Oak Ridge Utility District offers to landlords a service that allows them the option of continuing uninterrupted natural gas service to their unoccupied rental properties between tenants. Under the Landlord Agreement, after the service in a tenant name is discontinued for any reason, ORUD will provide a final bill to the tenant and then transfer and continue natural gas service to the property under the landlord’s name automatically.
This contractual agreement allows natural gas service to continue without interruption while a rental property is unoccupied. The Landlord Agreement saves the landlord from having to apply for a transfer into their name and pay connection fees every time the service is disconnected out of the tenant’s name. Before a landlord may receive this service and enter into a Landlord Agreement, the landlord account must be current and all outstanding bills paid in full. For this Agreement to remain in effect, all bills accrued while service is in the landlord’s name must be paid in full by the due date.
Landlord Agreement Conditions
- The landlord owns the property or is the recognized representative (Management Company or Agent) for the rental property owner.
- The landlord is not responsible for the tenant’s bill. Each tenant is responsible for service in his/her rental unit. However, the landlord is responsible once the service is disconnected and out of the tenant’s name.
- The landlord will be responsible for all gas bills until a new tenant requests service in their name or the landlord cancels the Agreement.
- The Agreement for all rental units is subject to termination if a landlord fails to pay billed charges in the landlord’s name by the due dates.
- Service in the landlord’s name will not be disconnected unless the landlord, or authorized representative, requests it.
- The tenant may sign a third party notification form which allows the landlord to be notified of the tenant’s delinquent notice(s) by mail and also inquire about the status of the tenant’s account at all times.
Terminating the Agreement
- If the property is sold and the new owner places service in their name, the existing agreement with the previous owner will not automatically end. The previous owner/landlord must request, in writing, that the agreement be terminated, unless the new owner signs a Landlord Agreement.
- Oak Ridge Utility District reserve the right to terminate the Landlord Agreement for failure to pay the service address bills according to ORUD’s policy and misuse of the Landlord Agreement.
- The Landlord Agreement will be terminated if the landlord or their authorized representative disconnects the service.
- In the event the Landlord Agreement is terminated, the landlord is still obligated to pay for services rendered on and prior to termination.
- Oak Ridge Utility District may terminate the Landlord Agreement if a tenant is living in the residence but the service is still in the Landlord’s Agreement (Landlord’s Name) or if the Landlord becomes the permanent resident of the said property. At this time the account will be assigned a new account number.
