I would like to know how the water bill works in my town. I live in North Bergen, NJ and have some problems with the landlord saying that I'm not allow to have visits in my apartment (2 bed) because the usage of the water would increase. She said that she pays the water bill, including the tap water, hot water and sewer around $250 a month. Is that possible? Our lease said that my husband and I are the only occupants of the apartment... Is this term include the occasional visits we can get once in a while?? I specifically rented a 2 bed apartment for my overseas visits even though we are only 2 people living there, my husband and myself. Otherwise I would have chosen a 1 bed apartment.
Asked some homeowners co-workers and they told me they pay like $50 bucks quarterly for the water bill. Please advise. Thanks!

Hello r:

If your lease doesn't specifically preclude overnight guests, then she can't impose a new term on you after the fact.

I don't know how much her water and sewer bill are, but it's of no consequence to you. She COULD have wired each apartment up with their OWN meters and have her tenants pay their OWN bills. She chose not to do that.

However, the unspoken questions here are, how long is your lease for, and do you want to move? IF you have a LONG term lease and you DON'T want to move, then you can play hardball. That's what she's doing with you. Write her a letter. Send it certified, return receipt requested. Send another copy by regular mail and you can hand deliver another copy. In it, tell her that you are NOT precluded from having guests, and you will enjoy your apartment as you choose, as long as you don't violate any provisions of the lease of NJ state law.

On the other hand, if you don't have a long term and you're willing to move, you can do the same thing, but she's going to give you notice as soon as she can.

If you don't have a long term lease and you're also NOT willing to move, then you're going to have to sneak your guests in and out.

excon

PS> We HAVE a NJ real estate lawyer right here on this site. She may come along and blow my argument right out of the water.

As excon said, unless the lease specifically prohibits overnight visitors, you can have guests for a reasonable duration. I would define reasonable as no more than a week.

You can ask her to show you the water bill. If you are renting a single family home then the bill should be exact. Otherwise, its probably combined from several apartments.

Unless she can show separate meter readings there is no way she can pinpoint.

First I would definitely call the water utility company and ask them about that bill.

Second, I would do exactly what excon said and send her a letter telling her that she cannot prohibit you from having overnight guests, since the lease does not prohibit it.

The only way I'm going to blow excon out of the water is by telling you that, once your lease is up, she is required by NJ law to offer you a lease renewal unless she can prove that you were violating the lease in some way. The lease renewal is allowed to contain new conditions, such as an increase in rent, as long as they are considered reasonable. At the time the lease renews she is allowed to make a rule that overnight guests are no longer permitted.

First of all, thanks to all of you for your responses.
She just renewed my lease for another year, this is the third year we're living there. As I said before, the only term the lease mention about "occupancy" is that my husband and I are the only people allow to be living there. Doesn't note anything about visits.

It's a rare lease that doesn't permit overnight or short term guests. So, legally she can't bar you from having them.