My landlord owes a large amount of arnona.
I repeatedly asked him for the necessary forms in order to obtain a student discount, and he kept delaying. When he finally gave me the details it was too late to obtain a discount.
He wants me to pay the full arnona rate and I am arguing that I only need to pay the discounted rate.
How much do I need to pay according to the din?
Answer:
You don’t have to pay more than the student discount rate.
This answer assumes that the arnona bill was sent to the landlord, and not to the student himself.
Sources:
If the landlord failed to transfer the arnona billing to the tenant, it is his responsibility to pay the arnona bill.
Although it is also his right to request that the tenant pay the expense – and this might be included in the rental contract – it is clear that a student tenant does not agree to pay the full arnona amount, when he is able to achieve a significant discount.
If the bill would be the student’s responsibility, it would likewise be his responsibility to gain the discount; however, because the bill is the landlord’s, it is his responsibility to ensure that the student gets the discount he deserves, and failing this the student does not have to pay more than the discount amount.
