what if someone gives you a house as a gift, you r the owner now but the water gets shut off because the prevous owner ows a big bill on the water. The water department refuses to turn on the water for the new owner until the preveous owner pays the bill. Does the new owner have any rights at all? And what if the preveus owner was the son of the new owner? Need an answer asap.
2007-08-01 12:52:55 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
well even though the house was a gift any prevous bills in the prevous owners name should be paid by the prevous owner. the new owner shouldnt have to pay for it. although you can pay it out of the goodness of your heart. but by law you are not responsible. might want to talk to a lawyer about the bill because the water company cant hold you responsible for a past due bill
hope this helped
2007-08-01 13:04:25 · answer #1 · answered by Rachael 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sounds like your city has a clause in their utility ordinance that requires new owners to pay past due bills even if they aren't yours. You could fight this in court as this is hard to uphold in court.
Have you talked to the water utilities department? This may require you talking to the utilities board about the situation and getting a waiver to have the water turned on. If the person who owned the home before left a huge bill had died, then the city may have to write off this bill as bad debt and just let you have the water in your name. They won't tell you this though.
I'd suggest talking to a lawyer to see what your legal recourse is. I'd also speak with the utility board and explain your situation. They should be able to work with you, even if you were to pay the old bill a little at a time if you could just have the water on. I see this problem all the time where I work. Keep in mind that the billing office people aren't the final say. Someone (usually a utility regulatory board) says what goes in the city. Try to talk to that board or even the mayor if possible.
2007-08-05 08:21:08 · answer #2 · answered by Kim 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a similar experience happen to me except it was a gas bill. If your house was gifted by a relation (your son) your gonna need a lot of legal contracts with exact date you took possession just to prove the bill isn't yours. And the battle goes uphill from there. Basically your not responsible for the bill they cant make you pay it. But they don't have to reconnect if there is an outstanding bill at the residence. Also if its a relation who is still living there they won't change names on the new bill and hence your stuck with the big bill that outstanding. You can hire an attorney to fight it but its usually a lot cheaper to just pay off the bill.
2007-08-01 20:29:56 · answer #3 · answered by kitkat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The old owner should be responsible for the bill but if the house was a gift...the new owner -- realizing what a HUGE and thoughtful gift the house was -- should just pay the bill and be done with it rather than being petty.
2007-08-01 19:57:52 · answer #4 · answered by CupCake 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Generally, water utility bills follow the ownership of the property. SOMEONE has to pay the water bill in order to get it turned on. In most situations with real estate transfers, if you accepted title without insuring that the title was clear, you inherit any liens which came with the title. Water department bills are generally considered liens along with the property.
2007-08-01 20:59:56 · answer #5 · answered by acermill 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it would be up to the NEW owner to pay the bill.
did the new own sign a contract with the previous owner. The previous owner probably stated that with the house as a gift you should pay the overdue bill.
I mean you got a FREE house, you should be able to pay an overdue bill.
2007-08-01 19:56:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes
2007-08-01 19:55:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋