All Forum Posts by: Richard Dunlop

@Saul L.

I'll pay the $46.80 

You guys can pay the $13,981

Tell her "$650 Friday is fine" "As long as it is LAST FRIDAY" "GOODBYE"

I agree that the current Escrow/Title co will not foot the bill.

A compounding problem is dividing the usage prior to @Saul L. 's purchase and after, neither of which were being properly billed.

It is an Omission (negligence) if a Real Estate agent just said there was no bill but failed to require an actual read of the meter.

Slim chance the tenant put bill in their name? (leave responsibility with tenant and city to fight it out)

Did property manager tell you the tenant put the water bill in their name? Did he verify that?

Should be part of the process of getting tenants moved in.  Was tenant in place? Does original placing property manager have proof?

The Realtors here will hate me but E&O insurance if you bought it without a real actual read through a Real Estate Agent.

I don't think @Saul L. is worried about the $300 but rather the liability of the $5353.

Let me add a few more steps since the subject came up.

Always have an actual read done as part of a purchase.

Since the meters are in the basement most reads in the past were estimated reads and an actual read may reveal under billing of a humongous amount of money.

I have one that was over $13,000 (the bank really liked paying for that one). I will post a picture when I have time to dig it out.

Always make sure usage shows on a house that is occupied. Even if it has a satellite reader the reader can be disconnected and still cause a problem for you as the owner.

And of course make sure water bill is paid before refunding deposits to a tenant.

@Saul L.  

There are 25 minefields in Detroit this is but one of them.

 @Dom K.

The process to make the tenant responsible for the water bill has been in place since I have been investing in Detroit it is not new.

Always make the tenant go in person to the water dept. (This part is new)

ALWAYS GET A COPY OF THEIR PAPERWORK (their records tend to disappear) You often have to prove the tenant put it in their name when you are turning in the notice that the tenant vacated.

Always notify the city before 20 days after tenant vacates. (They have a form for this)

This is actually one of the benefits of Detroit city vs the smaller Detroit suburbs most of which will add unpaid water bills to your taxes even if the bill was in a tenants name.

I still have RE agents and contractors that don't answer my calls because

 I kept the California number I had had for 6 years prior to 

relocating to Detroit.

Stop reading the 10 year old newspaper strips your mother put in your outhouse for toilet paper. I'll pay for a magazine subscription for you so you can catch up with what the rest of the world already knows about Detroit.