Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Virginia

Tenant/Landlord

I rent a house to a tenant. I agreed to turn on the water service in my name and the tenant would be responsible for paying the bill, as stated in the lease. I call to the utility company regularly to ensure timely payments. The tenant is behind on the water service and it is scheduled for disconnection. Can I have the services turned off before the disconnect to protect my credit from being damaged further? An unlawful detainer has also been filed due to rent payments behind, also.


Asked on 11/19/08, 1:59 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: Tenant/Landlord

No, you should not have this utility service disconnected while the tenant still occupies the

premises (in my opinion). The better approach is for you to pay this bill and include the amount with the back rent and any other claimable damages in your pending unlawful detainer action.

Once the tenant is out of the unit, then you could ask for the water to be shut off.

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Answered on 11/19/08, 3:41 pm


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