A LANDLORD made a huge change to their tenant’s energy system to save money, but it’s actually costing her more.
Before the change, the California-based tenant was paying between $250 to $300 for her electrical bill, but is now forced to pay $346.
A landlord made a huge change to their tenant’s energy system to save money, but it’s actually costing her more[/caption]
On the social media platform Reddit, one person shared the story of their mom’s landlord, who installed a solar panel system without her knowledge.
The landlord then tasked her with cutting off the electrical company she normally uses, something the company has then told her not to do.
All of this was meant to save money, but it’s costing her roughly $50 more a month for a system she didn’t ask for.
The post on the thread reads: “My mom’s landlord installed a solar panel system with a battery storage system and says she has to pay this bill.
“She has been living there for 8 years. Her original lease does not include any agreement for solar.
“The landlord is saying he bought it to save her on the energy bill and that she is supposed to cut off the local electrical utility company.
“Her electrical bill for a 3 bedroom house was usually around $250 to $300 dollars.
“So paying for this seems counter productive to saving.
“I don’t know what system he has installed but the utility company is saying to not turn it off their services.”
The post also showed the letter the tenant was sent, that said “Congratulations on your decision to get solar”.
The irony of this is that the tenant did not make this decision for herself.
COMMENT FRENZY
In the comments, people immediately saw through the “scam” the mom was forced into accepting.
Some believed this was a way to get the tenant to pay for the solar lease so the landlord wouldn’t have to.
One person said: “Your mom’s landlord wants her to pay for his solar lease.
Tenant’s rights
According to InCharge Debt Solutions, tenants have several rights in the United States:
As a tenant, you have certain rights, and while they vary from state to state, there is a list of standard requirements virtually every landlord in the U.S. must provide:
- Heat (but not air conditioning)
- Running hot and cold water
- Locks and keys
- Smoke detector
- Clean and safe common areas
Landlords can keep security deposits for several reasons. These include:
- Unpaid Rent
- Damage to the Property
- Cleaning Costs
- Unpaid Utilities or Bills
- Breach of Lease Terms
- Abandoned Property
- Repairs Due to Tenant Negligence
If landlords don’t make any necessary repairs, tenants should:
- Review Your Lease or Rental Agreement
- Document the Problem
- Notify Your Landlord in Writing
- Contact Local Housing Authorities
- Repair and Deduct
- Mediation or Legal Action
- Protect Your Rent
“When the lease is paid off he keeps solar and has no more payments.
“He’s blatantly lying that he bought it to save your mom money or he’s really stupid and fell for solar company aggressive marketing.”
Someone else also noted the needless cost of the solar for the tenant: “Oh that’s the lame solar where you’re basically replacing the electric company with the Solar Company and the Bill winds up being ridiculously high versus just buying solar panels and getting free electricity.
“Honestly if this was the landlord’s decision I would make the landlord pay that bill and would only be willing to pay a normal electric bill based off of what I had been paying.”
Others explained why the electricity company was against the mom switching off her payments.
This is because it is usually illegal to disconnect from the grid.
