Hey all

Hoping for some advice please. I've just looked at a 2 bed appt today which was absolutely lovely, we'd be the first people to move in following its renovation
The appt is a 2 bed 800sq ft on the ground floor of a 3 level house. The top two level's of the house are the landlords who only visits occasional for holidays and some wkends (we live in Whistler)

I want to go for it but the utilities are shared which is concerning me. At the moment hydro is paid for on a payment plan which is $450 a month of which they say the previous tenants paid around $300. The landlord worked this out by taking into account how many days they had visited the property in the month and split the bill that way.

Is it just me or does $300 for hydro in a 2 bed sound excessive? I know its cold here but still $300 year round. I guess with a payment plan we're getting stuck with the previous tenants usage maybe

What do others in similar areas pay?? Can anyone think of a fair way to split the hydro in a case like this. I mean days occuping the property doesn't taking into account an upstairs fridge running etc

Arrrrr I really want this apartment

A payment plan is not based on current consumption, but on past usage. It is put towards the bills as they come in. If there is overpayment, that get credited ahead. Hydro bill every two months, not every month and part of it is a standing charge, whether anyone is home or not, so the landlords should apportion this based on square footage. Terrasen bill monthly, again with a standing charge. Consumption is what you have to agree to, $450 a month for a house is huge $5400 a year, $300 for a small apartment is astronomical. You have no control over how they use the utilities so if they are wasteful, you foot the bill. One of my businesses has a 25000 square feet heated building (24/7) that comes in at around twice that per year for utilities.

I would say that you will agree to split the bill by a certain percentage that you feel resonable and ask them to provide a copy of the bill for your records and you will pay them on receiving a copy of the bill. I would be taking the square footage of the house and proportioning it that way. I doubt they leave their portion unheated in the winter, whether they are there or not.

Did you also check who has control of heating unless you both do .I've heared of some people renting the lower part of the house and the heat was controlled upstairs . People like the temperature different which causes problems and could be the reason for high bills unless they're being cheeky ! Also we have a 4 bed house our hydro so far is around 60 a month (havnt done a winter yet) but it does seem rather high for a small place

Thank so much for the responses guys.
The landlords seem honest and said they would show me the hydro bills and if a credit builds up would refund it. Splitting the bill based on their day's occupying their unit is the way it has been done in the past but I'm not too happy with it for the reason's you say Aviator. I just don't want to pay for someone else's usage, past or present. I too doubt they leave the house compleatly unheated in -15 winter weather, I'd imagine the fridge will be on and they would pay a standing charge anyway.

I guess I'll speak to them and see if it can be done on square footage, Not too sure they would be keen on a split that might involve them paying more but can but try.

Thanks again

Maybe they got ripped off by Summit Energy, or similar group of door to door scam utility providers. Hence the payment plan, usually 3-4 times higher than the original service provider. Although the bill will look the same, exept for a small note somewhere saying payment to (insert scam utility company)

It's not just you. That seems excessive to me too.

Hi



If the place is all electric heating, then in the winter it might be at least that much.

I'm all electric for heat, cooking, and water (irrigation and well pumps). My hydro bill is $220 per month for a 4,500 sq/ft 6 bed home. $300 per month for an apartment sounds nuts to me. I rent out a 2 unit duplex at the local ski hill, which is also all electric, and the hydro bill per month doesn't average out as much as $300 for the 2 families that live there.

Payment plan ehh, does sound like a utility scam guy called at the door a few years back. Check the bill closely.

Maybe if you left all the windows open?

That's pretty good for that size house in Loops and I'm just being nosey but does that account for AC in summer? You must have some decent insulation and windows.

I have no AC.

I completely re-modeled the house 2 years or so ago, including putting in insulation behind new exterior siding.

The windows are 20yrs old and I expect to replace them in the near future. They're not draughty, but the extreme temperatures here have taken their toll on the exterior woodwork.

I think that's crazy high. But maybe the previous tenants had the heating cranked all year.

Again thanks for the help people. I'm in agreement it is excessive and something isnt quite right. $300 for a cold winter month in Whistler is possible I think but $300 year round Maybe there's an olympic swimming pool up stairs or something l I mean at current prices I worked that out to be an average yr round usage of 3350kwh per month for a 2 bed

Thanks for the tip about the alternative energy companies and that scam. I'll check up with my potential landlord on that. If this is the problem can the elec be changed back to just BC hydro? Or would it be on a contract.

Despite how lovely this apt is think we're going to have to give it a miss which is a shame but I think the hydro would cause an endless gripe for me

Here is an article on the sales scam

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/co...ergy-scam.html

Very difficult to get out of if its the owner who signed up to it. As it says in the article bills can be 3-5 times more than normal. Its difficult to spot on the bill too, just a small printed memo on the last page.

I did manage to get my neighbour out of one, he got out by asking for the MP3 voice recording of him saying yes to the deal, they dropped the fight at that point. But as you did not sign then the bill belongs to the owner, just ask them straight...Did they sign a energy budget scheme with a different company.

More info

http://www.canadiancontent.net/commt...scam_1061.html

Just because the Landlord isn't there doesn't mean he isn't using electricity, if electric heating rather than gas then presumably he runs it at at least some level throughout the winter to protect his pipes. If not electric heating, how is the gas bill split? For the days he is there is he paying 2/3 of the bill as he has 2 levels and you only have 1?