On the evening of 17/7, after years of suspiciously high electricity bills, Mr. Han, a resident of Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, decided to turn off all electrical appliances in his rented apartment to investigate.

Noticing the meter was still running, he called an electrician. The electrician found irregularities in the wiring. It turned out the landlord had secretly connected their electricity supply to Mr. Han's meter. This meant that for the past 9 years, Mr. Han had been paying for both his and his landlord's electricity usage.

"I only earn a few thousand yuan a month, and my mother has a brain tumor. Yet, every month, I've been paying hundreds, sometimes even a thousand yuan for someone else's electricity," Mr. Han said.

The landlord removes the illegal connection to Mr. Han's meter. Image from video.

Mr. Han and his wife had been renting the apartment since 2/2016 for 700 yuan per month. He had always noticed unusually high electricity bills. Initially, he attributed it to frequent air conditioner use. Over the 9 years, he replaced the air conditioner three times, but the electricity bill remained high. "Even when we went back to our hometown for Lunar New Year and no one was home, there was still a two or three hundred yuan electricity charge," he recounted.

When Mr. Han confronted the landlord, they initially denied the accusation. However, when presented with the electrician's findings, the landlord quickly had someone remove the illegal wiring. Mr. Han recorded the entire process as evidence.

After Mr. Han reported the incident to the police, authorities mediated a settlement. The landlord agreed to compensate him 15,000 yuan, equivalent to 150 yuan per month. However, Mr. Han believes this amount is far too low compared to what he actually paid over 9 years.

"They should compensate me at least 30,000-40,000 yuan. And even after agreeing to pay, they still won't admit to stealing electricity," he said.

Mr. Han is considering further legal action to protect his rights. He has since moved out and shared his story to warn other renters.

"Blind trust and the mentality of 'avoiding making a fuss' can lead to silently bearing unreasonable costs for years," he warned.

Nhat Minh (According to Sina)