Addendum to Commercial Lease
I rented a commercial space five years ago. The Lease states that we are only responsible for electricity, as the building has its own meter. Water was included in the rent, because there are four rental spaces and they all share one meter. So there was no clear way to split the bill.
At the time there was no restroom inside the space. However, there was a separate restroom that was included in the lease that we could use. During the five years other tenants have come and gone, but we’ve been the only consistent tenant so it wasn’t an issue.
Recently, the Landlord put a single stall restroom inside our space. It came out of the blue with no discussion, but we were happy to have it.
Until yesterday when we received an Addendum to the Utilities stating that we would now be responsible for splitting the water bill 50/50 with a residential tenant that she is allowing to move into the commercial room. The tenants will have two adults, one baby and one dog. Not only that, the Landlord herself has a store that is on that same water meter and she didn’t include herself in the split of the water bill. (One other space remains empty)
Is this addendum legal? Do we have to agree to this? If we refuse is it grounds to evict us?
Thanks in advance