Title: What Happens & What to Do About Unpaid Utilities | Fiscal Tiger
Headings: What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Water or Electricity Bill
What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Water or Electricity Bill
Dayton Uttinger
Table of Contents
Can Utilities Shut Off My Service?
How Long Before They Shut Off Electricity?
How Long Before They Shut Off Water?
Rights and Protections From Disconnection
Can Your Utilities Be Shut Off in Winter?
COVID-19 Utility Protections
How to Prevent a Water or Electricity Utility Shut Off
Contact the Utility Company
Ask for a Payment Plan
Lower Utility Bills
Social Resources for Utility Assistance
Declaring Bankruptcy to Prevent a Utility Shut Off
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Content: Rights and Protections From Disconnection
There are special regulations, moratoriums, and exceptions that protect some individuals from disconnection. Protections against shut-offs and terminations range by state but may include: Serious illness, disability, injury, or personal safety : If a member of the household is seriously ill or lives with a disability, your health practitioner can send a letter to your utility company and you may have to fill out a financial hardship form. Families with infants: If a family has an infant or a child under one year of age you can fill out a financial hardship form and may be asked to include a birth certificate to prove the age of your child. Elderly households: Households in which all adult-aged inhabitants are 65 years and older may have protections from utility shut-offs. Let your utility provider know that all adults in the home are 65 and older and fill out a third-party contact form. The third party is not legally responsible for paying the bill, but the provider will have to notify the third party of any shut-off notices.