Can My Landlord Make Me Pay For Repairs

Utility Shut-Offs

If you receive detect that your utilities volition be shut off, y'all need to act quickly to protect your rights. It is more difficult to get service turned back on later shut off. No affair who is responsible to pay for the utilities, a utility company cannot cutting off service without the following:

A 10-day written notice earlier shut-off
An try to contact you or an adult in your household personally at least 3 days before the
shut-off
An endeavor to contact you or an adult in your household at the time of the shut-off
During December to March, if the company has non made personal contact prior to termination, it must mail a detect in an obvious place at your house saying your utilities will be shut off and they must give you at least 48 hours' notice

Afterward a 10-twenty-four hours notice has been given to a tenant past a utility company, the company has 60 days to turn off the tenant'south utility without another 10-day notice.

If the utility company turned off service without prior discover, it has broken the law. Contact the utility visitor and need that the service exist restored immediately. Ask to speak to the supervisor and write down the name of the person y'all speak with. If necessary, call the Public Utility Commission at 1-800-692-7380. If you need legal help, consult a private attorney or telephone call your local Legal Aid office.

Steps to Avert a Utility Shut-Off

Information technology is your responsibility to contact the utility visitor immediately with any billing dispute or payment trouble in order to avert having your utilities close off.

Contact the utility company at the phone number on the notice. Ask to ready a payment agreement. The length of payment agreements is determined by law. If your household is low income, make sure you inform the utility company equally there are longer payment agreements available for low income households. The utility company is only required to provide yous with one payment understanding for the same debt. If you practice not believe a utility is providing a payment term you can written report them to the Public Utility Commission (PUC) at i-800-692-7380. The PUC can upshot a payment understanding.
Show that you paid your bill or show that there is a disagreement (dispute) nigh your bill. If you lot dispute your bill or disagree with the meter readings, yous must notify the utility company and tell them that y'all dispute the bill. Your service volition not be able to be shut off during the period that you are waiting for a response to your inquiry or dispute. You lot will still be obligated to pay all utility bills that y'all do not dispute, including any bills y'all are receiving while the complaint is ongoing. If you and your utility company cannot agree, call the Public Utility Committee (PUC) at one-800-692-7380.
The utility company cannot shut off your service if you obtain medical certification that someone in your domicile is seriously sick or someone has a medical condition that volition be made worse by a close off. After you lot tell the utility near this medical status, you will need to go a doctor or nurse practitioner to call or send a statement to the utility company confirming the medical status. The shut off can exist stopped for a maximum of 30 days at a fourth dimension. The medical certification can be renewed two additional times. If your service has already been shut off, this will require the utility company to restore your service. You however have to brand payment arrangements on whatsoever undisputed utility bills.
If yous are a victim of domestic violence and take a valid Protection from Abuse Order (PFA), there are special procedures and protections for treatment your utility service. Call your utility company to inform them of your PFA so these special procedures and protections tin can put in place for you. You may exist required to provide a copy of the PFA to the utility company.
If you live in a low income household, there may be special arrangements to assist you – See Trouble Paying Utility Bills for information on programs that assistance low income customers.

What if my Landlord is Responsible for Paying the Utility Bills?

If your landlord is responsible for paying for utility service and fails to pay the utility nib or if the landlord instructs the utility company to shut off your service, the Utility Services Tenants Correct Act requires that you exist notified by the utility company at least 30 days in advance.

One time the utilities take been close off, the situation may become more than complicated. Starting time, endeavor to have the landlord make the necessary payments immediately to restore your service. If the
landlord does not make the necessary payments to restore service, you and whatever other tenants may have to make the payments in society to become the service restored. Any nib yous pay to go the service restored can be deducted from your rental payments. You as well may exist able to have the utility service transferred to your proper name. Still, exist careful—yous may need to put downward a sizable deposit and it may besides affect your lease. Seek legal counsel as soon as possible if yous do this.

Getting Utility Service Dorsum On

Betwixt April i and Nov 30, if you pay the amount owed in total or make a payment agreement (if eligible) and come across any other conditions required by the utility company, your service must be restored within 3 days.

Between December 1 and March 31, your service must be restored within 24 hours if you lot pay the amount owed in total or make a payment agreement (if eligible) and meet whatsoever other weather condition required by the utility company.

Who Is Responsible for Paying the Utility Bill?

Whether a lease is written or verbal, both parties must agree on which party is responsible for paying the utility bills. The tenant may be responsible for electric and gas while the landlord is responsible for water and sewer. If your lease is in writing, make certain that the lease outlines who is responsible to pay for utilities.

Does There Have to Be an Individual Meter for Each Flat?

If the tenant is responsible for paying the utility bill, the Pennsylvania Utility Code requires the landlord to ensure that each residential unit is individually metered. This means that at that place cannot exist a "foreign load" on the tenant'southward utility bill—the tenant'southward wiring cannot include the mutual areas or another flat. If there are iii units in a building, then there must be three separate meters for each of the apartments and a carve up meter for the common areas.

If a rental unit is not individually metered, then the landlord is responsible for the utility bill—including any past due residuum. The utility visitor should not permit the tenant to exist billed for the service until it is confirmed that the wiring has been corrected.

Can My Landlord Retaliate Confronting Me for Asserting My Rights Regarding Utilities?

There is a provision within the Pennsylvania Utility Lawmaking that makes it unlawful for a landlord to retaliate against a tenant for exercising their rights under the Pennsylvania Utility Code. Whatsoever landlord, agent or employee of the landlord who threatens or retaliates against a tenant can be liable for damages equal to two months' rent or the actual amercement sustained by the tenant, whichever is greater, and the costs of suit and reasonable attorneys' fees.

There is an anti-retaliation provision in the police that presumes illegal retaliation if an owner seeks to raise the hire or evict a tenant within 6 months of the tenant exercising their rights under the Pennsylvania Utility Code except in cases of nonpayment of rent. Note that these rights cannot be taken away even if the lease says you have given away these rights.

Can My Landlord Shut Off My Utilities Considering I Am Behind in Rent?

Your landlord is not legally allowed to interfere with your utility service, even if you are behind in your rent. Even when the water, sewer, gas or electric is included in your monthly rental payments, a landlord cannot legally shut off your utility service. This may exist considered an illegal try to evict you without going through proper legal procedures and if this happens or if the landlord threatens this, you should consult an attorney or call legal assistance. Meet Q and A Eviction: My Landlord Has Threatened to Lock Me Out.

Trouble Paying Utility Bills

If you have not paid, or if you are behind in paying, your utility bills, the utility company tin shut off the service to your rental belongings afterward giving proper notice. See Utility Shut-Offs. Still, even if y'all cannot pay the whole amount owed, you can accept steps to keep your utility service on.

Electric, gas and some water companies take Customer Assistance Programs (CAPs). CAPs are bachelor to low-income customers who have difficulty paying their full monthly bill. These programs provide discounts to the monthly bill likewise as past debt forgiveness in exchange for the customer making regular monthly payments. Ask your company if you are eligible.
Utility companies must allow you to pay your bills on a budget plan, and then that your winter payments are not extremely high while your summer payments are low. Under a budget plan, your payments are averaged so that each monthly payment is the same.
You may be eligible for the Low Income Dwelling Energy Aid Plan (LIHEAP). This program may be able to help you lot in paying your utility bills or other costs of keeping warm (space heaters and dwelling house repairs). The Department of Public Welfare operates three free energy programs— the Energy Assistance Cash Grant, the Crisis Grant, and the Crisis Grant Weatherization Repair Assistance. If you are experiencing a heating crunch, you may be eligible for benefits through the LIHEAP crisis programme. Emergency situations include cleaved heating equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced, lack of fuel, a main heating source or second heating source (a source that is used to operate the main heating source or used if the master heating source is non working) that has been completely shut-off, and danger of existence without fuel (less than a 15-day supply) or of having utility service terminated (received a notice that service will be shut off inside the next 60 days)
Each electrical and gas visitor has a Hardship Fund to which low-income customers may apply in order to avoid shut-off or to accept service reconnected. Call your company to run into if you are eligible.
The Weatherization Help Program and the Residential Depression Income Usage Reduction Program are costless services provided to eligible depression-income utility customers. Services provided may include a home energy survey, weatherization services and usage reduction education. Contact your utility company or the Community Action Plan serving your area in order to apply or to go more information

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Committee has many resource to assist keep individuals and families warm during Pennsylvania winters. Visit their website at www.puc.land.pa.united states of america to acquire more than.
If you live outside of Philadelphia, visit the $one Energy Fund at world wide web.dollarenergy.org or contact your utility company for data on programs that may help y'all pay your utility bill.
If you live in Philadelphia, visit the Utility Emergency Services Fund (UESF) at www.uesfacts.org or telephone call (215) 972-5170 for information on a program that may assistance you lot pay your utility beak