(1) A landlord may unilaterally amend a rental agreement to convert a tenant’s existing utility or service billing method from a method described in ORS 90.532 (1)(b) to a submeter billing method described in ORS 90.532 (1)(c). The landlord must give the tenant not less than 180 days’ written notice before converting to a submeter billing method.
(2) A landlord must give notice as provided in ORS 90.725 before entering a tenant’s space to install or maintain a utility or service line or a submeter that measures the amount of a provided utility or service.
(3) If the cost of the tenant’s utility or service was included in the rent before the conversion to submeters, the landlord shall reduce the tenant’s rent upon the landlord’s first billing of the tenant using the submeter method. The rent reduction may not be less than an amount reasonably comparable to the amount of the rent previously allocated to the utility or service cost averaged over at least the preceding six months. Before the landlord first bills the tenant using the submeter method, the landlord shall provide the tenant with written documentation from the utility or service provider showing the landlord’s cost for the utility or service provided to the facility during at least the six preceding months.
(4) During the six months following a conversion to submeters, the landlord may not raise the rent to recover the costs of installing, maintaining or operating the utility or service system or of new lines or submeters. Except as part of the rent, a landlord may not charge the tenant for the cost of installation or for any capital expenses related to the conversion to submeters or for the cost of maintenance or operation of the utility or service system. As used in this subsection, “operation” includes, but is not limited to, reading the submeter.
(5) A rental agreement amended under this section shall include language that fairly describes the provisions of this section.
(6) If a landlord installs a submeter on an existing utility or service line to a space or common area that is already served by that line, unless the installation causes a system upgrade, a local government may not assess a system development charge as defined in ORS 223.299 as a result of the installation. [2005 c.619 §9]
Section: Previous 90.525 90.528 90.530 90.531 90.532 90.534 90.536 90.537 90.539 90.540 90.545 90.555 90.600 90.605 90.610 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008