Is my slumlord at fault for this?

[Anonymous]

He denied to investigators that my daughter baseboard sparked and could've turned into an electrical fire. So because of that I view him as a fucking liar. In Nov 2025 my electric was $200+ within days and Dec 2025 and January 2026 it was $940 and $800. Now in February calculating and watching my chart online it'll be maybe $500 this month. My house is drafty and 1500sq ft. I'm wondering if he's using my electric somehow through wires or is this because of the weather? I do have electric baseboards and I haven't changed my usage or habits and all of a sudden it drops from $940 to $500?

Yes he's likely tampering with your electric with shady wiring

No it's probably the weather

I'll comment it's something else

Updates

5 mo

* We're in a twin house by the way. So we share a firewall.

[RavVid]

I don't know what a baseboard is and will assume it is what I would call a plugboard.

The plug board is your attachment and if your plugboard sparks it is for you to replace.

It is notoriously difficult to judge electricity usage. If you have a heater with a thermostat, it will use more in winter than warmer months.

It will be difficult for you to prove that. If he is on the opposite side in a duplex it would be possible to steal electricity but not if he is houses away. If you have an old fashioned analogue electricity meter you could turn everything off and see if the wheel is still spinning. Digital meters are harder to read

[Anonymous]

If you are using more electric for heating your electric will go up.

Im a landlord what most of us want is no hassle from tenants who pay their rent on time and look after the property. I don't rent to single women or single mothers anymore. I've learned not to.

Using others electric is very common. I've had a few instances where a neighbor has dug a lead between the rental property and their house. One instance the tenant was complaining that their electric was four times what it should be, I took a look and there the neighbor had hooked up an electric cable to her switchboard, I traced the cable back and called the police. Another guy set fire to his own house.

[Asker]

There's a program paying him directly on my behalf. I'm a very clean person. I don't deserve this. Even a landlord I talked to earlier today (cause I'm moving) said it sounds like something else is drawing my power and that something sounds faulty like the wiring.

[madhatters4]

do you get energy bills from the energy provider or is it provided by your landlord?

[WindAtMyBack]

Electric baseboard heating is pretty rare. I have no idea what it costs. It sounds like a very expensive way to heat a house. Even with gas, which is much cheaper, a drafty 1500 sq ft house could cost a few hundred dollars a month for heating during a cold spell.

I looked it up and electric baseboard heat is more than triple the cost of gas heat. I can easily see it getting to 800-900 per month during a cold spell. Although you didn't mention what the temperature was.

[Asker]

I always keep the thermostat at 60-65 (70 on the coldest days let's say 8 degrees) and my dials a little before comfort zone. I don't wash clothes excessively, one shower a day for 15 mins or less and I don't run my lights. My kid is sick because I was being overly mindful with my usage (the heat)

[WindAtMyBack]

How cold was it outside where you live?

I keep my thermostat around 60-62 during the day when I'm up. I turn it down to 54-55 at night. I'd turn it down even more except my house plants don't like it. I have 5-6 blankets at night. I also turn it way down if I'm gone more than an hour or two.

I wear thermals all winter. There is no use heating an entire house when I can just insulate myself and be comfortable.

[noohair]

Can you report a code violation to get your city look into this? I would ask your power company to look at the meter.

[Asker]

I think that's what I need to do.

[noohair]

Good Luck... I would go the power company route.

[exitseven]

I doubt if he is stealing electricity. Maybe the meter is faulty or the baseboards have some sort of power issue.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a shared supply possibly running a grow site, that would last about two months at a time

[Asker]

What exactly are you saying?

[Opinion Owner]

Someone is running a weed farm possibly next door or using the attic if you don't have access to it and the landlord does

[Asker]

Oh ok. Yeah I've never been into his house so I don't know.

[888theGreat]

yes , someone else could be using your electricity

[888theGreat]

when I rented I had really high bills , higher than my house now. I always believed part of my bill was from next door.