Are unpaid utilities only a lien if they are city owned?
All the utility bills for my properties are paid by the tenants, I want to make sure that if they stop paying them I won't be on the line for the bill, or at least I will be prepared and check the status. I can't find this information on the utility company websites, but in reading other BP posts it looks like only the utilities owned by the city can place a lien on your property if the tenant doesn't pay the bills, is that true? In Indianapolis the water and sewer is being sold by the city to an outside company which would mean there would not be any city owned utilities for my properties anymore so it would be nice if that also prevented the liens.
On a related topic, what do other landlords do to verify the bills have been paid? I contacted all the companies to try to have copies of the bills sent to me, but they do not offer that service. Will I be able to call them once the tenant moves out to confirm all the bills have been paid?