Mid-way through my first one-year lease term the house I live in, containing two apartments in addition to mine, was sold. The new landlord moved into the first-floor apartment, and the other upper-floor apartment was rented to a new tenant. I'm the only "veteran" in the building. The new landlord carried on the lease in effect, and he and I signed a new one when the year was up. It was exactly, word-for-word (I checked one night) the exact same lease as the one with the old landlord. Under the terms of that lease, I'm responsible for gas, electric, and running water. At the end of September the LL presented me with a bill from the borough for sewer and garbage. I told him that it wasn't in my lease, so I wasn't responsible for it. He seemed surprised at that, and said he'd get back to me. About a week later, he called and said that I was right, and that he would be writing an amendment to my lease, effective 30 days hence, that I would be responsible for running water and sewer. I wrote him a letter, that will be mailed certified return receipt, telling him that I would not sign an amendment. He says his lawyer told him that if he gave me 30 days written notice I didn't have to sign it. WTF? Can a LL unilaterally change a lease mid-term? I've been scouring google for a week looking for a PA statute on the subject, but haven't found anything (guess it'll be long nights at the library...). My lease itself states that any amendments have to be written and signed by both of us. Any insight?

Is it possible that this is a new utility charge that didn't exist before?

Several years ago, our city started charging on two services that were formerly funded by taxes: sewer, and trash pickup.

Who pays for the telephone?

Sewer and trash could be new, but I don't think so. I remember the old landlord saying she paid that when I first moved in.

The landline, should I choose to have one, would be my responsibility. That's written in the lease.

I wrote him the letter, saying that I wouldn't agree to any lease amendments, and that the lease we signed together requires both our signatures to any amendments, and that any unilateral amending would constitute breach of contract and render the lease null and void and yada yada. It was delivered to him 3 weeks ago, with no response. He lives below me, and I've had to talk to him about other things, and he hasn't said anything. My mom (who knows everything. Seriously.) and her mother (ditto) think I won't hear anything from him on the subject again. We think he figured he'd try, and it didn't work. I hope, anyway. Just gotta hold out until April. :)