When you loved ones passed away and their property became yours, assuming you moved in if you weren't already there, did you opt to take the names of the deceased loved one off of various bills and put your name on them while managing their estates, unless your name was already on at least some of them, or did you opt to keep their names on them to avoid any complications?
Me and my mom were talking about our new renters trying to get power, gas, and water turned back on at the rent house now that they agreed to move in. Currently, there is somewhat a complication regarding the electricity being turned back on. She told me that complicated case is why she still has my great-grandfather's name on some of the bills and refuses to take his name off of them. The house we live in was my great-grandparents home and has been in the family for decades.
I told her that it'll eventually fall on me to pay for the various house bills over here. She's telling me "don't borrow trouble," but in reality, it's less of borrowing trouble and more of wanting to be prepared for the bill scenario when the day comes where her bills become my bills. Granted, she told me she plans on taking off my grandmother's name and put my name on her checking accounts once probate is complete and we submit the required paperwork to the banks my grandmother had accounts at. However, she thinks that whoever gets a various payment won't care who is paying for it and that all they want is the money.
I sure hope it works out that way for me. I'm skeptical that, for example, the company that supplies our electricity will accept a check with just my name on it in regard to a bill that has my mom and great-grandfather's name on it.
You need to do what is accurate, legal and consistent. Why are you letting your Mom drive the bus when she doesn't know what she's talking about? Maybe call a utility company "incognito" and ask this question as a hypothetical while having it on speaker so your Mom can hear their answer?
I guess you can allow grandma to go on like she is. The only problem in having utilities put in your name eventually is if you have never had utilities in your name before. You will have to pay deposits that are returned to you within 2 years once you show you pay your bills monthly.
I really don't see her logic but its logical to her.
You do know it's illegal to keep bills in a dead person's name so you continue to use the service. That's fraud. If a landlord does this for a tenant, the landlord is held responsible if the tenants don't pay.
The only reason why your mother's tenants cannot get utilities in their name is lack of payment. They owe money to utility companies. Don't rent to these people because they will also burn you and your mother on the rent. Never allow utilities to be kept in someone else's name if they're dead. That's fraud. Don't do it.
Tell these tenants that they need to settle up with the utility companies they owe or they can't move in.
I wish you good luck with this. Hope you will update us on what works. Don't hurry. It is going to take you a solid year to get things in order. Just keep good files and records and even a diary of every move you make.
My Mom lives in what was formerly her house before we bought it from her. Now she pays "pass through" rent (just enough to cover the expenses, we don't profit from her rent). The only bill she has in her name still is cable. All other bills are in our name since we own the home. I review her rent every year and include the average costs of her other bills into the rent.
I'm just telling you what I do to simplfy it, not necessarily telling you what you should do. But I think bills being in the names of deceased people like your great grandfather (assuming he is deceased) will be a problem at some point. In the end a problem may not arise from who is writing the check but rather who has the authority to make decisions about the service: if you had to shut off the electric to the house for some reason, it'd be by the authority of whosever's name is on the account, not whose name is on the checking account or writing the check. When you write the check, don't you put the account number on it or include the invoice stub? Ultimately only the person whose name is on the account is the owner of that account. You may need a death certificate to change account ownership.
If you are going to be living in the house you should change the name on the bill.
If you are going to rent the property your name should NOT be on the bill as any missed payments by the renters will reflect on your credit.