When the rental agreement allows the charge, the landlord generally bills the tenant in writing within 30 days after receiving the provider bill.
If the same bill includes rent, rent and the utility/service charge must be stated separately and distinctly.
The landlord must explain how the provider assesses the charge and how it is allocated among tenants when the provider bill covers multiple tenants.
For statutory timeliness treatment, the specified payment date cannot be less than 30 days after delivery of the bill.
Provider-bill access is part of the review
The landlord must either include a copy of the provider bill with the tenant bill or state that the tenant may inspect it and request a copy under the statutory process. That makes the provider bill a useful source for checking whether an allocated amount matches the underlying property charge.
Common-area charges must be identified
A utility or service charge assessed for a common area must be described in the written rental agreement separately and distinctly from a charge for the tenant’s dwelling unit.
The charge is generally tied to provider cost
ORS 90.315 generally limits a utility or service charge to the provider cost billed to the landlord, with a narrow statutory framework allowing an additional amount for specified cable, video or internet services when all listed conditions are met.
Documents to compare
- Written rental agreement and utility/service addendum.
- Current tenant bill and prior bills.
- Provider bill or inspection/copy request.
- Allocation method for a shared provider bill.
- Service period and occupancy dates.
- Any separately stated additional cable/internet amount.