Possible subletting...
I am renting a single family home to a young couple. The house is quite large. I suspect that the tenants may be subletting a room without my consent. The average water usage by my tenants is approx 9000 gallons per month (and there is no lawn watering). The average water usage in my area is approx 3-5k gallons per month based on 2.6 occupants. I have checked for leaks and there aren't any (meter does not move unless water is on). I was going to mail them a letter requesting an explanation. Good idea? Anyone have any other feedback? Thanks
Does your lease prohibit subletting?
Are all occupants named in your lease?
Does your lease have a guest provision, that restricts the amount of time that a guest may stay with your tenants?
Since you really don't know if there is a subleasee in your property, you could always inspect the property after giving the tenant appropriate notice in accordance with your lease.
You said the tenants were a young couple, but could they have just had a baby? There is an awful lot of extra laundry when a baby is in the house. Maybe this will explain the water usage.
Suppose there is an unauthorized "guest" whether or not the guest is paying rent? What do you want to do? Do you want to add another name to the lease or add a name and raise the rent? Do you want to evict your tenants for violating their lease?
Assuming that the rent includes water, don't you really just want to make the tenants responsible for the water bill? If there is no violation of the lease provisions, then you may not have any recourse until the lease is up for renewal. At that time you can increase the rent, make the tenant responsible for the water bill, or do both.[ Edited by DaveT on Date 01/21/2003 ]
Thanks for the response....
Yes, there are provisions in the Lease that require written authorization for subletting. They do not have a child. If I discovered that they were subletting or allowing a vistor to live there beyond the allowed 2 week maximum in the lease then I would require reimbursement for the added water usage as well as additional rent for the added wear and tear that another occupant creates.
I was just curious if it would be more appropriate to address it with the tenant face to face (we have a good relationship) or mail a letter to cover my butt.
Do the face to face, then send a certified letter (with return receipt required) to confirm the facts and details of your conversation, the timetable for any corrective action you agree to, and the consequences if the tenants do not perform in accordance with your agreement.
Before taking any action, I would consult my attorney to be sure that I am on firm legal ground.
MicVestor
It sounds as you have a good tenant. And your only concern is the overuse of water.
It seems that you are looking for a fire to put out! If your tenants are good, pay rent on time, take care of your property and so fourth making overuse of water an issue could cause a tenant loss and regulating water usage will just not hold up in court vary well.
Communication is your most effective measure with tenants.
[addsig]