Water Abuse in Cook County IL - Landlord Forum thread 317520

Water Abuse in Cook County IL by Marla on April 15, 2014 @13:41

I posed this question before I got a $400 water bill! The Water Dept said it was coded "C.R." for constantly running and there is only one other resident. Even though water is free can abuse be charged to the guilty party or taken to court for it? The average amount is 17,000 gallons for two months. This billing had 59,000 gallons.

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Re: Water Abuse in Cook County IL by Garry (Iowa) on April 15, 2014 @14:02	[ Reply ]

If I were you, I'd get over there PRONTO, to find and stop the problem. Generally, its the toilet running when not being used, and most of the time you cannot hear it, so no one knows about it until they get a high water bill. It could also be 1 or 2 dripping faucets that the tenant has not told you about. I'm afraid you may have to eat the cost of this bill, unless you can prove that the T was negligent, or abusing the use of the water in some way.

Re: Water Abuse in Cook County IL by Bill on April 15, 2014 @15:27	[ Reply ]

When furnishing utilities with the rent it is always advisable to put a dollar cap in the lease on the amount that the rent will cover. That way, the overage can be "added rent" to be paid as soon as an overage is discovered. If it is not paid, the landlord can proceed with a Pay or Quit notice and an eviction. Have you had a discussion with your tenant as to what the problem might be? With only two tenants the water usage should not exceed 2,500 gallons per occupant. Because your lease does not address the water usage, you will not be able to penalize or otherwise charge the tenant for the excessive billing.

Re: Water Abuse in Cook County IL by Becky (IN) on April 15, 2014 @21:09	[ Reply ]

Hi, So sorry to hear about your high bill. Is there a water softener on the property, by any chance? We had this problem when ours went crazy and cycled water through constantly. Good luck.

Re: Water Abuse in Cook County IL by Courtney (IL) on April 20, 2014 @11:04	[ Reply ]

I had a similar problem with the dept of water with Cook County. they overbilled - plain and simple after six months it is still going on the city is broke the county is broke the state is broke they overbill on all utilities to make more $$ I went to the water dept and filed a claim they came out two weeks before I got another overly excessive bill now I'm sueing