Very Weird---Tenant is paying for gas in an all-electric condo!

[Nancy P.]

We own eleven properties in Naperville, IL. One of them is all electric. It's odd because we own a different condo in the same very small complex (32 units) and IT has gas wh, dryer and furnace.  Anyway,  we turned the place over to a new tenant in July.  I did fail to take out  the word "gas"  in the utilities paid for by tenant in the lease. That's on me.  Apparently he called Nicor and they somehow set him up with an account.  I can only imagine a mistake made perhaps because English is not my tenant's first language and his accent is pretty heavy.

Yesterday he calls my manager (H and I live in Germany for his W-2 job) and says "Please have the furnace looked at,  my bill is $150 this month (apartment is under 600 sf),  I can't afford it,  It's been over $100 a month for several months".  Manager calls me,  he knows the furnace is only two years old.  Come to find out,  tenant is paying the gas on an entirely different address but getting bills mailed to him.  (Even with the accent,  they clearly got his MAILING address correct.)  When we informed him he didn't have gas service,  he pulled out his lease and said it was our fault.  I choked back a laugh and said "I'm sorry I forgot to take that off of the lease,  but it clearly says gas is YOUR responsibility.  There is no way that this is on us."  Later Nicor called to verify that I am indeed the owner of that property.  How THAT matters when there is no gas service there,  they could not seem to tell me.  As of today they are promising to "look into it"  and "refund the money if it's the right thing to do".  Tenant is furious,  seems to still think we owe him.  Will probably be losing him when the year is up.  (Turnover is high because the place is so small.)  I'm thinking someone at the address he's been paying for is in for a real shock.....