Help needed!

As you know Jake and I are in different countries right now but we talk every day LOL.

Yesterday he was teed off because he comes home from work with a notice on the door saying that the heating gas had been filled and that he owes $341!!!!!!!
He had never asked to have the gas filled up - he was planning to save that up because he knows gas is not cheap. He paged my landlady and asked her what was going on - she booked the gas company and filled it up because she noticed it was running low - and forgot to ask him first!!!! I know he will rarely use the gas because we do't like the gas heaters - we use electric heaters and its not that cold in the apartment since a new roof was replaced. Jake wants to focus on saving his money for another plane ticket for this christmas for coming over here - and he doesn't want to have to spend it on gas that he never ordered in the first place.

What is he legally allowed to do? His brother said that since he never asked for the gas, then the landlady has to pay for it - he said it was somehting to do with the fair act 1983 but I cannot find it. Does anyone know?

I appreciate it! Thanks!

Hmmm. I'm assuming this is propane? I'd think since he didn't ask for it, and is apparently expected to keep up with paying for it himself that he wasn't liable. But I really don't know.

The only similar thing we had happen was about 10 years ago on my mom's land when the gas company came and put 250 gallons of gas in her 500 gallon tank (she never ordered over a hundred gallons at a time) which was SUPPOSED to go in the neighbor's tank across the road. My mom can be a real b***h. There was definite havoc to pay for that, especially when the gas company tried to get her to pay for it anyway and she refused. They ended up coming out and pumping the stuff back out of the tank, which is apparently a lot more difficult than pumping it in. What took 15 minutes going in took a couple of hours coming out as I recall.

I think you have to check out the local laws, Kellye. We have rental properties, and the way it works here is that we as landlords have to pay for heating oil, water, electricity, or natural gas "up front", and then are reimbursed by the tenants quarterly according to their actual use. Every apartment has meters, and we pay two different companies to monitor them every three months. We have to pay the annual average consumption of water and power in advance every year; gas is billed quarterly, but also in advance. Ditto cable TV.

Kellye, tell Jake to get a copy of the Landlord/Tenants Rights handbook for his state. He could probably get a copy at his local courthouse or from a law office or social services office.

P.S. It would be wonderful if your family could all be together again in time for Christmas.