Utility bills unpaid

[mfezza]

Hi All Landlords,

I was wondering if you could please help. I have a question on when bills would be paid until by tennants.

Would tenants need to pay for all the (rent & utility bills, council tax) for the date that they vacate the flat.


As an example , if the rent is due every 2nd of the month and their moving out date is the 5th of a month. Would they be required to pay for 5th of the month date for the rent and other bills such ie gas, water, council bill for the date to (5th).

I only ask as current tennants have decided to tell utility companies that they were cancelling the accounts to 3rd of month, although in reality they departed the property on afternnon of 5th. So should they pay for 4th and 5th date if they left on 5th afternoon.

There was an AST contract in place until 5th signed for the property.

Thanks

[quarterday]

Liability for property outgoings

Your tenants are liable for property outgoings until the point at which they vacated. You should write to the utility suppliers and the local authority with meter readings up to that date and ask them to put the accounts into your name as from the date you recovered possession

[mind the gap]

Would tenants need to pay for all the (rent & utility bills, council tax) for the date that they vacate the flat.

Your tenants are liable for property outgoings until the point at which they vacated. You should write to the utility suppliers and the local authority with meter readings up to that date and ask them to put the accounts into your name as from the date you recovered possession

I agree with quarterday about the utility bills..

The rent, however, is slightly different.

Unless formally agreed otherwise with the LL (which it may well have been, of course): if Ts do not leave at the expiry of a notice period (either theirs or the LL's), and stay over into the next rental period, they become liable for the rent for the whole of that rental period and not just part of it; legally, it is not apportioned, e.g. they cannot say it works out as so much per day/week if rent is payable monthly.

Does your notice requiring possession require it after the 4th or after 5th of that month?

If it was mutually agreed they should be gone by midnight of the 5th (ie not be there on 6th), then they owe rent for 5th.

[P.Pilcher]

Wheras I appreciate that mtg may well be perfectly correct - why argue aboout it as it only causes unpleasantness. I apportion rent on a daily basis under such circumstances so vacating tenants pay until the day that their keys are surrendered.

P.P.