My experience with such errant tenants would be asking my lawyer to issue them a letter of demand, if no payment is made within 14 days, then you can sue them.

Normally they chicken out when they get a lawyer letter, haven't had any that still don't pay after getting lawyer letter.

As for utilities, you NEVER put them under your own name when you rent your property out. Putting it under your own name is just asking for trouble.

This post has been edited by northface: Sep 29 2010, 06:00 PM

Before you rent your place out, you cut the service and as your tenant to apply for utilities themselves.

That's how I look at it, if a tenant has no money to pay rent, they wouldn't have money to pay the utilities either. And if they can't pay their utilities then TNB or Syabas will cut their supply and they wouldn't stay long anyways.

I think TNB now offers a service where you can register your utility for rented property under tenants name. And if he does move out and not pay it would be his responsibility not mine. Something like that, did not ask in detail.

Anyways, I'm talking all about commercial property here. And occasionally I would ask the latest bill from the tenant just to show that he paid. No problems so far, a little more things to do, but better than ending up with a 10k electricity bill when tenant moves.