Oakland, CA asked in Energy, Oil and Gas and Consumer Law for California

Q: Can a nonprofit utility co. Deny me a new account, after service shutoff due to owners delinquent bill?

The property i rent at is serviced by a community well, the owner yas not paid the bill in over a year. I moved here 3 months ago. One day late december '16, a man claiming to be president of the water company came to my door and said he would be installing a shut off device the next morning and terminating service due to the owner not paying her bill for a year. The owner was in a rehabilitation program for a month at that point, and subsequently incarcerated...ive called, emailed, both the president and the service number and email adress provided...ive requested a bill, ive offered money, ive requested a new service account since owner no longer resides here, ive offered double the monthly rate and a deposit...ive received only a message saying the board members had to make that decision, and they just ignore me otherwise. The delinquent bill is for 2016 for about $1000, and they are charging for having to install a shut off device on the water main. Total of $2400 what can i do?

1 Lawyer Answer
Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
Answered
  • New York, NY
  • Licensed in California

A: See: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/repairs.shtml

You may be able to sue the landlord for violation of the implied warranty of habitability.

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