How are tenants charged for electricity?

VTV.vn - If landlords declare the full number of tenants, the electricity sector will allocate a corresponding quota based on residential information.

Given that many tenants are still unclear about how electricity prices are calculated, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) continues to provide specific guidance on regulations related to electricity consumption limits for tenants, while encouraging people to proactively contact the power company when they need assistance.

According to Ho Chi Minh City Power Company, to register for residential electricity consumption quotas, electricity users can contact the hotline, website, or EVNHCMC customer service application.

A representative from EVNHCMC also stated that the electricity consumption limits for tenants and the method of calculating electricity bills for tenants are applied according to Clause 4, Article 10 of Circular No. 16/2014/TT-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and Trade regulating electricity prices and other current regulations.

In the case of households renting, the landlord directly signs the electricity purchase contract or authorizes the renting household to sign the electricity purchase contract (with a commitment to pay the electricity bill), and each renting household is allocated a separate electricity quota.

Meanwhile, for cases where students or workers rent rooms but do not form a household, the application of the quota is carried out according to Circular 09/2023 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Specifically, if the tenant has a rental contract of 12 months or more and has registered temporary or permanent residence in the area where electricity is used, the landlord or the tenant's representative can sign an electricity purchase contract to be charged according to the residential consumption rate like a regular household (with a commitment from the landlord to pay the electricity bill).

For rentals under 12 months and where the landlord does not fully declare the number of electricity users, the entire electricity consumption will be calculated at the retail price of residential electricity tier 3, corresponding to a usage level of 101-200 kWh. According to Decision 1279 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the current price is 2,380 VND/kWh, excluding VAT.

If the landlord fully declares the number of tenants, the electricity company will allocate a corresponding quota based on the residential information. Current regulations consider every four people as one household for the purpose of applying the tiered electricity pricing system.

Accordingly, one person is charged 1/4 of the quota, two people 1/2 of the quota, three people 3/4 of the quota, and four people are charged the full quota. For a household with 4 tenants, the first tier of electricity consumption is 50 kWh/month. Thus, each tenant will receive approximately 12.5 kWh at the lowest price tier.

EVNHCMC also noted that when there are changes in the number of tenants, landlords need to proactively inform the electricity sector so that the consumption rate can be adjusted accordingly. The electricity sector also has the right to request residential information to determine the actual number of people using electricity.

Landlords who charge excessively high electricity prices may face fines of up to 30 million VND.

According to Government Decree 133/2026, the act of failing to notify the reduction in the number of households sharing a single meter or falsely declaring the number of electricity users in order to receive a higher electricity quota than actually exists may be subject to a fine of 3 to 5 million VND.

Landlords who charge higher electricity prices than regulated rates may be fined between 20 and 30 million VND. Additionally, the landlord must refund the difference to the tenant. If the recipient cannot be identified, the illegally obtained profit must be deposited into the state budget.

According to regulations, the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level is the person authorized to impose penalties for the aforementioned violations.

The Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Authority advises that if tenants discover landlords charging higher electricity fees than regulated, they can report it to the People's Committee of the ward or commune, or notify the electricity sector to coordinate inspection and handling.

Source: https://vtv.vn/nguoi-thue-tro-duoc-tinh-gia-dien-the-nao-100260515144918676.htm