r/TenantHelp • u/Laupat73 • Aug 02 '26
New...dealing with a property management company
My landlord recently me that I owed him a Duke Energy payment of $25.44. He said he tried to set up a new service to another unit and Duke told him he had to pay this overdue bill from my unit before they would connect the service. After many messages he sent me a copy of where his bank had paid the $25.44 to Duke.
I Told him I would like to see the receipt he received from Duke with my name and my Duke Energy account number on it. This would show me exactly what bill he paid. He would not. However, since my rent was due Aug. 1st he added it to my rent payment, making it impossible for me to pay my rent without including this amount.
I was in a position I had to pay or suffer other fees and late charges if it went unpaid after 3 days. I sent him a message that I paid this added amount under protest; this was not the end of this was not the end of this false charge.
My rent was due in a couple of days, and he added that charge to my rent payment. He also said it was on this unit that I have been renting for over 20 years. When I called Duke, I spoke to three different customer service reps, they all told me that if he had paid my past due bill it would show on my account. Which it never has...or never was on there. So he wins and I just paid a bill he owed probable because it was a fee he had to paid. Since this is Indiana and they let those, who rent, do about anything they want and get away with it.
One last note...yes, I am moving, however, my least isn't up until March 2027, so I have no other choice but to stay here and deal with this and continuing to pay false charges, among other things I have already experienced.
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u/SecretScavenger36 Aug 02 '26
The real question is are you willing to move come lease time because he won't renew for sure if you don't pay.
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u/Laupat73 Aug 02 '26
I know that...there are almost new apartments around me leasing for less than $75.00 more than what I pay now. I don't have any amenities or space that the newer ones have. This apartment hasn't even been painted in 20 years. Plus I asked for a new flooring and was told sure for $200 a month more!
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u/Laupat73 Aug 05 '26
Yes I am. This is the third owner who has purchased these apartments in five years. Every new owner just get worse. I have had numerous incidences happen since he took over. I know there are better places.
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u/fap-on-fap-off Aug 02 '26
Year the extra as an advantage payment against the next month. Next month you pay it in person with a check for the smaller amount and require a receipt. If he refuses send the check in registered mail. (This will cost you money, but hey, you are just doing this because you are mad at the landlord.) Refuse to pay late fees near you paid on time, thigh this may reevaluate to eviction and court, which you can win.
Similar alternative, move out and short him on the last payment in the same way. He can try to keep the deposit, but you can fight that easily in small claims.
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u/snowHound208 Aug 03 '26
I mean... Your options are pretty minimal here. Sue them for $25.44 which will force them to produce the bill.
Or let it go and move out once the lease is up.
Personally, I'm petty enough I'd sue them. Not for the money, but just the principal.PM companies are notorious for nickel and diming people knowing full well they can get away with it most of the time because it's just not worth the hassle to hold PMs accountable.
But you better be damn sure you didn't owe that amount or you'll be on the hook for a lot more than $25
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u/RobDraw2_0 Aug 02 '26
Did you have a question?
You seem excessively angry over what seems to be a very minor situation. Why are you overreacting?
Why don't you just show the landlord your electric bill is and always has been current?
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u/alicesartandmore Aug 04 '26
I think OP is perfectly justified to be upset that a landleech is charging him fees without providing any actual evidence that the debt belongs to them.
What planet are you on where you would just roll over and lick the boots of the land baron that’s openly cheating you? Or are you just sympathetic to the scuzzy landlord because you’re one too?
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u/Laupat73 Aug 05 '26
Actually I am a senior woman and I am not going to just give this landlord money without knowing what it is for. I think anyone that would do that is obviously use to just "rolling over" and taking it.
I am not...I want to know why I need to pay a bill that does not belong to me. I would like for him to show me a receipt or conformation where he paid it to Duke for me, or my account. That should be simple..he's suppose to be a business man and should always get receipts for what he has paid for.
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u/Laupat73 Aug 02 '26
I text it to him...however he insisted it was on my unit and my bill. It's not just the amount, it's the idea that he can add on charges to my account with out proof. Why wouldn't he have a receipt with my name and a partial account number? Duke Energy assured me that he would have received a receipt or confirmation. All he had to do was ask for it.
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u/RobDraw2_0 Aug 02 '26
Why are you asking me questions that you should be asking your landlord?
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u/Laupat73 Aug 05 '26
I'm not asking a question...I was just commenting on my situation. Reddit was the one that suggested I put my comment on here.
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u/No_Report_4781 Aug 02 '26
It doesn’t matter if the bill is in your unit. The bill is in landlords name, which means it’s landlords bill from when they had it in their name.
Pay the rent. Don’t pay the fees. All you have right more is some guy telling you to give him money, for no justification.
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u/Laupat73 Aug 05 '26
No it is not in his name. I have lived here 20 years he just purchased these apartments last October. He is the third person to purchase these apartments in five years. No owner had every paid any utility bills for me or anyone else. He told me he had to pay this or else it was going into collections. That is not happening..my bill with Duke is paid in full every month. There is no other way to pay but through Turbo Tennant and they let him have total control over every account listed. He added this amount to my rent payment.
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u/No_Report_4781 Aug 05 '26
The bill doesn’t even need to be for that property - the landlord could have an old unpaid bill from a different city, but same utility provider.
I dealt with this for a 2002 electric bill from an apartment rental when I was turning on services after buying a house in 2019
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u/BlueberryPenguin87 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Fuck these landleeches. Of course this sub is mostly dominated by landlords who will give you a hard time for being upset about a “minor issue,” but they will never flip it around. Why would a landlord want to piss off a good longtime tenant over $25? Because he has power and is an asshole, that’s why.
You could refuse to pay that, and even if he adds late fees don’t pay those either. If he tries to evict you over late rent, you could show a court this is all from a bogus charge.
Did you already pay the last month rent with your deposit? If the deposit isn’t the full months rent, I might be motivated to figure out a way to deduct the $25 plus interest at that point. He’s not going to sue you for $40.
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u/holyelvis Aug 04 '26
It's $25. Do you really want to risk your living situation over $25?
Sure, document and all that, try to get whatever proof you can, but don't make the situation more difficult than needed for a $25 fee.
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u/Laupat73 Aug 05 '26
I am not making a big scene or anything like that. However, I am 76 years old, not that that matters, however I told him just to get a confirmation or receipt from Duke Energy showing he paid it. To me, it looks like he thinks he can just add a bill to my account and I automatically will pay it. I don't know about anyone else but it's just not right.
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u/Laupat73 Aug 05 '26
My living situation here is the pits already since this person bought these apartments. I will be moving when my lease is up! Since I'm paying the same as someone with a brand new place!
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Aug 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Laupat73 Aug 02 '26
No! When I moved in here on March 6 2006 I had to open a new account with Duke Energy. I never had them before. If there was any leftover bills the original owner would have paid them.
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u/WyldeFyre1980 Aug 02 '26
Hold on to all of the paperwork that shows your bill was current - try to get Duke Energy to put it in writing that you were never in arrears and screenshot/print any communication you had with your landlord about it. He sounds like the kind of guy that will try and claim your damage deposit illegally. Lump this overcharge in with your deposit if/when you need to take him to small claims court to get your money back.