Submitted by David Se.
Thank you, Lakewood Water District, for publishing the “No Tenant Sign Up Proposal” article.
Although I have already removed two houses from the rental market because how all you believe consumers shouldn’t be responsible for what they use, and all landlords are rich and deserve to be soaked.
If I ever decide to rent any of my properties again, which I doubt, I will be sure to have you come out and lock all the meters, as I will not provide water to anyone. What is next for us? Are we going to have to buy electric cars for all the tenants? Healthcare maybe? Bankrupting us by not allowing us to collect rent not enough?
Good thing I found this out now. I was just going to take a chance to rent out one of my houses to a single mom and her kids in an effort to help them for a while. These houses will be turned into storage.
BTW, how many tenants are going to retaliate against landlords by moving out in the middle of the night right after they turn on all the faucets?
Great job. You really thought this through.
Mr. Se-
I strongly agree with you. It is sad that elected officials, at every level in this state, seem to do more to protect the renter than the property owner.
The good news is that each board member is an elected official and can be voted out of office.
I am very thankful I had a good tenant and now to out of the rental property industry.
I agree! I’ve had to twice for my renters water. Now I have another pink slip. It will cost me to have the water shut off and another fee to have it turned on. Thanks alot commissioners
LWD also states in their report that this saves them $150,000 a year in unpaid bills.
What they don’t say is they are charging innocent people for the product someone else used.
Free water! All renters buy swimming pools! That will increase sales for the LWD. Doesn’t matter who pays. Doesn’t matter the landlord can’t pay the mortgage, free rent is a RIGHT!
Mr. Se,
So what will you do with your two houses that you no longer rent? I think that if you sell them it would be better for everyone involved.
I concur and it’s a sad state of affairs. How absurd to expect a Landlord that is providing shelter to a Tenant now to be expected to pay for the Tenants used water. What world are we living in? Politicians are voted in, time to vote them out and elect a change.
LWD is (supposed to be) a CO-OP. Politicians do not run it, elected employees do.
Unfortunately, there are more voting renters who want free utilities than voting landlords who believe consumables should be paid for by the people who actually use them. I don’t mind paying the sewer bill every month, it is a fixed cost I can budget for, but everything else is billed on volume of product delivered. I don’t need any $5,000 water bills for water I never used.
What’s next with them? LWD start issuing 18 foot diameter swimming pools to all the renters just to sell more water to the landlords. That will up their profits at our expense even more. Especially when the renters flush and refill instead of buying chemicals. This is ripe for abuse.
LWD can lock the meter, I will not pay unless I use their product. I will not be held guilty by association.
A bit of an overreaction, Mr Se, EVs and healthcare? But your point is a valid one, and I tire of dealing with Seattle’s restrictions on the only rental home I have. I also sympathise with Lakewood Water having to deal with unpaid bills and renters directly, we know what that’s like. I’ve been fortunate for eight years now to have a responsible, steady-paying tenant, but I think the only answer is a higher hurdle for applicants and new tenants. Sad it’s come to this.
Rather than charge the property owner, why not require a deposit from renters with a poor payment history?
Can you provide a link to the article? I’d like to read it for myself so I can be an educated landlord and decide what I need to do going forward.
Never mind I found it and I also found that tenants can still be held responsible for the water bill. It is just now the landlord’s responsibility to make sure they pay it. Instead of making the water district responsible to chase down their payment the landlord gets to do the job. This is similar to how the sewer system is set up for billing and so far has been just fine for myself and my tenant.
From the article FAQ:
Q. As of September 1, 2022, the District will no longer sign-up tenants, and accounts will remain in the owner’s name. What does that mean for the housing providers?
A. Tenants that are currently signed up will continue to remain on the account until they end water service. Owners will have the option to have their new tenant receive a copy of the bill and reminder notice if applicable, but the owner will remain the responsible party. Per RCW 57.08.081 property owners are ultimately responsible for any unpaid balances on accounts attached to their property. Any arrangements for the tenant to pay the water bill will be between the tenant and housing provider. A duplicate billing can be provided to the tenant; however, the owner will be required to fill out a duplicate billing request.
Lakewood, Capitalism Makes, Socialism Takes. The kind of inappropriate shifting of responsibility as described in this article generated by brain-dead bureaucrats and politicians is precisely why I retired from the rental business after 40+ years. During my time of service, I provide housing for many individuals and families. I closed all my rental units and sold them, thereby removing them from the rental market. I expect that many of the prospective renters I might have served are now homeless and living under a tarp because of the genius thought process of politicians’ and bureaucrats’ decisions and actions.
Current policies is why we are selling all of our rentals.