tenant transition

[Andrew Notarfrancesco]

I had a tenant leave mid month but paid through the month end.  She left no forwarding address but has utility bills that are unpaid.  

What happens with those bills?  who is responsible?

[Kyle J.]

Depends on what bills and the policy of the company/jurisdiction that they are owed to. 

For instance, in my area, if a tenant doesn't pay their gas or electricity bills, that is solely their responsibility.  The property owner will never be asked to pay it and it will follow the tenant to their next property and they'll eventually have to pay it (if they're serviced by the same providers and ever want to get service again in their name).

On the other hand, trash (and sometimes water) bills will eventually become the responsibility of the property owner in some places.  So if the tenant doesn't pay them, the bill will be forwarded to the owner.  If the owner for some reason didn't pay them at that point, they'd be tacked on to the next property tax bill.

This is how it works in my area, but it could be different in yours.  It's worth finding out though so you don't get stuck with an unexpected bill after your tenants move out.