Ohio legislators are considering a bill to make tenants responsible for unpaid utility bills and other municipal bills, and to allow cities to collect unpaid bills directly from renters, according to reports.
Currently, Ohio law allows municipalities to collect overdue utility bills – such as water, sewer and trash – from “an owner, tenant, or other person who is liable to pay the rents or charges.”
One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe) said unpaid bills often fall on landlords rather than renters. “To me, it’s personal responsibility,” Johnson said. “You run up the bill, it’s your job to pay it.”
Johnson said he felt compelled to support the bill after talking with landlords who said they had been hit with utility fees exceeding $1,000 after a tenant had moved away without paying.
“A lot of them (renters) know the law and they do this repetitively and often run up huge water bills because the cities do not go out and valve the water off like your electric company takes your meter if you don’t pay the bill,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the current system does not only negatively affect landlords but can also result in higher costs for tenants.
“It increases rental costs,” Johnson said. “It’s a common business practice. If a landlord is hit with this, they’re going to recover it with [higher] rent for everybody.”
Cities may not be in favor of the bill
However, multiple Ohio municipalities and city water departments are not on board with the bill. Andrea Yang of Greater Cincinnati Water Works said in written testimony that landlords are better positioned than utility entities to manage nonpayment risks through security deposits and tenant screenings.
“[Municipal utilities] have no knowledge or control over the lease terms, including when the tenant has vacated the property, which makes it exceedingly difficult for the utility to pursue unpaid amounts from a tenant,” Yang said.