Home > Legal > Questions & Answers > Landlord / Tenant > What happens when the landlord cannot pay the electric bill and are asking the tenants they have to move out? Florida Tenant
What happens when the landlord cannot pay the electric bill and are asking the tenants they have to move out? Florida Tenant
Florida Statute section 83.67 (1), states in part that a landlord of any rental dwelling unit “shall not cause directly or indirectly the termination or interruption” of any utility service. Your landlord has indirectly caused the termination of your electricity. The penalty for a landlord that has caused the termination of your electricity is three months rent. My suggestion would be to either pay the utility bill (get a receipt) and reduce the amount from your rent and bring a small claims action for three times the amount of rent, a reduction of any past or future rent in the amount of the utility bill, and court costs including filing fees. If you can not afford the filing fee the clerk may be able to put you on a payment plan. I would also contact your local legal aid office or a private attorney who specializes in landlord tenant issues. Since this statute allows for attorney fees a private attorney may take your case.
If your utilities have been cut off then contact the Jacksonville Code Enforcement office and explain that they contact your landlord and explain that this is illegal. You can have the utilties probably put in your name with a deposit but if that was included in your rent then the landlord will owe you. File a lawsuit in small claims for the damages and an Injunction to allow you to lawfully remain in the rental until until a legal evicition has taken place.
