It's important to keep track of your expenses so you know what to expect for bills every month. But it's difficult to budget properly when an unexpected notice for thousands of dollars turns up.
A homeowner took to Reddit to ask for advice when they received a utility bill for nearly $2,000 after moving into a new house. They posted in r/personalfinance about the charge for their electricity and water.
"I don't understand how this happened. I've never had a bill even a fraction of this much," they said. "The only thing I can think of is maybe the construction the landlord is doing out back on another unit. I've seen them use our hose and plug in their tools to our outside outlets."
They also mentioned that their landlord dug up the backyard to access all the pipes underground during construction, replaced the hot water heater, and set the sprinklers to turn on every night.
"We haven't changed our lifestyles, but the bill is like nothing we've ever seen," they said.
Commenters agreed that the poster should look into the bill and raise an alarm with their landlord and the city.
"You should contest the balance with [the Department of Public Works] and say you are going to need to have plumbers look at everything and possibly have work done," one user said. "Tell them you can't pay that cost and they should have alerted you to abnormal high use."
"Your bill does not make sense. [Also] find where your leak is, as you clearly have a water leak," another commented.
The poster provided an update several months later that they turned off the sprinkler and their air conditioning and their future bills weren't as high. But it doesn't fully explain the unusually expensive bill and if they or the landlord were responsible.
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Homeowners that want to cut back on their utility usage or switch to energy-efficient alternatives shouldn't have to deal with setbacks such as this from landlords or homeowners associations, though this is often the case.
One renter in Virginia discovered that their landlord was stealing their electricity to power a freezer and pool, driving up their monthly bill by hundreds of dollars. Another renter was also faced with a huge water bill after their landlord neglected to fix a leaky faucet.
It's an unfortunate reality that residents may be locked into paying for traditional electricity by landlord or HOA policies, despite the fact that homeowners can save an average of $1,800 every year on utilities by switching to solar power.
And by switching to natural lawns, residents can drastically reduce the amount of water they use. By permanently removing the need to water a lawn, people can save, on average, $225 annually.
If you're interested in working with your landlord to change established rules that pertain to eco-friendly home changes, check out TCD's guide to HOAs.
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