‘Change name in TNB account so tenants will be liable for bills’

Yew says property owners must take precautions to avoid being saddled with high bills left behind by errant tenants.

LANDLORDS have been reminded to do a name change for the Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) account of their rental properties, making the tenant fully responsible for any charges owing.

At a press conference, two complainants shared how they ended up with thousands of ringgit in unpaid bills after their tenants defaulted on payments.

One of them, who only wanted to be known as Yau, was informed by TNB that he owed a staggering RM1,298,213.85 on one of his properties.

According to Yau, he rented out the premises to a woman about a year ago but she failed to pay the rental. The tenant was unreachable for five months before finally contacting Yau and informing him of her decision to terminate the tenancy agreement.

Yau only found out that he owed a huge sum of money to TNB, amounting to five years’ electrical consumption, after she had handed over the keys.

With help from Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng and Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled (Kepong Centre) chairman Chua Choong Yin, Yau filed a police report.

Luckily for Yau, the tenant decided to take responsibility for the matter, and agreed to pay around RM330,000 after TNB recalculated the charges, taking into consideration the fact that the property was only occupied for two years.

“TNB gave the tenant two years to settle the payment. As for now, she has already settled the first payment and the second is due next month, ” said Yau.

The other complainant faced a similar predicament after letting out her premises.

However, the tenant went missing, leaving behind a RM191,979.55 electricity bill, forcing the complainant to take the matter to court.

During the press conference, Lim’s political secretary Yew Jia Haur emphasised the importance of changing the name in the TNB account when letting out properties.

“Cases like this have happened before but the owners managed to resolve it by taking immediate action. It is vital to apply for the change to avoid legal problems, ” he said.

Owners were also advised to register with myTNB to monitor their tenant’s monthly usage and payment pattern.