Owner’s Responsibilities
The property owner shall be ultimately liable for all unpaid bills at the property, whether bills were authorized by the owner or not. It is recommended that all rental accounts be established in the property owner’s name only and be billed directly for service.
The property owner may waive his/her right to be billed directly, but the owner assumes responsibility for all charges at the property under ORC 6119.06, for all bills left unpaid by tenants. The District reserves the right to place a lien upon the property for any delinquent bill owed as allowed by the Ohio Revised Code.
Any balance owed from any previous tenants must be paid in full, including late fees and shut off fees, by the previous tenant or the landlord before the new tenant moving into a rental unit/home can establish service in their name.
A landlord cut-over account will be established. The landlord is responsible to notify the District within 10 days of tenant leaving the rental unit, and at the time of the notice, the account will be automatically switched over to the property owner on file with the District office.
In the case where the water meter or metering equipment is inside the tenant’s rental unit, the landlord will assist the District in gaining access to the premises to service District equipment if the tenant denies District employees access to said property.
Tracking a Tenant’s Account
Here are some ways to track the status of the tenant’s bill:
- Property owner maintains the account for the rental unit(s) in their name and property owner bills tenant
As a courtesy to the property owner, a tenant or designated party may be billed for services rendered. If the property owner so chooses to allow tenant to establish their own billing account, the property owner’s name and contact information must be included on the account; also, so the District can verify the person calling in is the owner, as needed.
- The property owner may call the District office to inquire on the billing status of any of the owner’s rental unit(s)
- The property owner may opt-in to receive copies of water and sewer billings and past due notices via email