Hi, I have given studio on 20% electricity bill, inclusive water and council tax. My tenant in first month since they are only occupant has used £115 electricity and £125 water. I have explained there whole sole consumption has been 20% no matter what they do there average is £3.5 a day. I am really concerned about water they shower 3 times and taps are left running when using bathroom, to an extend where I thought there is leak. The tenant has thinking that 20% would be on his monthly usage which is whole consumption has been for £115. And I don’t think I can keep water inclusive any more as it’s not fair usage. The company forecasted on based of previous usage that water consumed will be £279 for 2monthe they have used £135 water in one month of there stay. I am really concerned about this as I want to remove 20% custome clause and charge for water too as it’s not fair usage. They shower 3 times a day and I can’t afford this level of shower. Please advise
Hard to follow this. You have signed a contract and just because it’s costing you too much you want to other party to agree to change it? Would you do that with your mortgage provider?
Are they supposed to pay 80% of electricity and you pay 20% ? Your description is very sketchy. And anyway if there is any confusion about the amount they pay it’s entirely your own fault for not explaining it face to face before contracts were signed. You should explain it face to face to tenant asap.
On water inclusive if you had a fair usage limit you need to point tenants to what amount or level of usage that is, and any cap on what your contribution would be. Otherwise all you can do is tell them their usage is far higher than average (get statistics for usage for a studio) so when the rents increase it will need to be reflected in the rent increase unless they can reduce their usage. You can’t remove a clause without their agreement.
You can tell them that leaving taps running unnecessarily is unreasonable.
Tbh offering all inclusive deals and not pricing to allow that a tenant may abuse it…is way too trusting and unrealistic on your part. It’s not like fair usage policies by a broadband provider- you can’t cut it off if they go beyond any limit.
Good luck
You have no legal right to change the contract unilaterally. Everything is by negotiation.
If you pay the bills on a property you’re letting, you need a much better policy than a vague 20%. I suggest that you join a landlord association and get some proper advice for your next tenant.
Never, never ever pay utilities on your rented out property, its a recipe for disaster, but since you are in this now up to your neck, there is not a lot you can do.
Does your rental agreement actually state that you are paying the Elec, Water and CT? or was this a ‘gentlemans agreement’ as an incentive to get it rented ? Is it in black and white print ? If so reproduce here so we can advise further. Or get legal advice ASAP if there is ambiguity.
The very best of luck.
The tenant has agreed to pay the electricity bill based on evidence of their actual usage.
However, I am increasingly concerned about the water consumption. The tenant is currently using approximately 1 m³ of water per day. Based on the property’s historical usage, the total consumption is estimated to be around 57 m³ over a three-month period. In comparison, the tenant has already used 22 m³ in just one month.
I showed the tenant the water meter readings from the day they moved in up to the day I shared the data. Despite this, they argued that it takes a long time to use 1 m³ of water and suggested there might be a leak. I have checked, and there is no evidence of any leak.
I have advised the tenant that I will cover the water costs on this occasion. However, if the water usage continues at this level and is not considered reasonable, I will have to reconsider how the water charges are dealt with going forward.
At this stage, I am considering installing a sub-meter or a digital water meter so that the tenant’s actual water consumption can be monitored and charged accurately. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for a suitable digital water meter?
19m2 previously now 22m2 ? Only 3 m2 a month extra. You can get sub meters for elec or water and fit easily
So they are using water at a rate of 66m2 per 3 months vs a historical average of 57m2 or 16% above.your historical average? And.you are claiming it’s unreasonable? That’s totally ridiculous. For.a start a part of your water bill will be a standing charge so the actual increase will be less. And some people use more water than others. And you offered an all inclusive deal not 'youll have to pay more if you consume more than average ’ deal.
You also said
2 x 135 would be £270 so they appear to be exactly on track to cost exactly what the company forecasted based on previous usage
Give them tips on how to save water (turning taps off not leaving them running, take showers not baths, use the short flush button on the toilet)
And stop being unreasonable
Good luck
Ps 1m2 per day is a lot and does suggest a leak somewhere or perhaps if there is a shared supply or its part of a conversion then maybe you are being wrongly charged; if there is no water meter you might be being charged based on a 1973 rateable value for an entire building prior to the conversion.
"We each use around 139 litres of water a day
a leaking toilet can waste up to 400 litres of water per day
Good luck
Just to add, I may not have been specific enough. The forecast of 57 m³ is for a 4-bedroom house plus a studio over a three-month period. I based this on average consumption statistics, estimating the studio would use around 7–10 m³ over that period, which is why I said the rent was inclusive.
However, the studio’s actual consumption has been 22 m³ in just one month, which is almost 40% of the total forecast usage for the entire three-month period. This is significantly higher than the average consumption I had anticipated.
I’m not such a stringent landlord that I would make a fuss over a difference of 3 m³. My concern is not about a small variation, but about consumption that is substantially higher than what could reasonably have been expected.
Hope this version makes it clear its scale of the usage rather than minor fluctuations. Hope this gives some insight.
However, the studio’s actual consumption has been 22 m³ in just one month, which is almost 40% of the total forecast usage for the entire three-month period. This is significantly higher than the average consumption I had anticipated.
so in one month instead of 33% of usage expected in 3 months, you have 40% - again that’s not hugely different
think you have been using ChatGPT and producing meaningless statistics - @chatgpt must try harder
if you mean that 1m2 per day is a lot for a studio flat and the studio flat consumption on its own has been more than you would have expected for a studio flat plus a 4 bed house that’s entirely different.
none of your latest email matches up with your earlier statement that £270 predicted for 2 months and £135 in first month so they appear on track
Fact you dont know the actual usage for the studio and are thinking of getting a meter suggests you dont actually reliably know what the studio is using so it’s all totally guesswork on your part that they are using too much. And sounds like maybe you have a leak or multiple leaks.
average per person is 139litres per day; 3 showers a day is not going to turn that into a 1000 litres per day [1m2]
Shower
- Power or mixer showers: around 15 litres is used per minute.
- Electric shower: 6 litres is used per minute.
even if they take 3 showers of 5 minutes long that would be max 15 x6 =90 litres. It would get nowhere near to getting from the average 139litres/day up to 1000 litres/day [1 m3 per day]
All of above still makes you sound unreasonable - you are assuming it’s the tenants’ fault based on little if any real evidence just guesswork. And asking if you can get out of contractual commitments you created and signed without apparently thinking that giving somebody unlimited use means they might use more than average. Most likely you have one or more leaks or some faulty billing going on
good luck
Check at your meter to see if it is showing running water when every tap etc is turned off inside the property, if it is showing water passing, turn off the main stop tap inside the premises and check the meter again, this will determine if you have a leak and if so whether it is inside the property or outside , between the meter and the stop tap. If the meter stops when the stop tap inside the premises is shut the leak is inside and if no visible evidence could be under floors etc.
There are statistics and then there are dam statistics
Hi David,
I checked the meter and it works perfectly when I switch the tap one it starts making sound and when I stop it the meter stops. And by the way since having conversation with tenant the usage has come down. However I am not sure what they have done. Thanks