Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Is there any help or assistance available for senior citizens with very high electric bills in which they cannot pay? Looked online and could not find anything. My grandparents have a few rental properties and i went to collect the rent on them last week. 3 of them are occupied by senoir citizens, one of which didnt have the a/c on because shes afraid they will turn of her electricity when she cannot pay the bill. She believes its better to pay the rent and have a place to live than burn the a/c and have a high electric bill in addition to rent to have to pay. The house felt as though it rested on the border of hell! This nice lady is 77 yrs old and it was most sad to see her having to live like that. If anyone here knows anything that could help her and some of the others, the info. would be GREATLY appreciated. By the way she will not be paying rent for July-August and September Sort of a rent holiday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 The C.A.R.E. Program may be able to help. Also, virtually all of the electric companies have balanced billing to spread out the high summer bills. Pat on the back for the rent holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 10, 2006 Author Share Posted July 10, 2006 Thanks for the info. It is most appreciated. And the rent holiday thing was a given. This lady has been renting from my grandparents for 32 years, and has been late only once in all 32 years. Talk about longterm and reliable renter Dont tell her, but that house and land she lives on is willed to her when either one of my grandparents passes away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast is a good start. Sheltering Arms also helps seniors with their electric bills. Are there churches near these rental properties? They sometimes have programs to help people in their neighborhoods with utility bills (even non-members).Another option is to tell these tenants to contact their electric service providers and ask about balanced (budget) billing, where energy costs are averaged out throughout the year. And as a landlord, your grandfather should ensure that air conditioners are serviced every so often (clean filters and freon levels) and provide adequate insulation and weatherstripping. I'm glad you're watching out for these tenants. It's heartbreaking to hear about the elderly succumbing to heatstroke in their own houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston1stWordOnTheMoon Posted July 10, 2006 Author Share Posted July 10, 2006 [And as a landlord, your grandfather should ensure that air conditioners are serviced every so often (clean filters and freon levels) and provide adequate insulation and weatherstripping. I'm glad you're watching out for these tenants. It's heartbreaking to hear about the elderly succumbing to heatstroke in their own houses. Thank you for the info and suggestions. These houses were built in 1950 i think. They each have 2 window units that are only a year old. I will make it a point to go and check for weather stripping. Looking through the records the old man has, i cannot find that issue addressed anywhere. Seems they focused mostly on the a/c units and updated appliances, roof work etc etc. No mention in here anywhere that i can find about weather stripping. Again, thank you and RedScare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VelvetJ Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I can't tell you guys how refreshing this thread is. I have been slightly put off my some of the things a number of forumers on this site have been spewing lately (to no surprise none of them posted on this thread) and it's good to be reminded there are indeed posters after my own heart here. Anyway just as a reminder, those of us who are Reliant customers can actually make contributions to their assistance program when we pay our own bills. $1, $2, $10, or $20 from enough people can actually help many of the elderly. And Houston1stWordOnTheMoon, please give your grandparents a big ol' hug and kiss from a guy on the internet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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