If I pay the utility bill, does there have to be a single meter for each apartment?

Yes. If the landlord wants you to pay for regulated utilities separately, they must be separately metered. So, for example, in a three unit building, there must be meters for each of the apartments and for the common area. The common area is the landlord’s responsibility. If the units are not separately metered, the landlord must pay the utility bill and include it as part of the rental price.

​If the tenants suspect the meters are not separate, they may ask the utility company to investigate whether there is a “foreign load.” If there is, the utility will put the bill in the landlord’s name and not change it until the wiring has been corrected. The landlord cannot begin an eviction action or raise the rent because the tenants report a foreign load. Retaliation is prohibited under the law. The court should refuse to evict the tenant and may award damages if the tenant files a cross complaint.