Section 280.35  Revert to Landlord/Property Manager Agreements

a)         Intent: This Section describes the rights and duties of a utility and landlord/property manager with respect to discontinuance of service or assumption of billing responsibility and continuance of service when a tenant vacates a premises and the utility has no customer of record. It also describes the process by which a utility may, by prearrangement with a landlord/property manager, place the service for a premises, on a going forward basis, into the name of the landlord/property manager and continue service to the premises when a tenant who had utility service in the tenant's name leaves the premises.

b)         Prearrangement to be in Writing: The utility and landlord/property manager shall agree in writing to the prearranged procedures entered into under this Section. The utility shall provide an example of its prearrangement form in the utility's tariff and maintain a copy of the form on its website. Absent written prearrangement with a landlord/property manager, the utility shall not place service in the name of the landlord/property manager unless the landlord/property manager contacts the utility to apply for service.

c)         Notice: Every time a utility places service into the responsibility of a landlord/property manager under prearrangement, the utility must, within two business days, notify the landlord/property manager that the service has been placed in the landlord/property manager's responsibility and that the landlord/property manager will be billed on a forward basis for service provided to the premises until a new tenant successfully applies for service. Notice shall be provided separately from the bill statement and shall be made prior to the first bill to the landlord/property manager. By agreement with the landlord/property manager, the utility may disregard the above notification provisions.

d)         Tenant Bills: The utility shall not hold the landlord/property manager responsible for an amount owing to the utility by any tenant.

e)         Accuracy of Billing: Prior to making the landlord/property manager responsible for service, if the meter has not been read by the utility within the past 60 days, the utility shall obtain an actual meter reading to ensure correct billing, so long as the utility is provided access to the meter. If the utility is unable to obtain an actual meter reading, the utility must allow the landlord/property manager to provide the utility with a customer reading.

f)         Itemization of Transfer Balances: When a landlord/property manager maintains multiple premises within a utility's service territory, the utility shall not transfer balances owing from one premises account to another until the landlord/property manager has failed to pay the final bill rendered for that premises or the landlord/property manager requests that the balance be transferred. When transferring final balances from one premises account to another, the utility shall indicate on the bill the location where the amount due originated.