Typically, after a person signs a lease to rent a house or an apartment, they become responsible for paying the utility bills. However, some communities pass ordinances making the property owner responsible for these payments. While many landlords can adjust rent prices to cover these added costs, sometimes a utility bill could be unexpectedly high, forcing the landlord to eat the cost or charge their tenants more.
In most cases, the renter pays these bills on time and in full, but unfortunately, some rack up several months of unpaid bills that landlords could be held accountable for paying. I authored legislation that would require municipally owned utility companies to bill renters – not the property owner – for services like gas, electricity or water, unless the landlord and renter come to a separate agreement. With this proposal for a new law, I hope to prevent property owners from being unfairly stuck with unpaid utility bills, and hold those using the services accountable.
Currently, local ordinances tie the hands of landlords who have limited options to prevent excessively high bills and in some instances, lose out on money owed. When the utility company bills the tenant directly, they are holding the customers accountable, and they have the authority to terminate a service for nonpayment. Aside from a lengthy and costly eviction process, property owners who are fully responsible for utility bills have few options to prevent tenants from racking up excessive bills. My legislation would ensure that the person using the service, pays for the service.
This bill is currently assigned to the House Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications Committee, and should receive a hearing in the coming weeks. To track bills as they move through the process and watch hearings online, visit iga.in.gov. Please share any input with me on issues impacting the state by emailing me at h58@iga.in.gov or calling 317-234-3827, and sign up to receive my regular e-newsletter updates at www.in.gov/h58.
-30-
State Rep. Woody Burton (R-Whiteland) represents House District 58,
which includes a portion of Johnson County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
