Landlord Paying High Electric Bill Due to Excessive Use

[Jennifer Maiolo]

I have a single family home, currently housing two adults on a month to month lease. Since the house was originally seen by the tenants on Airbnb, we ended up doing a formal lease and off of the Airbnb platform, due to longevity of stay. We negotiated to include the utilities in their rent. However, we (my parents and I are the owners) noticed that they are using the HVAC in excess and using what appears to be unnecessary electric (TVs and lights remain on even when not in use and air conditioner is running constantly). They also purchased a window-unit air conditioner (the house has central air conditioning already) which my dad saw when doing yard work; otherwise, we were not made aware of this addition.

My question is whether or not it makes sense to make an addendum to the lease, stating that we will cover upwards of $100 (for example) for the electric bill, and the remainder will be added on to their next month's rent. Certainly, we have learned from this experience and plan to put electric in the tenant's names in the future!

Thank you for any input you may have for a rookie landlord!