One of the tenants in the HMO I currently own has asked to see copies of all the utility bills I have received since he moved in as he believes he has a legal right to see them (as his rent includes all bills)
I am not able to find an answer online so thought I’d ask here in the hope that someone knows the answer.
I do show my tenants the bills because if they overspend on their budget they have to top up
Meters
I have prepayment meters for gas and electric
I don’t know if it’s a legal requirement
The landlord association will be able to give you a correct answer
he’s possibly confused between a situation where if he paid separately for utilities, he would have the legal right to see them and you cannot charge him more than he uses. However, as you’ve indicated that his rent includes all bills, then you are not bound to show him and can charge him what you like. There are different laws depending on how Ts pay for utilities.
But he can challenge a rent increase via the normal routes if you have increased it in order to cover excessive energy use… by other members of the HMO, for example.
The question that comes to mind is why not show him? If you refuse to, it’s pretty much tacit confession that you are overcharging.
As Tatemono says, if the rent is not broken down in the tenancy agreement, then its just the rent. A global figure intended to cover ALL the landlords costs including utilities, insurance, any mortgage, maintenance or service charge, any agency charge and a wide range of other smaller costs.
Thanks for your response A_A.
Thanks for your response tatemono.
He has brought to my attention that one of his housemates has been using a fan heater in his room since the central heating was switched off when the clocks went forward but wears shorts and a tee with his bedroom window wide open. He has tried to highlight the problem in a culturally sensitive way (said housemate is Indian) to no avail. He also believes said housemate smokes in his room and uses an electric air purifier all and every day and has advised me that he uses the longest cycle (nearly 3 hours) at the hottest temperature (90 degrees) every time he washes his clothes (sometimes with just 2 or 3 items)
If all these situations really are the case, the electricity bills will rocket and it would not be fair on the other housemates to increase everyone’s rent because of one selfish individual.
I’m at a loss at what to do.
Thanks for your response David122.
There is no easy solution to the perennial problem of heating costs in HMOs. Make the tenants pay the bills and they will fight over their respective usage and one or more will end up leaving after failing to pay the bill and the supplier threatening to cut the power. Pay the bills yourself and they will turn up the thermostat to 30 degrees in Winter and Summer.
There are lots of posts on the various landlord forums with tips on things you can do, but in my experience they are only partial answers. Good luck with it.
In my contract I clearly indicate what the utility budget is
( £20 per person per week gas water electric )
I have prepayment meters
(I top up £100 per month on gas and electric) which is more than sufficient as we have done a lot of energy efficient measures
If they go over they pay.
They can see what they are using and they can’t blame one as a landlord as smart meters and digital display units are installed
I know it’s not fair on the housemates to burden the tenant but that is exactly the reason why I made it clear what the utility budget was so it would not eat into my bottom line .
When tenants have to top up because of their wastage they soon come into line!!
I think the problem is much more with internationals.
I had overspending this winter with internationals
All the British students were well within budget !
Do you have a clause in contract permitting you to increase rents if such a situation arises ?
If not it’s well worth including one for next time
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