Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

water bill hasn't been paid

last december, the property i was

renting was foreclosed and the other

tenants and i were evicted. we had a

property manager who was taking

care of everything. this guy did not

do his job AT ALL - in the time before

my eviction date, my water heater

broke, my front door and back

window were broken during a house

robbery, and the old landlord shut off

our water. i tried reaching the

property manager many times, to no

avail. i had to live

without hot water, repair the window

myself, and turn the water back on

in my name. when it was time for

me to move, i still couldn't get i

contact with the property manager,

so the other tenants and i assumed

we didn't have to leave, and we

stayed.

i finally got in touch with the

property manager, everything got

sorted out and i moved out. i told the

guy about the water bill. he told me

that i would not be reimbursed for

the first bill, but if i forwarded the

second bill to the address he gave

me, it would be paid.

5 months later, the bill still has not

been paid. it is in my name, so it is

messing up my credit. i can't get

ahold of him now.

is he obligated to take care of this

matter? is there any legal action i

can take?


Asked on 11/06/08, 4:22 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
David Gibbs The Gibbs Law Firm, APC

Re: water bill hasn't been paid

If you paid the water bill, how has this messed up your credit? If you haven't paid the bill, you should - it would be really dumb to let this bring your credit score down. Pay the bills, then take the property owner and property manager to small claims court for whatever you had to pay. They are pretty clearly not going to pay you voluntarily.

*Due to the limitations of the LawGuru Forums, The Gibbs Law Firm, APC's (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided is general and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.

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Answered on 11/06/08, 4:42 pm


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