What to do? Utility shut offs for non payment

If you legally incur a debt, you really have to pay it.

Basic utilities are as much a necessity of life as food and air and water. Even if you can't afford topay for it. Or is it?

A real conundrum, as I see it. Now that spring is here, the utilities are trying to shut off the utilities that went arrears in the winter. The (state) government is talking about extending the moratorium on shut offs.

What to do?

What to do?

What to do?

I think it should be illegal to shut water to a residence off. Lien the property if you want to, but don't shut it off.

We agree.

Once people don't have running water or flushing toilets, disease seems pretty inevitable.

Gas and electric? Those are harder to argue for, at least in the summer months.

creating lien rights for that utility, I'd include it in the rent. The owner would have to pay that utility as well as the mortgage, even if the renter failed to pay rent leading up to an eviction. However, the tenant would still have water.

That seems reasonable to me.

i can't understand your last post.

a renter does not pay a utility. you don't want a turn-off, you want a lien.

but a lien on what? it could only be on the property. the renter has no stake in the game here. so you want to put this on the owner of the property because a tenant fails to pay a utility?

that does not seem reasonable to me at all. and if you implement something like this expect the rental rules (and prices) to change real quick...

the bill/responsibility for the utility, much like any mortgage on the property would be the owner's responsibility. However, the utility would be included in the rent payment, and the rate of rent would reflect that from the outset.

The owner pays the utility just like he/she pays any mortgage, or any other lienable fees like condo association fees, taxes, homeowners insurance, etc.

Does that make better sense?

if the renter doesn't pay.

currently: renter pays rent + utilities. utilities are a contract between the renter and the utility company. renter can get shut off if utilities are not paid.

your plan: renter pays rent + utilities, but utilities are included as part of rent. owner has contract with utility company. renter does not get utilities shut off if renter does not pay the "utilities" part of his rent. owner is now totally responsible for renters utilities.

that is in no way fair. it just fucks the owner.


as tony montana would say... that pig don't fly straight...

See, here's the rub. A smart property owner takes a full year's worth of expenses (tax, insurance, mortgage, life-sustainable utility, maintenance, HOA fees, etc) into consideration before setting a lease. Part of the deposit includes insurance for non-payment. Renter doesn't pay rent, owner evicts.

"That is the way it is now" doesn't even make sense. In what regards? Hotel? Apartment? Duplex? House? Did you poll landlords across the country.

If the owner isn't a total idiot, the owner takes into consideration that the rental contract will go south. All I'm saying is that life-sustainable utilities shouldn't be turned off. If that creates lien rights, then it changes the need for contract from utility/renter to utility/owner. That's fucking fair.

I mean, if you just want to argue, then that's fine. I'll wish you a good night.

i don't want to argue.

its just hard to discuss a situation with someone that doesn't have a clue about the business of renting.

there is a reason why utilities are not an owner's responsibility and why they are turned off. and why the "need" for the contract from utility/renter to utility/owner will never become law. make it a government right for paid utilities backed by a constitutional amendment and government money and i will wholeheartedly agree with you. but put the burdon of a deadbeat tenant's utility bills on me? as the property owner? for your utilities?

fuck no! fuck that!

if that were the case, people would stop renting or raise the rent through the roof so you couldn't affort a place.


and i'm not talking about you. from your responses i can tell that you have always paid your shit on time and have probably never defaulted either. you think everyone is just like you. trust me, they are not. i am not disrespecting you, just your argument.




i get that a lot of us don't like or understand business. all i can say is... get that revolution started or learn the game.

if i lose money renting you a place to live? you will not have a place to live.

wrap your mind around that for a moment...

As a professional in the trade, this isn't worth my time.

Have a good one.

Other options include:

0) See if your utility has a payment plan, can be flexible, has assistance for hardship cases.

1) Paying on a credit card.
2) Borrowing from relatives or friends
3) Do you have a tax return refund coming your way?
4) Sell something to a pawn shop - jewelry, art, electronics, firearms.
5) Have a yard sale to raise money.
6) Take in a room-mate to share the costs.
7) Sell your car (if that is practical).
8) Find out if there are any charities who might help out.
9) See if your local city or county gov't offers any kind of assistance.
10) Try to find a quick temp job to raise some money.

11) Prioritize bills:
a) Rent
b) Car Payment
c) Utilities
d) Health Insurance (if you can afford it and need it.)
e) Turn OFF luxuries like cable, gym memberships, etc.
f) Tell your unsecured creditors (credit cards) to jump up your ass until you get a new job.


I feel for you - I've just been through this, I've been unemployed the last 14 weeks and I've had to borrow from friends and family - I'm just starting back to work either later this week or on Monday.

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

.... I'm okay. My concern is for the people facing this.

:hi:

:hug:

I am wondering what would happen if I just didn't pay that fee.

This electric co does not take partial payments or work with anyone, so they tell me.

Pay or power will be cut.

Thank God I can pay at this point, but I wonder for how many the question has become, "do I have a working oven, or food to cook it in?"

In the back of my mind, I wonder if I'll have to ask the same question someday.

Especially electric (unless that is your heat). Heat is a necessity in many places for at least four months. Utilities are not, though, if you have a wood stove and a forest. Something not everybody has, of course.

Life in the summer though without either AC or fans or ice or water to shower or bathe with, seems like it would be impossible, although I did it for two summers in Wisconsin. Except I had water from a spring 1/4 mile down the road. I went without water here in Kansas for a year too, which was pretty easy. The library is less than a block away, plus I showered at the pool where I work and took home two gallons of water from work every day. Rain barrels/buckets provided a fair amount of water too.

Isn't there supposed to be extra funding for LIHEAP? It's still a little too early to be cutting off people's heat.

(and I've lived in a 100 year old farm house) it's usually NOT an option.

Modern houses require electricity and in many places you can be evicted either by your landlord or by code enforcement if your power is off for any length of time - they consider it inherently "unsafe".

Doug D.

that's kind of fascist, if I decide I either don't want, or cannot afford electricity. It would suck without refrigeration or a stove though, unless you had a gas stove. I cannot even remember what I ate those summers when I had neither stove nor refrigerator. (I had the wood stove, of course, but I was not gonna use that in the summer). Probably a lot of pop tarts and peanut butter sandwiches and cookies. Actually I think there may have been some propane left in the tanks and I used the burners on the stove for part of the summer once I discovered that.

can't have your car up on blocks they will come take it away and crush it. Gotta keep your grass cut. There's a lot of rules. And that's just in a regular neighborhood. Try living in one with restrictive covenants and a neighborhood or condo association. They get to decide what colors you can paint the house, whether you can fly a flag on memorial day or the fourth of july, whether you can put a political sign in your yard, etc., etc.

Doug D.

sorry, but it's the same for everyone...

Haven't lived there in about 6 year's but they used to put your unpaid water bill on your property taxes at the end of the year.