<prompt> Human: I started renting a new place from a private owner back in March, and my natural gas usage and bill has ben very consistent since then. My bill has never been more than 50. My last bill showed almost double the gas usage and cost about 86. I immediately called the energy company and asked for an explanation, but they could only tell me that my usage had increased and that I should contact the gas provider about the meter reading. I contacted the providerutility company the same day, and they arranged to have a technician check our meter for issues the next day. The technician found no issues, performed some maintenance on our meter and left. But his meter reading triggered another invoice from the energy company - our usage was still almost double what it had been.I contacted my property manager two days after my unexpectedly high bill and explained all of this to him. He asked me to call the energy company back to see if they could pinpoint the appliance that was using the most gas. I didnt think they could, but I called both the energy company and gas provider again. Neither could give me any additional information. I requested that he send someone to check our appliances water heater, oven, fireplace, furnace, etc. immediately and he has not been willing to do so. I told him that either he could call a plumberHVAC technician or I could do it and take the cost out of our rent. Of course, he has said that I am not allowed to do that, but every day he doesnt send someone costs me more money.What should I do? Is it legal for me to deduct from my rent payment the expense of having a contractor come check my house for whatever appliance is using so much gas?  <response>: Lots of gas companies bill on a prorated amount over 12 months. Check your high bill and see if theres any additional info about this. It could be just a sentence or two. You said you moved in 6 months ago. When I lived in the Midwest, the true up came sometime in the summer since gas usage was lowest then for most of their customers. And then the rest of the 11 months were the prorated estimated amount so that customers didnt get hit with huge bills the coldest months of the year. 