If your landlord stops paying the utility bill, you would get a written warning in English and Spanish
What it does
SB 224 would require a landlord who is responsible for the utility bill in a submetered multifamily property to give each tenant written notice of a pending disconnection no later than the fifth day after the landlord receives the utility's shutoff notice. The notice would have to include a copy of the utility's notice, the landlord's contact information, the tenant's remedies under state law, and a set message in both English and Spanish explaining that service is scheduled for disconnection because of the landlord's nonpayment. The landlord could not require a tenant to pay for the disconnection, the reconnection, or any late fee the landlord incurred. The rule would apply only to shutoff notices a landlord receives on or after the effective date, September 1, 2027.
What it means for your community
If your apartment building runs its utility service on one submetered account and your landlord falls behind on payments, you would get at least five days of written warning before the service is cut. The notice would say what is happening in English and Spanish and give you the landlord's contact information, so you would have time to act. If the landlord pays the utility bill and avoids the disconnection, no notice would be required, and the landlord could not pass the cost of a shutoff or late fee on to you.
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