Renting in Vietnam: what your landlord can charge for electricity

Most people find out about this after a few months of bills that feel too high. Sort it out when you sign the lease instead.

The simple version

Your landlord is not allowed to make money on your electricity. If you pay them rather than the electricity company, the total they collect from you can't be more than the bill the electricity company sends for that meter. That's in the rules, not a matter of goodwill.

The cleanest setup is the electricity contract in your name, or the landlord authorising you to hold it. Then you pay the electricity company directly and there's nothing to argue about.

What the rules say

Circular 60/2025/TT-BCT, from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, covers how household electricity is billed when a place is rented out:

Renting a whole house or flat as a household: the landlord either signs the electricity contract themselves or authorises you to sign it, and your household gets its own allowance at the normal household tiers.
If you pay the landlord instead of the electricity company: what they collect from you can't exceed the electricity company's monthly bill for that meter.
Shorter leases (under 12 months) where the landlord hasn't registered who lives there: the whole meter is billed at a single mid-level household rate rather than the cheaper lower tiers. Once the occupants are declared, the allowance is split by the people living there (four people count as one household).

That last point is why registering your residence matters for more than the police. It changes the rate you pay.

One exception: many serviced apartments are run as businesses and pay the commercial rate. They can add a service charge on top, but it should be written into your contract. The rule above covers renting a home as a registered tenant.

What I'd do

Before signing, ask: is the meter separate, whose name is the contract in, and how is electricity charged?
If you're paying the landlord, ask for the electricity company's bill each month. You're entitled to see that the amount matches.
On a lease of a year or more, ask to have the contract in your name, or written authorisation to hold it.
Make sure your temporary residence is registered at the address. It affects the electricity allowance as well as your visa paperwork.

A flat "4,000 dong per kWh" line in a lease is the thing to question. Ask how it compares with the actual bill.

Wifi and water

Wifi isn't covered by these rules. It's a normal private contract, and paying the provider yourself is still the simplest way to know what you're paying for. Water is billed separately by the local water company. Ask the same questions.

When to get help

If a landlord refuses to show you the bill, or the amount keeps landing well above what the meter reading should cost, start with a polite conversation with the bill in hand. If that goes nowhere, the concierge can help you raise it properly.

Source: Circular 60/2025/TT-BCT, Ministry of Industry and Trade, 2 December 2025, Article 5. Checked October 2026.