Atlanta Watershed -- HELP!

[Joshua Feit]

What's up BP -- if you are in Atlanta, I need HELP!!!

Atlanta Watershed is NUTS. I have two properties in the city limits, and both are having massive water problems. Every month the bills are huge, even though we have sent out certified plumbers multiple times, and we have reports stating there are no leaks.

We keep contacting the watershed, and are getting nowhere. Even though the bills are in the tenant's name, and even though GA law clearly states that these bills follow the tenant, Atlanta Watershed pins them to the property as liens, which need to be paid off before the properties can be conveyed. 

So we are racking up crazy bills that they are going to try to pin onto our properties, and they never address the problem.

HELP!!!

1) Does anyone know anybody at Atlanta Watershed that is actually empowered to help people like me? (Instead of the abysmal customer 'service' reps that answer the phone)

2) At your ATL properties, do you just let the tenants set their own bills up? And if so, do you track whether or not they are paying these bills?

3) If you have ever sold an ATL property that had an Atlanta Watershed lien on it from a similar situation, how did you get rid of the lien so the property could close?

[Dan Mahoney]

@Joshua Feit 

Ugh, sounds exasperating.  

I'm sorry I don't have a specific contact person at Atlanta Watershed but I will say I've had better luck going to City Hall in person to deal with water issues than I have using 311 or internet.

I would separate out the billing issue from the lien issue and tackle them separately.  The root problem you need to solve is the large monthly bills.  Is water flowing through the meter when everything is turned off?  Sounds like you're pretty sure you don't have leaks.  Do you suspect something is wrong with the meters?  Or that they are being read incorrectly?  Document everything (photos, dates, permits, deeds, etc).  It seems odd to me that you are having this issue at two properties simultaneously.  Are both properties occupied with the water account set up in the tenants' names?  If either or both properties are vacant, the water usage is going to be on you, regardless of whether you have an account.

Once you have the billing situation under control, you can tackle the lien issue.  This is really only going to matter when you want to sell or refinance but your lawyer should be able to get the liens removed if you can prove the liability was incurred by a tenant who had an account in their own name.  You can litigate as a last resort but you probably won't have to.