that and under early termination is says nothing about owing utilities it clearly states 2 months rent and sd

 

[D&T]

deleted.
ETA: I see that this is not a separate meter - you shouldn't have to pay thats my take. We don't make our tenants pay when we have combined meter when they have left even if they break a lease.

 

[cara]

Date: 8/6/2009 7:01:48 PM
Author: I Love My Sailor
the apartment is one large house that was renovated to be 2 appartments...one upstairs and one downstairs.....a guy built it for his 2 sons so, our landlord lives downstairs and we were on the top... the house only has one meter so that''s why we paid a set amount. I don''t see why we would have to pay for electric, cable,internet and water when nobody would be up there. they still are on the bottom floor using utuliries so its not about pipes freezing or sewer fees

I can see why they want you to - some of those are probably fixed costs that will not entirely go away if the apartment is vacant - but you are only required to meet the terms in your lease. They are responsible for paying those bills if you are leaving under terms specified in the lease and the lease doesn''t mention the utilities payment.

 

[iheartscience]

Can you sublease? If so, that would save you a lot of money. I think the full utility fee is insane, but if it''s in your lease, I think you''re stuck.

Really, $250 seems very expensive for utilities period. I highly doubt they pay $500/month for utilities for the whole house, especially in the summer.