A Hidden Cost Of Moving

I left most of my furniture behind at the rental house. The new renter didn't have much of her own and was thrilled to get more at bargain prices. She promised to pay me last week but then she called and asked if she could pay in 2 installments. That's fine I said. Moving is expensive even when moving just one house over.

The problem was that the utility companies required a big deposit even though she had service with them at the other house. I thought maybe she was being punished for the unpaid utility bills from the last tenants so I called the electric company. They were requiring a $300! deposit. The customer service agent told me that the deposit is based on 2 times the average bill for the house. Last year, the average bill was $175 so the deposit should have actually been a little bit higher. So, my new renters aren't being punished for the unpaid bills of the last tenants but they are suffering the consequences of:

8 people (or more) living in the house and using electricity
Grow lights (whether for the terrarium or to grow illegal substances, or both)
A jacuzzi that they had for 2 months last summer (they admitted that it added $100 on to their bill)

I had no idea the new tenants would have to pay so much. At least they will get the money back after a year. My tenant dropped off half of the furniture money today and said that they were settling in and quite happy with the house. I am glad that they were undaunted by the little hurdles put before them and I hope they will be happy there for many years.