residential-lease georgia
Can a landlord charge me for one day of unpaid utilities after my lease has expired?
<p>My lease expired several months ago and I just received a bill via email from my old apartment complex for unpaid utility charges. Apparently my gas company started billing me for service the day after my move-in date, so there was one day of gas service that was billed to the property management company instead of me.</p>

<p>I lived in that apartment for over a year and never heard anything about this. The charge didn't show up on any of my monthly bills and I have a copy of my account statement on move-out showing all charges paid with zero balance remaining. The new bill has a due date set a year and a half ago.</p>

<p>The bill claims I owe approximately $2 for gas use and $50 for a "gas cost recovery fee" that isn't mentioned anywhere in the lease. I do feel morally obligated to pay <em>something</em>, but this charge is more than most of my monthly gas bills. Additionally, I'm worried that if I pay this bill it sets a precedent for the company to be able to go back and find other things to charge me for.</p>

<p>Is this charge legal in Georgia?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Is this charge legal in Georgia?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>No. It seems unlawful. </p>

<p>First, it appears that the landlord was negligent and failed to mitigate damages. Since in general utilities are billed monthly, it is unreasonable for the landlord to have waited this long for a $2 charge that occurred on the first day of your tenancy.</p>

<p>Second, legislation typically sets a deadline for a landlord to send a former tenant an itemized bill to cover for damages other than normal tear and wear. According to <a href="https://advance.lexis.com/documentpage/?pdmfid=1000516&amp;crid=f4383df9-ee15-4312-b38c-4e35675abcfe&amp;pdistocdocslideraccess=true&amp;config=00JAA1MDBlYzczZi1lYjFlLTQxMTgtYWE3OS02YTgyOGM2NWJlMDYKAFBvZENhdGFsb2feed0oM9qoQOMCSJFX5qkd&amp;pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fstatutes-legislation%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A5WRH-YDG1-JFDC-X4RY-00008-00&amp;pdcomponentid=234187&amp;pdtocnodeidentifier=ABSAAIAADAAG&amp;ecomp=9s-fkkk&amp;prid=2d8ae231-985e-4783-909c-8bee8d216ada" rel="nofollow noreferrer">O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34(a)</a>, that deadline in Georgia is 30 days.</p>

<p>Whereas the $2 charge is right (at least from a moral standpoint, as you mention), the $50 surcharge is devoid of merit.</p>
