Water pipe leaked outside of rental property, who pays the extra on the bill?

Question

I had a water leak for the past 3 months and i did not know about it until recently when the water company came out to let me know that my water usage was abnormal. We walked around the property and found the spot, I immediately informed the land lord and he immediately fixed it, however my bill went up more and more every month. the immediate increase was only 20 dollars or so and I thought that I might have just been using a bit more than usual and for one month I know that I had a problem with the toilet which was fixed. I am going to be dealing with a very large water bill on this month and want to make sure I do everything legally to find out who is responsible for the extra usage. the location of the leak was in the back of the property, an area no one in my house goes normally. Am I going to be responsible for the bill or how do I go about legally requesting assistance from my landlord to pay the extra on the bill(s). also would it be possible to have him pay for the previous months bills extra as I am sure that it was due to the progression of the leak.

Answer 1

As long as the landlord repaired the pipe as soon as he was made aware of the problem, he has satisfied his obligation.

If the bill is in your name, you are responsible for it.

The water department may waive the excess charges because of the leak.

The landlord is not obligated to pay for the excess water.

Answer 2

you have two options. pay for it or see if the water comp will remove the added amount over the normal usage. its not the owners fault the pipe broke and you said the bill did go up the past few months. that should have been a warning sign and followed up by you. usually the owner pays for the sewer water and garbage, but it sounds like you pay for water so your liable. sorry

Answer 3

.   The law does not directly address this. A smart landlord would reimburse you for the extra water.  I would do that to keep a happy tenant.