Renter dispute regarding utilities

[Christopher Price]

Hey everyone,

In addition to owning property I also happen to be a renter.  I have a question from a renters perspective.

I have rented a house in Colorado for a little over 4 years.  A couple hundred feet away sits a large warehouse (Roughly 100'L x 40'W x 30'H).  I was told when I moved in that I do not have access to it because the owner uses it for storage.  I have always had very high electricity bills (Avg to twice my neighbors).  I weatherproofed the house as best I could and set the thermostat for 62 in the winter.  

Recently the owner began renting the warehouse to a commercial carpet company and my electricity rose even more.  I called the electric company and they came out and told me my meter is tied to the warehouse.  I called property management and they offered a recourse of getting 2 meters.  Although I understand this is a good way of fixing the future problem, I feel cheated and wonder if I have a recourse for my exorbitant expenses over the last 4 years?

I don't know if this makes a difference, but the ownership of the property changed hands about 1.5 years ago.

Additionally my lease states "The tenant is responsible for all utilities in their name".

[Jon Holdman]

Uh, yeah, I'd be asking for a little more than just splitting it up and having the correct bill going forward.  No doubt in my mind that the owner was well aware they didn't have to pay for electricity for their warehouse.  I would request a credit or actual payment for the electric bills you've been paying for someone else for the last four years.  The change in ownership is going to make it more difficult.  But I'd still insist that something be done.