Can the Landlord charge us for water bills once we cash the discounted security deposit?

Asked 4 months ago - South San Francisco, CA

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Landlord sent us security deposit with discounts in everything that had rust,now we believe she has intentions of making us pay water bill increases period from March 2011(when we moved in) til December 2012..According to landlord, before we moved in,a very old lady lived there with cats.Of course the bill would increase with a couple moved in.She called us one month before we moved out to report that bill had increased since we moved in &sent us the security deposit with graphics of PG&E mentioning she was waiting on January 2013 bill after we moved out. As I said before, shes charging us for rust from that tiny humid studio, and now we see her intentions with water bills.We believe it's a law suit matter.Can she charge us for water bill after we moved out?We havent cashed sec deposit yet

Attorney answers (3)

  1. Licensed in CA

    San Francisco Landlord / Tenant Lawyer
    Contributor Level 2

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    Answered January 23, 2013 13:09. Please deposit the check, as most check are not negotiable after 90 days. Whether or not you are liable for the water bill or a portion thereof depends on many things, but primarily the lease agreement. I would review the lease to see if it speaks to that issue.

  2. Licensed in CA

    San Diego Landlord / Tenant Lawyer
    Contributor Level 14

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    Answered January 22, 2013 11:30. Anyone can pretty much sue anyone else unless there are other issues.. She'd have to go after you in small claims court and it may not be worth the LL's time. Cash your deposit and see what the LL tries to do.

    Thomas A. Schaeffer, Esq. Law Office of Juarez and Schaeffer PO Box 16216, San Diego, CA 92105 (619) 804-4327 www.... more
  3. Licensed in CA

    San Marino Real Estate Attorney
    Contributor Level 20

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    Answered January 24, 2013 22:52. Yes, the landlord can still charge you for the water bills even after sending you the discounted security deposit refund. So go ahead and deposit the check. There is a good chance the landlord won't sue you for the water bill after you moved out.

    Frank W. Chen has been licensed to practice law in California since 1988. The information presented here is... more

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