Utilities Availability (In a Lease)

This term refers to the guarantee that a landlord will provide that necessary utilities will be available to the tenant. In most cases, the landlord-tenant contract will feature some provision that requires the landlord to ensure the tenant's ability to procure water, electricity, natural gas and, in some cases, cable. This does not necessarily mean that the landlord puts those utilities in his or her name; it might just mean that the landlord will provide them in the unfortunate case that the tenant is unable to successfully contract for the services. A utilities availability clause in a lease does not necessarily mean that the landlord will retain financial responsibility for utilities. Even if the landlord puts the utilities in his or her name, the cost can still be added to the rent in some instances. This clause is simply meant to ensure the potential tenants that they will have utilities in some fashion.