Is it Illegal for the water company to turn off the water at a residence where young children live?
by 
ashymama
ANSWERS: 17
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I doubt it. No more "illegal" than not paying your bill. are you saying that all of us who pay are bills on time should pay for your kids water too? that certinly isnt fair.
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Unfortunately it's a business and they want their money. Many years ago, during a very busy time in our life, I just came home from the hospital with my baby. I took her home and she messed herself so I gave her a bath.to give her a bath. In the middle of the bath the water went off. I ran outside, pleaded with the guy to leave it on long enough to finish cleaning her up. He did it. So, my husband ran to the water company & paid the bill that he forgot to pay.
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Yeah haveing kids does not matter any more. In the middle of winter my friend had her gas shut off and she had kids. that was there heat
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You chose to have children, you are responsible for them. dont expect ME or your neighbors to feel sorry for you because you are not capable of paying a Bill on time. And you might be "enchancing" your story a bit. How many Waring letters did you get till you water was shut off? I doubt it was that much of a surprise like you make it out. the water company isnt shutting off the water 1 day after you are late.. so my guess is yu were anywhere from 60-90 days late.
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The law will depend on which state you live in. In some cases, water and utilities may not be shut off if written notice is given that someone in the house has a disability or may become physically ill as a direct result, such as an infant. However, in most cases children in the house who are not immediately endagered don't factor in. If it's a landlord shutting off the water for non-payment of rent rather than the water company for non-payment of the bill, the laws change significantly.
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I thought i read somewhere that it couldnt be disconnected if there were children under 5 years old,as having no water can cause illness not being able to wash yourself or clothes and genral cleaning of the home,but this could be the UK i could be wrong.
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The Water Works people do not know who or what lives in a residence. all they see is an unpaid bill and water shutoff is spelled out in the water contract. Have you called the water people and asked for a grace period? it may too late now, if your water has already been turned off. you will have to pay a restoration fee. you should have done this, before the water shutoff date. these people cannot help you, if they do not have your information. If you have not done so, i would give them a call or visit, and ask for mercy. they are human, just like everyone else.
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It was a question. And you never answered it. Why should people with small children get special privileges? Why should someone who works hard (like you) get there water turned off and you dont? why do your kids make you special? If you cant keep food on your table that is not my fault, so why should I pay? Maybe you should let a state agency take care of your kids if you cant keep the water on. Dont expect people to happy to give you water when you cant even pay the bill.
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most utilities ask for deposits when people have either a bad credit history, or no history of payments whatso ever... I havent paid a deposit for a utility in over 25 years...
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and your bad credit followed you! amazing!
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no i am not! I am not I am not I am not!! NOOOOOOO!!! ... okay maybe a little....
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Pay the bill and this will not be an issue. I am not sure what is legal in the state you live in but United Water company that services my home is a business not a charity organization.
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We don't have to agree with the situation, but we should answer it, without comments. The truth is, if you have a child under 3, and they are aware of it, they can not turn the water off, if the child is over 3, you must obtain a note from a doctor stating that not having the water could harm your child. If there is a medical note on record, they can not turn it off, it is the same with electricity, but they can limit the amount that you get!
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Its not illegal,However useually they will work with you if you can prove that you have small children or elderly peaple who are sick. They cant shut the water off in the winter because the heat situation.Lots of times the landlord will try to take advantage of this and not paythe bill
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Yes they can, and so can power companies or the gas company. I have found that our water company doesn't care. If you’re late it's off. However, when we were having trouble last year and ran into this situation twice, I was home and the man knocked on our door. He noticed the kids and said he'd put me at the end of his day. I managed to pay so he wouldn't have to come back, but they still charged me for the turn off fee, because it was "scheduled". There are places that can help with bills. If you contact your WIC or State office they can help you find places that can negotiate and even pay your bill for a month or two depending on your circumstances.
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I couldn't find anything on the rules/laws, but I did find an online complaint form: http://www.ok.gov/launch.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.occeweb.com%2F AB doesn't handle these links well. On the page this takes you to, look down the right for Public Complaints -> Public Utility Complaints.
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Of course. Gas is a commodity like all other commodities. If you do not pay for the commodity, you have no right to that commodity. Most states have welfare programs that help low income people with the cost of utilities. However, you must apply for and get approved to take advantage of those programs.
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