@Bill Hampton Thanks Bill

And Fed funding means "bill all the rest of America for us". 

Quote from @Bill B.: My GUESS is these homeowners have been tricked/screwed in to signing a long term power purchase agreement, often with no buy out provision.

If you are thinking about a new purchase with a heloc vs a current 30 year fixed rate, this could be a good alternative.Basically, helocs are billed based on the average daily balance of the account.

Quote from @Bill Hampton: @Raif JochimI recommend that have a consultation with your tax accountant and/or financial advisor on ways to reduce your taxes. 

I would pay the bill and chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Where it gets interesting is that the house has 5 mailing addresses associated with it and the fire prevention bureau has on their records it is also a 5- unit house, and I am billed as such upon annual renewals/inspections.

If they are struggling then money they spend in one area affects their ability to pay other bills like rent.

This led to a nearly $3,000-$4,000 bill for new installations until I clarified the situation and found that the unit already had hookups.

For example a 25 y o applicant who has used credit minimally and has an unpaid bill of $50 in collections from when they switched phone carriers may have a low score, but the only negative on their credit is this one SMALL $50 debt.