What do I do when my landlord turns off my utilities?
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What do I do when my landlord turns off my utilities?
I am 2 months behind on rent and have received no paperwork or notices. I have notified them verbally that I will be out in 2 weeks (at that time it was 30 days). They just came by my house and shut off my gas into the house. I have 6 children at home and need heat.
Asked on November 16, 2012 under Real Estate Law, South Carolina
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The landlord may not simply shut off your utilities, even if you are behind on rent--the landlord's legal option when a tenant is behind on rent is to bring an eviction action, but tenants may only be evicted through the courts. You could go to the tenancy or landlord-tenant court and seek an order requiring the landlord to turn the utilities back on; bear in mind that unless you pay the rent, this will only be a temporary reprieve, since landlords may evict for unpaid rent, as long as they do it properly (by filing an eviction action in court).
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