I need some advice about utility bills in Tenerife

**carperkev** · 18-07-2013, 10:40

Hi, all, Iim new to the forum but i need some advice,

We moved into a complex in November last year and were told that we didnt have to pay utilities

Sorry about the spelling. They couldn't give us any bills as they were waitng for the said companies to set up individual bills to each apartment.

We were told that in 3 months we would get said bills and are still waitng fo the bills from electricity and water companies.

We have decided to leave and gave them 3 months notice and now here is were it gets difficult.

The landlord now says we owe for the water and electric but we have never had a bill from anyone,

He now says that the deposit he has of ours will pay for said bills, but on the contract it says our deposit is for damage to prop etc. We don't mind paying bills but how do we know what we owe if we haven had any bills.

The said complex is Atlantic at Chafiras.

I'm not the onlyone who is in this fix. There are a few other people too.

Any advice would be great. Thanks

**Balcony** · 18-07-2013, 14:01

What did your rental contract say about utilities? Nothing, I presume. The landlord should have explained what would happen until individual billings were available i.e. how you should pay until then. You realised at the start that utilities must be paid and should have asked what to do. Now you decided to leave it is more important to find out what amount is needed to settle the utilities. It would seem, from what you say, that someone must received a single bill - the administrators of the complex? The simplest (OK, not always the fairest) way is for the master bill to be divided equally between all owners, often based on the no. of bedrooms (not people).

You should establish who gets the master bills and try to make a sensible decision with the landlord. Also tell the landlord he has no legal right to withhold your deposit if the contract says it was given against damage....thought what exactly does "etc" include? Or agree an estimate for the utilities to be deducted and receive bcack whatever balance.

Of course, it may be the landlord trying an old trick that works for him to hang on to deposits. A lawyer is a good bet, but the lawyer will want paying!