Nevada utility fees for landlords: rent is one figure, with a same-page statement for utilities billed separately
NRS 118A.200 requires a Nevada rental agreement to state rent as a single figure that includes any mandatory fees. A landlord may still charge a monthly fee equal to the cost of electric, gas or water service in the unit, outside that figure, if the utility cannot contract directly with the tenant and the lease carries an asterisk and a statement on the same page naming the utility. For water on a master-metered system, a shorter statement applies.
Why does the single-figure rent rule matter for utilities?
Subsection 6 says that wherever the landlord lists the rent due, and in any reference in the written rental agreement to the amount of rent due, the rent must be a single figure representing the maximum total periodic rent, including any mandatory fees charged in addition to the base rent. Subsection 7 bars charging periodic rent above that figure. A utility bill added on top of rent would look like a hidden fee, and the utility exception in subsection 8 exists to allow it only in two defined cases.
Subsection 3 also lists what a written agreement must contain, including the services included with the rental and the respective responsibilities of landlord and tenant for utility charges.
When can you bill electric, gas or water outside the rent figure?
Under subsection 8(a) you may charge a monthly fee equal to the cost of the electric, natural gas or water service provided in the individual unit when the applicable public utility cannot contract directly with the tenant. In that case the single rent figure must carry an asterisk or other reference symbol at least half the font size of the figure, tied to a statement on the same page that:
- Tells the tenant that the public utility cannot contract with the tenant directly for that service.
- Gives the name and telephone number of each such public utility.
- Notifies the tenant that the monthly bill for that service will be charged to the tenant as a monthly fee equal to the cost of the bill, separate from the single figure.
The fee is set at an amount equal to the cost of the service in that unit. The text allows no markup and no admin charge on top. Because the fee is equal to the cost for the individual unit, a landlord who bills by a formula should be able to show how the unit's amount was worked out.
What about water on a master meter?
Subsection 8(b) is specific to water. A landlord may charge a monthly fee equal to the cost of the water service provided in the unit if the unit is subject to a master-metered water system. The rent figure again carries an asterisk at least half the size of the figure, with a statement on the same page that informs the tenant the unit is on a master-metered water system and that a fee for water service will be charged monthly, equal to the cost of the water service in the unit, separate from the single figure. The utility-name and phone number items are not part of this shorter statement.
Example a made-up Henderson apartment lists rent as "$1,350*". On the same page, an asterisk statement says the unit is on a master-metered water system and that a monthly water fee equal to the cost of the unit's water service will be charged separately. The tenant sees the water charge of, say, $48.20 on a separate line, not folded into the $1,350.
What does this section not say?
Section 118A.200 does not require submeters, does not name ratio billing, does not set a billing frequency, does not cap late fees on the utility fee and does not create a utility-specific dispute process. Late fees on rent are covered in a different section, NRS 118A.210, which caps a rent late fee at 5 percent of periodic rent. If you plan to pass a utility through by formula, put the method, the billing cycle and who to contact about a question in the lease.
Subsection 9 makes it unlawful to use a written agreement that does not conform to the section, and any provision that contravenes it is void. A wrong asterisk statement can therefore void the very utility clause you are relying on. Keep the statement on the same page as the rent figure, in the required size.
A short checklist for the lease page
- Rent shown as one figure with an asterisk at least half the font size of the figure.
- The statement on the same page as the figure, not in an addendum.
- For electric, gas or water through a utility that cannot contract with the tenant: the name and phone number of each utility.
- For master-metered water: the master-metered statement.
- A clause saying how the monthly fee equal to cost will be worked out and when you send it.
How DoorKeeping fits in Nevada
DoorKeeping keeps each Nevada utility bill, your split worksheet and the lease clause together in the unit's documents, and records what each tenant reimburses in the property's own books. The signed lease page with the asterisk statement and the monthly utility bill stay filed under the same unit. Anything involving money waits for your one-tap approval. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute, any utility commission rule and your lease before you bill a tenant.
Sources
Questions
- Can a Nevada landlord charge tenants for utilities on top of rent?
- Yes, in two cases under NRS 118A.200(8): a utility that cannot contract directly with the tenant, or water on a master-metered system, each with an asterisk statement on the same page as the rent figure.
- Can a Nevada landlord mark up a utility fee?
- The statute allows a monthly fee equal to the cost of the service in the unit and says nothing about adding to it.
- What happens if a Nevada lease does not follow the disclosure rule?
- NRS 118A.200 makes it unlawful to use a noncompliant written agreement, and a provision that contravenes the section is void.