More Ottawa homeowners hit with years-old water bills from previous occupants

The aforesaid time CBC published a communicative astir a Hintonburg spot proprietor stuck with different man's eight-year-old h2o bill, Meg Dolland got a missive from the city.

She had heard astir Robert Haslett, who recovered retired this twelvemonth that helium was on the hook for astir $500 for h2o arrears and involvement accrued by the erstwhile owner, who died successful 2019. 

Now, it was Dolland's turn.

Her missive asked her to wage $435 for conscionable 10 days of h2o use, positive interest, dating backmost to March 2020 — just earlier she took possession of her location successful Old Ottawa South.

"Five years is unreasonable," Dolland said. "$400 from a measure for 10 days is unreasonable. Let's beryllium adults present and admit this is unfair."

In her view, it isn't just for the metropolis to instrumentality truthful agelong to notify her astir the charge, with involvement building up time by day. The metropolis charges involvement astatine a complaint of 0.0417 per cent daily, compounded each 15 days. Over 5 years, that could mean hundreds of dollars successful added costs.

The erstwhile proprietor of her location didn't adjacent unrecorded successful the house, Dolland said. She called the concern "insane," and said she would person acted rapidly to wage the measure — had she known astir it.

"It feels similar an overstep, similar a misuse of power," she said.

'You've got to beryllium kidding me'

Dolland is lone 1 of respective radical who reached retired to CBC with stories astir h2o arrears near by a erstwhile proprietor coming backmost to haunt them years aft the fact.

John Dathan is another, and the arrears for his Westboro location day backmost adjacent further. The metropolis is asking him to screen arrears for a two-week play successful the summertime of 2017. With interest, the full has reached $369.

"My archetypal telephone was to the metropolis to say, 'You've got to beryllium kidding me,' due to the fact that I conscionable didn't recognize however I was liable for this successful immoderate way, signifier oregon form," Dathan said.

"Why wouldn't they person reached retired to maine earlier astir that?" helium asked.

The metropolis told Dathan that it had tried to reach the erstwhile proprietor and cod the equilibrium from them, without success. But Dathan told CBC that the erstwhile proprietor of his location was a operation company. He said his wife recovered the builder online successful seconds.

"The full happening feels odd," helium said. "Why, each of a abrupt aft 7 years, is this coming up?"

A 'perplexing' problem

Ann Marcil received her missive last Monday. The arrears date back to 2018, soon earlier she bought her location successful Orléans. In the years since, little than a period worthy of arrears has climbed to $576.

"Why did it instrumentality 7 years to get this to us?" Marcil asked. "And wherefore are we liable for h2o payments successful a clip wherever we didn't adjacent ain the house?"

The metropolis told CBC that h2o arrears connect to the property, not the individual. They cannot simply beryllium written off, arsenic per provincial regulations. The city said it "makes each effort" to cod from the erstwhile proprietor earlier charging the measure to the caller owner, but that tin instrumentality years.

But Marcil said it would person been casual to way the erstwhile proprietor down. In her case, it was an occupant, not a builder. She said she gladly would person helped the metropolis find them, had it asked.

"It's truly perplexing," she said. "I could person fixed them accusation astir the erstwhile owner. I person that information, truthful I deliberation that they've truly dropped the ball."

Dana Thibeault got her missive aboriginal this month. It included the aforesaid acquainted line: "This announcement is to counsel you that determination was an outstanding h2o and sewer relationship for the spot from a erstwhile owner."

In her case, the arrears covered astir 2 months successful 2017. They person present reached $534.33.

Unlike Haslett and galore of the different residents, Thibeault has managed to pry an important item retired of the city: She told CBC she learned the archetypal sum of the arrears was about $213. The rest, it appears, is interest.

"At first, I was truly upset," she said. "How tin this spell connected for 8 years?"

She's inactive frustrated that the metropolis didn't fto her cognize much promptly that determination were outstanding charges.

"It would person saved everybody a batch of enactment and would person saved america going done our security to wage for this interest," she said.

The metropolis is advising residents stuck with a erstwhile owner's arrears to bash precisely that, saying rubric security volition mostly screen the charges.

Not a blitz, metropolis says

CBC asked if the caller question of letters correspond a h2o measure blitz, and the metropolis replied it does not.

"The City of Ottawa is not conducting a targeted run to cod connected h2o arrears," said Joseph Muhuni, the city's deputy treasurer for revenue.

"Rather these notices are portion of the City's established postulation processes and procedures, which includes regular relationship reviews."

Muhuni said helium understands that the bills tin beryllium unexpected and origin distress. He encouraged homebuyers to enactment with their lawyers to obtain certificates that tin place outstanding h2o charges.

However, existent property lawyer Rita Asangarani has antecedently told CBC that those certificates are not foolproof and sometimes miss charges from instantly earlier a sale.

Muhuni said residents with questions astir their h2o bills tin call 613-580-2444 or email [email protected].