Information for Landlords

June 2016 Notice to Property Owners about Trash Collection changes

Owner Responsibilities & Remedies

Per Xenia City Ordinance, the property owner is responsible for the payment of any and all utility charges used at his or her property, whether the account for such charges for the property is carried in the name of the owner, the tenant or any other person. Because of this responsibility, effective July 1, 2013, the property owner must complete any application for new service whether the service is to be provided in the property owner’s name or a tenant’s name. Owners of rental property may request a 1-time waiver of the $50 new account initiation fee by placing the service at their rental property permanently in their name with no finaling out of the account between tenants by submitting the Landlord Request for Sign-in Fee Waiver Fillable (PDF).

Since there is a fee for new account initiation, service will not be placed in the owner’s name when a tenant moves out without the owner’s specific authorization by submitting the Place in Landlord’s Name when Vacant form Fillable (PDF).

Tax Information

A rental property within the City of Xenia is considered a business and you are required to file an Income Tax return with RITA (Regional Income Tax Agency) each year even if there are no taxes due.  More information available on their website www.ritaohio.com.

Bills

Landlords may contact Utility Billing to check the current unpaid utilities balance for their properties, however a tenant’s service can only be disconnected when a bill becomes delinquent (30 days past due) and the tenant has received a disconnection notice at least 72 hours before service is disconnected. Landlords may also sign-up for online access to their accounts when completing the Application for Service.

Delinquent Utilities

Since the owner of the property is ultimately responsible for all unpaid utility services, the owner can request a 3 day notice of disconnection be sent to the tenant once a bill has become delinquent (30 days past due). These notices are hand delivered by service workers and placed on the front door of the residence or business. Owners must request this service on an individual account and individual bill basis. The City will attempt to deliver the requested 3 day disconnect notice the following business day, but this cannot be guaranteed. Service on a 3 day disconnect notice will not be disconnected on a Friday or the day before a City holiday since this would provide the tenant no method to pay and have service reconnected in a timely manner.

Owners are responsible for assuring that tenants are signed in and signed out for service in a timely manner. In the case of accounts with delinquent balances and inside meters, the owner is responsible for providing access for the disconnection of services and if the inside meters are in a location accessible to the delinquent party, the entire building is subject to disconnection to assure that the delinquent party does not continue to receive service. It is strongly recommended that all property owners with inside meters consider moving the meters outside.

The owner is responsible for a tenant’s delinquent final bills and the current tenant is subject to disconnection if the delinquent final bills for a property are not paid. If the tenant has continued service with the City of Xenia, the City will attempt to collect the bill via disconnection of service at the tenant’s current address, but ultimately, the owner is responsible. Owners should notify potential buyers of any unpaid final bills since the bills stay with the property.

In order to enforce payment of utility bills, the City must be able to disconnect services when properties have delinquent bills. However, in the case of properties with multiple buildings being serviced by a single water line (and curb stop) or properties with multiple inside meters (and a single curb stop), the City is unable to effectively and efficiently disconnect service for delinquency. Therefore, effective July 1, 2011, all utility services for properties that meet either of these criteria will only be provided in the name of the property owner.