Do you want to pay your tenant's unpaid water bill?
The Oklahoma Senate has passed a bill to go to the house. Senate Bill 695. The purpose of the bill is to allow Cities to find someone with deep pockets to pay delinquent or unpaid water, trash, and sewer bills. According to this proposed new law the Cities would be able to go after the actual Property Owner for unpaid utility bills. So if your tenant skips on the Water, trash, or sewer bill, then the City would be authorized by statute to collect it from you, the Landlord(the property owner).
Crazy?
It had a rocky road in the Senate and barely passed but it did pass. The fact that it made it out of committee and the Senate is troubling. It has been passed on to the House this session. I am not sure whether my town would choose to go after the Landlord, but the law would allow them to and if it means collecting money, I think they would. It is suppose to go into effect November 15, 2015.
I believe that every Landlord should contact their representatives and let them know that it is not right to collect a debt from the Property Owner that they did not incur. If allowed to become Law, then I, the Landlord would have to collect a deposit against possible unpaid Utility bills by their tenants. It is just a bad deal all around.
Oklahoma Real Estate Investors and Landlords - call your Representatives.
Other state investors, be wary.