My guess is that you are paying for his power.

How much are the payments?

My guess is that something about the way the building is wired isn't up to code and he doesn't want CON Ed coming in to take readings and start service for tenants. I had a landlord who did some pretty shady electrical shenanigans.

What size place? How much do you pay? Have you compared your cost by asking others you know? Do those first.

YOU. ARE. GETTING. SCAMMED. Full stop.
I don't even know how you could sue to recover anything but I'm sure a lawyer or someone else will post with better knowledge about this.
Google his name, does anything shady come up, like I'm guessing it will? Also google your address.
Go into ACRIS, the NYC property database, see who owns the building, if that's even his real name. You need to do alot of research here.

Sorry but your partner is also a dumbass.
THIS IS NEW YORK, you ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS get everything in writing.

New York City always looks so cute in the movies like Midnight Cowboy, huh?

Or Taxi Driver. Or The Warriors.

This right here. Srsly verbal agreement? Lol no. Please do your due diligence to avoid unnecessary stress as this dear op. Get angry and fight back.

...And if they're doing electrical shenanigans, who knows what else they're doing.
Like gas for instance.
Doing illegal building stuff doesn't seem like a huge deal until something goes catastrophically wrong, like that building on the corner of 2nd avenue and E 7th street in the Village.
BOOM, no more building, as well as three others destroyed, and two people dead because the owners/landlords were doing shady stuff with the gas line.

https://ny.curbed.com/2016/2/11/11029792/deadly-east-village-explosion-leads-to-manslaughter-charges

Makes me wonder if this is an illegal apartment.

How many units in the building/house. I'm assuming it's a illegal split apt unit if you don't have your own utilities or is it a sublease?

How much is he making you pay monthly?

Electric typically should be like $50-70 with no air conditioning or electric heat usage.

Why would you give him money for electricity if there's no agreement to pay for electricity?

Your issues are mostly self-inflicted by not getting a lease agreement with everything in writing.

Whenever anyone DOESN'T want something to be in writing it's because they're hiding something. Usually that includes plans to totally fuck you over.

I don't know what you thought you were gaining here, but you're screwing yourself.

I feel as though landlords just make up names seriously wtf has multiple names that just sounds scammy

Everything should be in writing. Everything! And if you continue to pay in cash (which I wouldn't) be sure to get receipts.

Get everything in writing. Don't even speak to him without there being a paper trail of all conversations.

Stop paying rent, put it in escrow, and make them take you to court to discuss it.

I was going to say this. If the landlord’s keeping anything in his name, it seems illegal. Or it could be legal but the landlord’s keeping your money DL and he’s reporting the apartment empty and collecting on that.

Please try r/AskNYC or the Monthly Discussion Thread.

ConEd is required by law to investigate possible shared meters like this and take steps to correct it.

Yes I’d you don’t have your lab meter if question the legality of Gf apt as well