Is a landlord responsible for a tenants utility bills?
Always. You can contract to have the tenant pay utilities. However rule 1 is Utilities always get paid. If your tenant doesnt pay the utilities, the utilities automatically get a lien against the land for the unpaid charges. They dont have to go to court. They dont have to go to the land titles office. They just keep a record that will be available to anyone who asks, like the lawyer for a possible buyer because if a buyer buys the property with the lien, the lien survives the sale. Now, the lien doesnt attach to the property owner, but it does attach to the land. Its not like the utility company can sue you. Theyre not allowed to sue you. They have no contract with you. They can sue the tenant, but not you. But theyre not required to sue the tenant, they just get the lien. And its in priority to the mortgage. So one day, you get a call from your mortgage company and they say Hello Mr. Landlord! Your tenant hasnt been paying the utilities on your property! We just got notice from the utility company. Were sending the utility company a check today and we just want to let you know that, pursuant to your mortgage agreement, were adding that to the outstanding amount on the mortgage. Have a nice day! Now, you can evict the tenant and get a judgment for the amount of back utilities. But if the tenant cant pay, you have to. One way or the other.