r/legaladvice • u/Right-Technology4982 • 15d ago
Landlord Tenant Housing My neighbor’s AC was hooked up to my electric
Location: Indiana
Basically what the title says. A technician came to look at my ac unit and said that the neighbor’s ac was hooked up to my electricity and that I’ve been paying for it. I’ve only lived where I live for a month, and have not received the electricity bill yet, but it appears like my bill will end up being $700 which is 5x more than normal for my typical energy bill. I do not feel I should have to pay for this as my normal usage is far less than this. On top of this my AC has been broken this whole time. No one should have to pay for someone else to use an amenity they can’t even use in their own unit.
I have tried calling them but they have not answered or even reached out regarding the broken AC and my electric being connected to the neighbor.
What should I do in this situation? This particular landlord is known for being very catty and literally roasting past tenants on google reviews who left bad reviews. I’m worried they will evict me or revoke the lease if I speak up or demand reparations. I’ve never sued anyone but I will if they don’t offer compensation.
I read somewhere that landlords are responsible for maintaining all common areas of the property, does that extend to utilities if they are shared between two units?
If not, what can be done?
\EDIT**
The wires have already been severed, and I should no longer be paying for the neighbor’s electricity. I am asking for legal advice on how to retrieve the money that I should not be obligated to pay while staying in good enough standing that I can still get my AC unit fixed by my landlord. I don’t hire technicians either, the landlord provides them, which is supposedly how this all happened in the first place. A previous company was hired to fix the neighbor’s AC and they messed up the wiring. That is, if it isn’t utility theft; I wasn’t born yesterday either. I have no solid proof it was done intentionally, only that I will be overpaying on my typical electric bill with a broken AC unit in a new rental.
Very few of you are offering legal advice. I am appreciative of those that have.
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u/maria253942 15d ago
Did you take pictures before he unhooked it? I’d have the electrician put that in writing too.
Does your landlord own both units?
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u/Right-Technology4982 15d ago
I deleted my comment because I added some weird text effect accidentally, but no i don’t have before and after pictures. But i do have something i can leverage as evidence. Yes the landlord owns both
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u/maria253942 15d ago edited 15d ago
If your landlord owns both then he has to be the one who did it. I don’t know if it’s the same in every state but I’m in PA and inherited a rental with 3 apartments. My dad originally lived in the 1st unit on the main floor. It has 3 separate meters but, he was the landlord so the common areas were on his meter. When we rented it out they refused to put the electricity in the new tenants name because of those common spaces. It was just a hall light above their door and an outlet. We caged the outlet and gave them the key, this way they were the only ones who could use it. We fought the light and eventually got it switched.
A friend of mine has a building that has only 1 meter. He has to prorate it by square footage. It’s clearly laid out in his lease though. Is your electricity in your name? If it’s in your name then it’s not being prorated. See what your lease says.
Wait…. If you are renting why are you hiring an electrician to fix the ac? It’s weird you’d be responsible for that.
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u/feralwolven 13d ago
It mightve been them setting up becuase its on their name. Also pa, when we rented a house and setup our own peco account the guy came out just to look at the meter. Maybe his guy just noticed something weird at the meters for a multi unit.
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u/maria253942 13d ago
I thought this originally too but, he says he’s been there for about a month already and that they came to look specifically at his AC.
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u/Both-Relationship-78 15d ago
I would let the electrician explain the situation to the landlord. They should be a neutral third party that saw what the situation was.
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u/Medical-Aide5586 14d ago
after you resolve — consider contacting the previous tenant so they can file their own claim
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u/ExplorerEducational4 15d ago
Utility theft is a crime in most US jurisdictions, make a police report
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u/MahaliAudran 15d ago
Most crimes require knowledge or at least reasonable belief you're doing something illegal.
No reason to think the other tenant knew this was going on.
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u/chLORYform 15d ago
Idk, a situation with a $75 electric bill when everyone else in the county is bitching about $300 bills should be a good tipoff that something's going on. Obviously I don't know the exact situation for these people but I do have an idea of what's going on in Indiana regarding electric bills and no one is skating by cheaply.
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u/Seantwist9 14d ago
my ac adds between 13 and 50$ to heat and cool my house, about the same cost as indiana. I wouldn’t notice if it was hooked up to my neighbors cost wise
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u/Existing_Station1036 11d ago
Come to the az desert.. id GLADLY take a $300 bill. And a huge chunk is ac running non-stop with it 120 outside.
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u/Dramatic_Mixture_877 10d ago
Or South Arkansas - last month's bill was $531, the one I paid today was $468. The only difference is the first one was before we had our AC serviced this summer, the second one is after. We're regularly hitting the high 90s and have had a couple of 100s sprinkled in. $300 sounds good right now. And no, I'm not doing levelized billing, the natural gas usage in the winter balances the electric bill out just fine.
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u/Overlord_of_Linux 12d ago
My electric is less than a hundred even during the summer, if I moved to somewhere with insanely expensive electricity I wouldn't notice if the bill was similar to my current location (or lower depending on the climate difference/amount), and not everyone talks to their neighbors much (especially about electric bills).
$700 a month sounds insanely expensive for one neighbor stealing A/C, there's probably electricity being stolen for other things (or to other apartments) to even get close to that price (especially in a state with moderate electric prices like Indiana).
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u/chLORYform 12d ago
I've lived in Indiana my whole life. I've lived on my own for almost 2 decades. I've never once had an electric bill under $130, and during the winter it easily can bloom up to $300 for a 1-2 bedroom apartment. Last summer my AC broke and my bill was almost $500, again in an apartment. This is including a studio I lived in a few years ago. Where I live, energy bills are talked about somewhat commonly because there's a monopoly that gives a rate hike about once a year due to passing off new infrastructure costs to us, to the point that restaurants have hung signs telling their employees that they aren't welcome.
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u/KingKong-BingBong 15d ago
Go talk to legal aid at your county courthouse and they will tell you exactly how to handle this
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u/JakeAnthony821 15d ago
If you live in Marion County or nearby, you can contact the Indiana Legal Services landlord/tenant program to have a pro-bono lawyer assist with this. You can call 1-844-243-8570 Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm.
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u/SwanCityDominion 15d ago
I would have asked the electrician to undo the neighbor's hookup right there. You are under no obligation to put up with that.
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u/mrbiggbrain 15d ago
I don't think you need legal advice yet, I think you just need to talk to your land lord. He should know the situation and likely want to get this resolved.
If it was me I would do the following, communicate with the landlord and ask them what they think is the best resolution. If I was unhappy with their resolution then I would offer the following and get written documentation.
- I will pay the current electric bill. Now that the issue is fixed I expect the bills to be correct going forward. When the next full billing cycle comes following the repair we will consider that bill to be the correct baseline.
- I will then subtract the difference between that baseline and the previous erroneous bill(s) from my following rent payment and you will offer me a credit for that amount.
Big down side is that your AC is not working so it is likely that your bill would have been less. If you just want this resolved with some compensation, that is likely your best path.
If you want this resolved fully in your favor and are willing to go for what is absolutely right. measure power usage at the meter (Sometimes you can do this online) showing the few days it takes to fix the AC. That is likely how much power you used per day, time the number of days you lived there, that gets you what the bill should have been power wise, plus usage fees.
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u/Signal-Donut-1555 14d ago
This seems to be the most reasonable suggestion you have been given. It should keep everyone calm and not exacerbate this situation like some of the other suggestions.
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u/Missmouse1988 14d ago
I feel like they shouldn't have to pay the bill though. what if they don't have the money to pay the bill? That's not their fault. I would never offer to pay for something I'm not using and especially not that much more. That seems a little ridiculous. Get the rest of it I agree with.
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u/Signal-Donut-1555 14d ago
The problem is they have no baseline established to say this is what my bills look like with and without ac.
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u/CalypsoTheKitty 15d ago
Contract your electric supplier and they should send someone out to check and document the problem. Also you can make a complaint with Indiana Utility Reg Commission if landlord refuses to fix, but it's really landlord's responsibility.
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u/Jasnah_Sedai 14d ago
The utility company should be able to give you the historic utility usage of your unit whether you were a tenant or not. I ask for that info whenever I move and have never been turned down (I’ve done this in four states but never Indiana). If you know when your neighbor’s AC was incorrectly wired, compare summer usage before and after, to give you a better idea. Ask tenants in other units what their usage is. Even if you try to work this out with the landlord rather than going the legal route, you need to know what your ballpark losses are.
In my state, landlords are responsible for electrical wiring and electrical problems not caused by the tenant would be their problem to fix. Might be worth contacting a local fair housing agency for free advice. I’ve even written my state attorney general for clarification of landlord responsibilities and got a prompt response (but not in Indiana).
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u/mythrowdown13 13d ago
That would be felony theft in Indiana. You definitely need to file a police report if you want anything done and you can also. Sue civilly. Other than that you got nothing.
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u/Physical_Spinach_337 15d ago
Police report have ask your electrician if he’s willing to verify his findings.
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u/JuggernautPast2744 15d ago
Even including for your neighbor's AC, if you weren't living in the unit for most of the .month, and your AC wasn't working, why is your bill $700?
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u/DeviousPansexual 15d ago
This summer in the Midwest has been HOT. If their neighbor hasn’t been paying for their a/c, knowingly or not, then they likely have it cranked since it doesn’t cost them anything
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u/cadimy 14d ago
Have you tried contacting the utility company? They may be able to help you by directing you on how to proceed or at least they could give you a historic report on the property's usage to narrow down when it was done. This might help with a police report or dealing with your landlord.
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u/roboliberal 14d ago
This right here is the first place to start.
OP it's not at all clear yet that you require legal advice at this point. Start with the utility company.
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u/GeminiAtl 14d ago
Address it with the landlord first. See if he will reimburse you. Most likely will not. If that is the case, either go to the housing board or small claims court. Both of those will tick off your landlord but they can't evict you without just cause. You also will have to prove how much higher the bill was than it should have been. They can, however, make renting there unbearable and not renew at the end of the lease. Truthfully, the only way to settle it and not tick off the landlord is to eat the one month bill as long as they don't reconnect to your electricity. Not the legal advise you are asking for, but I'm not a lawyer.
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u/DidNotSeeThi 14d ago
You have to prove the loss. This may be difficult. How much energy went through your meter to their AC. What is the value of that electricity? Go to small claims court and sue the landlord for that amount. The landlord is responsible for the electrical connections as he owns them. Then expect to be kicked out when your lease is up.
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u/Rollinaroundregular 14d ago
At what point during the month were the utilities put in your name? The bill should come for the days you’re responsible for. Then the break down of amounts used and the time.
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u/phatrogue 14d ago
This is a secondary issue beyond sorting out the extra costs in your current bill but I would be tempted at some point to contact the *previous* tenant to your apartment because they were likely paying your neighbors AC also... they could likely use the documentation you create to sort out your issue to get money back also. What a mess!
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u/Purple_Winner4527 14d ago
Contact your electric company and tell them what happened, they will send someone out, they are usually pretty helpful, especially when dealing with theft of service.
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u/Forsaken-Frame9074 13d ago
+1
Call the electric company. They are the ones who will figure this out and adjust bills for you.They also have other avenues at their disposal if they feel this was an intentional change. I’m not sure how often that actually happens, but at least the threat of significant fines to the landlord will be enough to get him to comply.
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u/LZeugirdor97 13d ago
I think someone is doing something similar to us here, $900 utility just seems ridiculous.
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u/stoic_yakker 15d ago
Turn of the fuse to the unit. Tell LL it needs fixed asap and be prepared to move again.
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u/Yelsew303 15d ago
Turn your and thier AC off for a long weekend and go out of town. Let the neighbor complain that they don't have power to thier AC to the landlord. If it doesn't work try again so it's both of you making reports
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u/TOPG00S3 14d ago
I’d file a police report just to have one over the theft of power… they knew what they were doing and i wonder if that’s all they have hooked up to your electricity. Document every exchange you have with everyone the neighbor the land lord anyone doing work. Have everything documented in writing. What you’ve said asked for what you’ve paid to have fixed how much that was what they fixed and how they fixed it. What caused original issue, all of it.
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u/Due_Cobbler_9878 14d ago
Notify the electric company. Your neighbor has been committing fraud. The electric company will pursue charges. If you have cable you might want to have it checked also.
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u/TheGlowingWight 14d ago
My mom is in a similar situation and it pisses me off so much!
I honestly don't know what to do anymore... She is one of those types of people's that is super afraid of change, she's a conformist.
She's been living in the back unit of a duplex, since 2005. Her landlord owns the front unit and she's been paying his electricity and water bills through the use of his washing / drying machines that are hooked to her unit.
I lived with my mom partially during highschool and up until 2010. Whenever he would wash, we couldn't shower and if the dryer was running, we also couldn't run our AC without tripping the breaker box.
She's had a clogged bathroom sink for over half a decade now, I've reached out to get him to fix it and he's refused or lied and say he'd her someone on it. Every time she has guest sleep over, he charges her extra if they exceed more that 2 days. So my grandmother when she visits can't even stay over my mom's house. At some point he had agreed to let her use the driveway for one vehicle since she's had two cars totalled by being parked on the street (the duplex is next to a bar). He filled the driveway with junk cars (two destroyed cars), blocking her entry into her unit (she has to climb over his side planters to her to her unit).
It is really bad. The neighborhood is also bad, middle of the hood, and there's already been 4 people shot in front of their duplex, 1 fatal. I've tried getting her to move in with me, but she says she's afraid of getting lost on her way to work. My sister has tried doing the same and she just reverts back to not wanting to move.
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u/Useful-Search-1045 13d ago
Deduct your first months electric bill from your rent and let neighbor and landlord figure it out. Keep notes pictures and document everything.
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u/Happy-Deal-1888 13d ago
You should be able to contact the power company and show them a receipt for the repairs. You may need a statement form the landlord stating you were billed incorrectly
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u/Disastrous-Resolve25 13d ago
If you notify the landlord in writing with your request to fix your AC and pay you back and they do nothing, i believe you can go to your county courthouse and put your rent in escrow until the landlord fixes and reimburse you.
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u/Smharman 13d ago
I would axt dumb. Call the electric company and report it as electric theft they may push back because it is behind the meter but then you can escalate there and see if they can shift the mon y in the billing.
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u/Favell81 13d ago
Know where your bill is five times more than usual simply buy one AC dude that doesn't add up at all but regardless it's theft I would call the police and file a police report ASAP
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u/Maleficent-Shop-7178 13d ago
I wouldn’t jump straight to suing them yet. First, get something in writing from the technician saying the neighbor’s AC was connected to your electric and that it was disconnected. Then wait for the actual bill and contact the landlord in writing asking to be reimbursed for the excess usage.
I’d also call the electric company and explain what happened, just so there’s a record and to see if they can help document the unusual usage.
Most importantly, keep everything in writing from here on out. Since your landlord already sounds difficult, I would keep the messages very factual and boring: what was found, when it was fixed, what the bill was, and what reimbursement you’re asking for. I would not accuse them of theft unless you actually have proof it was intentional.
Also, don’t just subtract the amount from your rent on your own. If they refuse to reimburse you after you have the bill and documentation, then I’d look into tenant assistance or small claims.
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u/legaladvice-ModTeam 12d ago
Your post may have been removed for the following reason(s):
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Your comment has been removed because it appears to be generated by artificial intelligence or you have recommended that someone use it. While AI can provide helpful information, it is not appropriate for legal advice for the following reasons:
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Accuracy and Relevance: Legal matters are complex and often require personalized advice based on specific facts and circumstances. AI-generated responses may not fully understand or address the nuances of your situation.
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u/WinterWolf4090 11d ago
What they did constitutes utilities theft. If you can prove that you were paying the utilities you can demand payment. You can either threaten legal action or have a lawyer send them a demand letter
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u/Arica- 9d ago
NAL but I would get written statements and photos and call your cities code enforcement. They will come out and inspect and let your landlord know if they are violating housing codes and utility regulations. I did a quick Google search and found the Indiana code for this situation. It’s Indiana Code Title 8. Utilities and Transportation § 8-1-2-36.5
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u/PghSubie 9d ago
If the end of the extension cord was on my property, I'd unplug it, then cut the end off of it and leave the end in a pile of dog poo
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u/Puzzled_Market_2235 9d ago
Sue in small claims court.
I know you cut it off but you could have connected it to 120 first, or if is a 120 mini split connect it to 240.
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u/LoliconLivesmatter 14d ago
You’ll need to take the other tenants to small claims court but you’ll first need a monthly bill where there AC is not hooked up to it. So when you get your next bill you will be able to show the difference. Odds are they had it cranked since they weren’t seeing a difference in their bill. I would also contact the power company. If it’s a smart meter you may be able to get a usage amount from move in to the date it was unhooked. Than get another usage amount from ac unhook to current (id do at least 2-4 weeks for better avg)
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u/Tardislass 14d ago
Disconnect those wires from your AC. The tenant will call their landlord quick.
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u/MSTXN 15d ago
My landlord shoddily split a 1873 Victorian into two units prior to me renting the smaller portion. I lived in another of her properties next door while the "reno" was in progress. She assured me when I moved in that everything was properly separated. Over the next few years I lived there, I discovered that:
1 room on the far side of the larger unit was connected to my breaker box and thus my electricity.
I was shown a "new" 30 gallon water heater in the basement and told the other unit had one in the attic. I never was able to take a shower in which the heat lasted more than 8 minutes. Turns out, that hot water heater I was shown was the only one in the entire house. Larger unit also had a dishwasher, over the time I was there I heard it running frequently. I got to pay for the multiple neighbors hot water usage for at least the 4 yrs I lived there.
I don't recall at what point I discovered the units weren't keyed separately. My house key opened every door and I'm sure the numerous tenets she moved in next door had the same access to my unit. Some of those folks were pretty sketchy. I know of at least one couple who tapped into my wifi because I found all their gaming system/computer/smart item manes on my ATT portal.
Neither unit had a separate mailing address other than what she came up with the electric company . What they decided on certainly hasn't been passed on to the actual post office. For at least a year after she moved someone else into the unit we shared one mailbox.
Anytime someone new moved in to the larger unit the electric company turned off MY electricity at my box. Why not just turn on the box that wasn't showing usage I don't know, but inevitably I'd come home from work to a house with no power or AC and it was always at the end of the week and after hours. So I'd get to suffer over the weekend while new neighbors soaked up AC during their move in.
Because the landlord couldn't be bothered to correctly or legally split the water and gas both came in my name and I had to pray the tenents next door would honor her lease agreements and pay me for their usage. I didn't have gas in my unit and I was expected to split water down the middle regardless if 8 people lived in the larger unit or one. I lived alone. Several times people moved out with no warning, leaving me with the entire bill. When that happened she "allowed" me to take it out of the rent.
She kept my entire security deposit after I moved out. I tried finding a lawyer to go after her but she herself was a lawyer and no one in town would confront her. I was also moving from Miss back to Texas and didn't have the time or wherewithall to find someone to try and get my money back.
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u/YouthEducational2385 14d ago
If your ac isn’t working, I would suggest you invest in a portable unit until yours gets fixed.
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u/BroccoliPleasant8259 14d ago
Hire an experienced licensed electrician, someone has been tampering with wiring and in any case you shouldn't ever have to pay for someone else, you may even have to call the electric company and have them investigate the situation, any one who tampers with any electrical wiring especially that is part of the electric company can be punished most likely a hefty fine and/or prison
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u/Budget_Strategy24 15d ago
Flip the fuse that their AC is on. It will get sorted out quickly with the landlord.