My question is similar to others on this board, but I cannot find the answer for my particular situation. Please help.
We moved into a two-family rental, recently, agreeing to the heat and hot water being included in our rent, and paying our own electric. The tenant upstairs moved in recently, too, and has the same agreement with the landlord.
The oil burning furnace and the hot water heater, which are shared between both apartments, are in the cellar, and that doesn't bother us, because we never see a bill for those things, as it goes directly to the landlord. The other day, we noticed there are only TWO electric meters on the house. Does that mean that we are paying the electric for the heat and hot water system usage for both apartments? And the hall and outside lights? Shouldn't there be a third electric meter outside, for the landlord, that the "common areas" and shared systems should be billed to?
Is the cost of running these things even significant enough to bring it up to my landlord? If it's a few cents a month, I'm not concerned. But, it does bother me to think that every time the upstairs tenant takes a shower, or turns his heat on, it's costing ME money. Is it illegal? We are in Milton, NY, in the Hudson Valley. Thanks for any help.