Can A Landlord Charge For Garbage?

It is amazing how, to date, there's still a widespread misunderstanding surrounding rental properties when it comes to garbage collection. That's the question that gets many landlords and tenants thinking. Both parties can sometimes be misinformed, especially on matters touching on renter's rights and whether tenants should be billed for garbage services.

Unfortunately, only a fraction of renters fully understand their landlord responsibilities and when they might be infringing on your renter's rights. So, what exactly is your landlord's responsibility regarding garbage disposal, and can he/she transfer the garbage fees to you?

This post helps you understand this question comprehensively and how you can use DoNotPay to protect yourself against unfair rental charges.

Can a Landlord Charge You for Garbage?

Well, there's no right or wrong answer here. That's because different states have different landlord-tenancy laws mean collection and disposal services. But the state will still charge the landlord as the customer of record for the garbage service.

This means that while the landlord will be the person paying the garbage company for the service, he/she can bill you in arrears for the service. Therefore, it's safe to say that some states don't prohibit landlords from passing on the cost of garbage collection and disposal to the tenants.

Different municipalities treat utility payments differently, including who the customer of record is for certain utilities.

If you are questioning if your landlord can charge you for garbage, make sure you:

Check local laws
Check your contract with your landlord
Verify the charges against your account

Charging the Tenant for Garbage Removal

Just because your landlord arranges for garbage removal from the premises doesn't automatically mean you and other tenants won't be required to make garbage payments. Whether or not your landlord can charge you for garbage removal is entirely a matter of state law. As such, even if they charge you for garbage, it shouldn't be more than it costs them.

If you find out that your landlord might be charging you excessive amounts for waste removal, you can write a letter to them while raising the issue. If they fail to heed the letter, you can file a complaint against them.

Most landlords prefer to roll the garbage cost into their tenants' monthly rent, which is usually more convenient for both landlords and tenants. But you can also sue yo ur landlord if you realize that he/she is charging a higher rate for garbage disposal.

Providing for Garbage Disposal

Not all states require landlords to provide trash cans for their tenants. In some states, this is the tenant's responsibility but might allow landlords to assign it to their tenants. On the same note, just because some states require landlords to provide trash cans for their tenants doesn't automatically mean they'll be responsible for their maintenance.

Making Requests

Tenants are required to notify or remind landlords of their garbage disposal duties and ensure they are complied with. This notice should help the landlord rectify his/her noncompliance and even avail remedies to tenants regarding the situation.

Depending on your state, you can submit a formal notice to your landlord orally or in writing. But many states only allow for tenancy notices to be in writing.

Tenant’s Options if the Landlord Doesn’t Comply

If your landlord doesn't comply with your formal notice regarding garbage disposal or , you can seek the state's protection. Your landlord cannot threaten to evict you or evict you without notice for raising the garbage collection and disposal issue.

Many states offer remedies for renters if their landlords fail or refuse to comply with their duties. Similarly, you cannot resort to the remedies mentioned below if you haven't given your landlord appropriate notice or time to correct the issue.

Some of the common remedies you may have in such a situation include:

Paying less or reduced rent
Terminating your lease without losing your security deposit for incurring other penalties
Suing for deposit and other damages incurred due to the landlord's failure to comply with his/her duties
File for injunctive relief, compelling the landlord to perform or not to perform certain actions
Withhold rent until the issue is resolved
Pay for the garbage receptacles, then deduct the cost from the rent

How to Fight Unfair Garbage Charges With the Help of DoNotPay

Fighting your landlord for issues revolving around your stay on his/her premises can sometimes be quite frustrating and time-consuming. Plus, most renters don't always know their renter's rights and other laws in place to protect them.

DoNotPay provides you with critical information to fight unfair tenancy rules, like fighting unfair garbage charges. With the DoNotPay app, you can rest easy knowing that you will be protected from unfair charges by landlords.

This section discusses four easy steps you can take to fight unfair landlord charges or break your lease without penalty with the help of DoNotPay. Here's what you should do:

Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.
Select which issue applies to you.
Answer a simple set of questions so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.
Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.

DoNotPay does all the hard work for you without infringing on any tenancy laws or agreements between you and your landlord.

Why Use DoNotPay to Fight Unfair Garbage Charges

You will find several reasons to consider DoNotPay as your go-to app to fight unfair garbage charges from your landlord. Among them, here are the top three:

FAST: DoNotPay works swiftly to fight unfair charges and get you the justice you deserve within the shortest period

EASY: you never have to worry about filing long, tedious forms before your issue is looked into by DoNotPay

SUCCESSFUL: we have helped hundreds of tenants fight unfair charges and always strive to make the best case for all our customers

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

DoNotPay does so much more than just help you fight off unfair garbage charges. You can also rely on the app to help you solve the following life issues:

You never have to worry about your landlord forcing unfair charges on you again with the help of DoNotPay. We help you know your renter's rights and exercise them to avoid being bullied by your landlord.