Utilities, including heat, are included in my rent. Yesterday, my landlord gave me a copy of the heating bill and said that I had to pay for the heat from now on, because the bill was too expensive. Do I have to pay?
No, you don’t have to pay the bill. The lease agreement that you have with your landlord is a contract, and both of you are bound by the terms of the contract. Just like you could not decide to pay your landlord $50 less a month in rent just because you felt like paying less, your landlord can’t tell you to pay more a month. When your landlord agreed to pay the utilities, he accepted the risk that utility costs might increase. The landlord, in order to get more money, could increase the rent. As noted in Service Alberta’s RTA Handbook:

Landlords cannot require tenants to pay utilities after a tenancy has started if the residential tenancy agreement:
• Contains express wording that the utilities are included in the rent,
• Is silent on who is responsible for utilities, but the landlord has always taken a portion of the rent to pay the utilities.
Landlords and tenants can mutually agree that utilities will no longer be included in the rent.
To recover higher utility costs, landlords must give a legal written notice of a rent increase.

But what if your landlord sends you a bill for the heat anyway? You may want to consider writing your landlord a letter, setting out the reasons why you are not going to pay the utility bill. It is a good idea to have things in writing, just in case you end up in a dispute with your landlord. If you are refusing to pay because a term of the lease states that the utilities are included, then attach a copy of the lease with that term highlighted. You could even attach the RTA Handbook section that we already talked about  to the letter, so that the landlord can then contact Service Alberta for more information.
If the landlord decides to increase the rent to cover the higher than expected utility costs, then the landlord must follow the rules regarding rent increases. You can read our Rent Increases Tipsheet to find out more information.

You’ve been dreaming of that perfect vacation for months and it’s finally here: you can practically hear the surf hitting the shore and feel the sun warming your skin while the warm breeze lightly sifts through your hair. Then there’s a knock on your door, interrupting your holiday daydreams and bringing you back to the winter wonderland that is Alberta. Your landlord is at the door, wanting to know if the rumours she’s heard about you leaving tomorrow on a three week vacation are true. If you are leaving for that long, she tells you, then you were supposed to let her know in advance and the rent has to be paid now, instead of on the first of the month, because she wants to make sure that she has the money before you go out of town.

Does the landlord have the right to know when a tenant is going on vacation?

Can the landlord demand that rent be paid in advance of a tenant going on vacation?

Your landlord may have the right to ask for details regarding your vacation plans. The landlord would have this right if there is a term in the lease that provides that the tenant must inform the landlord of absences from the property. The reason that some landlords include this provision within the lease is usually for insurance purposes. Sometimes a landlord’s insurance policy will state that if the rental property is vacant or uninhabited for a period of time, then the insurance will lapse and the landlord would no longer have valid insurance on the property.

You may benefit from letting your landlord know of your absence too. If your landlord knows that you will be away, then the landlord may be willing to drive by the property to check on it, or may be willing to help you with sidewalk cleaning in the winter. Also, it’s a good idea to provide the landlord will the contact information for the person you have checking on the place or house-sitting for you, if you have made those arrangements with someone else. If there is an emergency, the landlord may need to get in touch with you or with the person you designate. If you do not have anyone else checking on the place for you, then you should make sure that the landlord has a reliable way to get in touch with you (and remember, you probably did not provide your landlord with your cell phone number when you moved in).

The landlord cannot demand that rent be paid in advance of the date that the rent is due. The rent is due on a specific day and at a specific time, and the landlord cannot unilaterally change that term without the tenant’s consent. Make sure, though, that you have a reliable way to pay your rent while you are gone. If you pay by cheque, how are you going to get the cheque to the landlord if you’re out of town? Do you have a reliable friend that could deliver the cheque for you? If you pay by email money transfer, do you know that you have a reliable and secure internet connection in the place you are visiting?

You’re probably going to have to clean a foot of snow off your car in the airport parking lot when you get back; you don’t need to be greeted with an eviction notice on your door too.