Tenant responsible unpaid utilities

[Jeffrey Hennen]

Hello, I am trying to understand the legalities of what a Utility company can do in the event a tenant does not pay their utilities, mainly electric and Gas. I ran into a situation specifically for my water bill that they were in charge of, however, they did not pay for their water bill for nearly a year and a half and I didn't notice and then almost got assessed onto my taxes for the following year. Ultimately they paid for it but was too close. 

For the case of Gas/Electric, what can these utility companies legally do. Here is an example of the laws associated with utility companies (That I know of).
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/2021/cite/325E.025

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/2021/cite/327C.01

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/2021/cite/327B.01

From my interpretation "A utility may recover or attempt to recover payment for a tenant's outstanding bill or charge from a property owner where the manager, acting as the owner's agent, contracted for the utility service." I as the owner would be ultimately responsible for the utility bill?