Location: Indianapolis Indiana
Trying to turn on services both power (AES) and water (Lawrence Utilities). My dad being the landlord who rented out his house to x-wife. Her lease is now done and now has moved out. We are in the process of turning on the power when we found out that the previous tenant gave outstanding bills and won’t allow the power to be turned on or water to be turned on despite us explaining that it’s not our bill it was the former tenants. And the former tenant is not in a position to pay said bill. Is there anything we can do or a way to get the stuff turned on without being out the money. This is not a small 50 dollar bill it is thousands that we can’t afford.
Comments
I am not a lawyer. I am a paralegal and this is not legal advice, just general knowledge.
Were the utilities in your father’s name? If the home didn’t change ownership, I can see why the power company doesn’t want to forgive it or have the burden of collection. They don’t want to be involved in a civil dispute as a third party. The legal homeowners are ultimately responsible for the utilities.
This is why responsible landlords take security deposits. Absent that, one choice is to pay the bill and then go after the former tenant in small claims court. If the tenant has a job or bank account, you may be able to garnish/levy those assets to recover your costs. This process will take a few months or more.
If the utilities are in the former tenant’s name, you can try consulting with an attorney, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope.
Even if he is selling the home, your father would be responsible for settling these bills at close.