Oregon Renters' Handbook - OSPIRG

Chapter 5: Being A RenterPayment of your utility bills canaffect your credit rating, so tenantsshould be sure to keep up-to-dateon all payments. A landlord canalso evict a tenant for failure tomaintain utility service.If some of the utilities thetenant pays for benefit thelandlord or another tenant, thelandlord must disclose this fact inwriting. (See “Disclosures” )If a utility deals with a customerin a manner which is unfair orunlawful, direct your complaintsto the Public Utility Commission(PUC) in Salem (See AppendixB for contact information). PUCregulations restrict the right of aprivate utility to terminate servicefor nonpayment, especially wherea resident’s health is affected.Paying the Landlordfor Your UtilitiesIn some cases, and if the rentalagreement allows it, the landlordmay cover the cost of utilities forthe tenant or for common areas,and then require the tenant topay the landlord for those costs.The charges are distinct fromrent, and the method the landlorduses to allocate the chargesshould be clear. If the methodused isn’t described in the writtenrental agreement, you canrequire the landlord give youa copy of the utility bill as acondition of paying the charges.(90.315(4))Low Income AssistanceOne source of help for lowincome households to deal withescalating heating costs is thefederally funded Low IncomeEnergy Assistance Program(LIEAP).There is also the Oregon HEATprogram, an emergency energyassistance program. Assistance isavailable only during the wintermonths, and only for peoplewho are about to have theirservices cut off. Each county hasassistance available for differentutilities.The Public Utility Commissionhas a telephone assistanceprogram for help with telephoneconnections and bills. They canwww.ospirgstudents.orgOSPIRG29