Two tenants sharing a meter
Hello! I'm the landlord of a property in Silsbee, TX. I have a 60,000 square foot strip center with 13 tenants. I just had a tenant move in during November (Tenant A). After they moved in, the space next to it which had been unoccupied for quite some time managed to be leased (Tenant B). At this point Tenant A realized that the electric meter for her space also controlled the space for Tenant B. Also the breaker box was in Tenant A's space. Even I as the landlord didn't know this was the case.

Well now Tenant A is turning off the breakers for Tenant B's space, not allowing them to have power.

Just to state this, Tenant A currently has the electricity bill in their name.

I'm wondering if this is legal to even do in the first place, shutting off electricity to another space when you signed a lease that says you inspected the space and understand you are taking the space as-is. Me as the landlord and Tenant B are trying to work out an addendum that splits the bill, but Tenant A just thinks it's unfair and is refusing to turn on the breakers until it's split. Please give me your opinion! 
[{"id": "efen59p", "text": "Ya you should probably offer to pay tenant B portion of the bill, erring on the side of tenant A. \n\nMeaning if you think both tenants use similar power, cover a little more than half until you can agree on how to split it. \n\nWhile A shouldnt be turning off B, it's not right for them to pay for power of B space. That would be on landlord to get figured out, or come to an agreeable arrangement. \n\nTaking the space as is doesnt mean agreeing to pay another businesses power bill. \n\n", "replies": [{"id": "efenwge", "text": "Hey thanks for the reply! We are all for coming to an agreement and actually covering more of Tenant A's electrical bill, but Tenant A is refusing to do anything or come to an agreement because they think we are breaking the law by not splitting up the electricity between the two spaces. ", "replies": [{"id": "efeo70p", "text": "Honestly, even splitting the bill is an ugly situation.  Who is to say that both businesses use electricity equally?  As a landlord I would prioritize fixing this ASAP.  \n\nIf one tenant is uncomfortable or ugly about it, I\u2019d think about letting them out of the lease.", "replies": [{"id": "efeonhj", "text": "Yes we have offered letting them out of their lease. I mean I don't know why you would go through all that trouble to find a new location, move all your stuff, etc just for about a price difference of maybe $40-$50 per month. And we are the cheapest rent in the area by a good margin.\n\nSo possibly save $50 per month or pay for moving costs and go pay around $300-$600 more per month. I guess it's up to them and their priorities at this point.\n\nI just really want to know if it's legal for them to shut off breakers to another business. ", "replies": [{"id": "efeow2v", "text": "For that piece I\u2019d consult an attorney, but I\u2019d say if the breaker box is on my side, and the bill is in my name, I have the legal right to control it.  I mean they could cancel the utility all together, and there\u2019s not much you can do.\n\nI\u2019d say this mistake is 100% on you for not knowing your property.", "replies": [{"id": "efepccv", "text": "Yeah they could cancel the utility all together, but then their utility gets cut. I've even offered to take over the electrical utilities and charge Tenant A exactly what they've been paying before Tenant B even moved in. Set rate.\n\nAnd it's not 100% on me. As a tenant looking at a new space, you have all the rights to inspect the space and make sure it's exactly what you think. Same reason you have an inspector go and inspect a new house you are buying. The seller tries to tell you everything that may be wrong with the house, but you trust the inspection to tell you everything. ", "replies": [{"id": "effnu46", "text": "I saw a similar situation in r/legal advice but can\u2019t find it right now", "replies": [{"id": "effnumk", "text": "Here's a sneak peek of /r/legal using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/legal/top/?sort=top&amp;t=year) of the year!\n\n\\#1: [Witnessed a drunk driver use a loophole to get out of a DUI](https://np.reddit.com/r/legal/comments/9nbgcs/witnessed_a_drunk_driver_use_a_loophole_to_get/)  \n\\#2: [Amazon Stealing My Art](https://np.reddit.com/r/legal/comments/a8rcjd/amazon_stealing_my_art/)  \n\\#3: [Uber recorded audio without consent, posted it in fb , and I lost my job. What can I do?](https://np.reddit.com/r/legal/comments/8an05q/uber_recorded_audio_without_consent_posted_it_in/)\n\n----\n^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| [^^Contact ^^me](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| [^^Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| [^^Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/afd0dd/blacklist/)", "replies": [], "depth": 8}], "depth": 7}], "depth": 6}], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "efeook9", "text": "Ya it's a tough situation. If their lease says they have separately metered utilities, that might be the way you have to go. That's probably not going to be cheap though. \n\nBut generally if you signed X with them, and they aren't willing to accept Y, you have to make X happen or try really hard to. ", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "efeoog3", "text": "Look up E-mon D-mon.  You can have these installed relatively cheaply.\n\nYou meter space B and subtract the kwH from space A.\n\nOr have an additional service/meter/panel installed.", "replies": [{"id": "efeowxc", "text": "Thanks for the response! I was wondering what kind of equipment there may be to track the amount of kwH coming from certain breakers. ", "replies": [{"id": "efexa07", "text": "We have done this on a couple of our properties and it works great. However, there is some work to be done. You have to read your \u201cmeter\u201d each month deduct their usage from the bill plus split the other fees.  From your response It does not sound like the original tenant is going to want to take on this monthly burden. On our properties we pay the electric bill and then bill the tenants. If going out to the property and doing this yourself on a monthly basis is not doable for you then I would suggest getting the space metered separately. ", "replies": [{"id": "efexd0h", "text": "Thanks a lot! This suggestion is a great solution for the time being!", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "efeq8u0", "text": "This is negligence on the owner. I work property managment for one of the largest retail firms in the country.\n\nMy suggestion is to calm the troubled tenant down, take responsibility and offer to cover cost of electric for half the amount of time they have been in the building . \n\nThen:\n\nFrom there add an addendum of the lease for a fixed fee utility rate (half the average of a monthly bill and do the same with the other tenant) \n\nOr ... (so you don\u2019t run into an instance of the tenants abusing the power)\n\nGet a second meter - this can be a lengthy wait id ask for one now.\n\n\n\n", "replies": [{"id": "eferd4u", "text": "I think that's what some of you are missing here. I understand I should have known this. My point is we are trying everything we can to help with the utility bills. It's not like we are saying sorry it's your problem.\n\nThe tenant is not cooperating with us in any way. Let's say we offer an addendum to them and they refuse to sign it, what do you do then? Since you work property management and you know what we could do. ", "replies": [{"id": "efes0ra", "text": "According to u/porkchopthelegend's post history they just started a career in the CRE field. My guess is they probably won't be able to give you an accurate answer to your question. ", "replies": [{"id": "efeywy1", "text": "Not true at all. CRE brokerage is something I\u2019m looking to get into. 5 years in property managment of retail  plazas. Big box tenants. Wal-Mart, Ulta beauty, GameStop, Home Depot. Maybe you\u2019ve heard of them? ", "replies": [{"id": "effd4ds", "text": "So then what's your answer to their follow up question? I'm curious as well... ", "replies": [], "depth": 5}, {"id": "efg2vkp", "text": "This man is out here really trying to flex which national tenants he\u2019s worked with in his shopping centers. ", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "effnl40", "text": "Commercial PM here. \n\nStep 1. Call your utility and have a separate service/meter installed for tenant B\u2019s space. \n\nStep 2. Have an electrician separate the circuits between the tenants. \n\nDo this ASAP and keep tenant A in the loop the entire time. Demonstrating to tenant A that you are moving quickly to resolve the issue will make future conversations on the subject much easier.\n\nThe landlord should cover any costs related to having the new meter installed, and tenant B should cover any costs for an electrician to move their circuits from tenant A\u2019s panel. Don\u2019t let tenant B hold the process up. This should have been caught during the TI phase if there was one.\n\nRetail centers change quite a bit over the years as tenants come and go. I would use this an an opportunity to audit all spaces (vacant and occupied) in the center for meters. Make a spreadsheet noting each unit, and any corresponding meters (electric, gas, water) and meter numbers. This will come in handy down the road. \n\nAlso, Emon/Dmon meters are great, but make sure your legally able to resell electricity before installing them and using them to bill. These are more common in office buildings and malls where tenants don\u2019t purchase power directly from the utility provider. \n\nGood luck, and let us know the outcome.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]