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Trouble With Your Water Bill Having trouble paying your water bills New Yorkers have rights to avoid shut offs during and after the COVID 19 pandemic Learn more

Water is a human right If your water bill is from your town city or an Authority or Department you have a city town supplier We all need access to water no matter our background or ability to pay for it We use water daily to cook clean and protect ourselves from illnesses like COVID 19 If you fall behind on your water bills and your water gets shut off it can be harder to meet your basic needs It can also affect your credit scores lease and mortgage Your rights depend on who supplies your water 90 of New Yorkers have a city town supplier 1 If you re having a hard time paying your bill you have rights that protect your access to water These rights depend on the type of water supplier you have Once you know your water supplier use the chart on the right to see what rights you have American Water or Suez you have a large private supplier anyone else you have a small private supplier City town supplier Large supplier Small supplier Advanced Shut off Notice MAYBE YES YES File a Complaint MAYBE YES YES Medical Protections MAYBE YES MAYBE Ask for a Payment Plan MAYBE YES MAYBE Direct Payment MAYBE YES YES You have the right to Keep reading to learn more about each 2

Advanced Shut off Notice Large and small private water suppliers have to call send a letter or visit your home to warn you that they re going to shut off your water They cannot shut off your water Monday through Thursday before 8AM and after 4PM City Town suppliers often don t give advance notice of a shut off File a Complaint If you have a large private supplier call the Department of Public Service see last page for info If you have a small private supplier call the Department of Public Service see last page for info On Friday Saturdays or Sundays On public holidays and the day before a public holiday From December 25 to January 1 When the water supplier s office is closed If you re charged too much on your bill file a complaint Each water supplier has a different process Filing a complaint puts payments on hold until the complaint is figured out Your water supplier shouldn t ask you to pay your bill if your complaint hasn t been resolved 3 If you have a city town supplier call them directly If you or a family member Medical Protections have a serious or chronic medical condition you can get a shut off delayed by 30 days and get more time to pay your water bill Send your water supplier a letter from your doctor that says why shutting off your water would harm or worsen you or your family s health If the letter is approved you ll get 30 more days to pay your water bill If you need more time after the first 30 days send another letter You can do this three times for a total of 90 days 4

Ask for a Payment Plan If you re having trouble paying a water bill a payment plan called a Deferred Payment Agreement DPA will break up your debt over monthly payments The payments for a DPA are added to each month s bill Only large water suppliers are required to set up DPAs If your water supplier gives you a DPA they have to agree to a monthly amount that makes sense for you As long as you pay your DPA and your monthly bill your water can t be shut off Here s an example 1 You missed this month s bill of 20 2 You create a DPA to pay it off over two months 10 each month 3 Next month s bill is 20 10 from your DPA payment 4 Your total payment for next month is 30 5 To set up a DPA call your water supplier and tell them you re having trouble paying your bill and would like to set up a monthly payment plan If you can t afford a DPA payment call your supplier immediately Tell them you need to renegotiate your monthly payment otherwise your water can be shut off Direct Payment If you know your landlord hasn t paid their water bill contact your water supplier and see if you and your fellow tenants can pay it directly If you can get a pro bono legal services attorney to help you deduct the payments from rent going forward 6

During the COVID 19 Pandemic For people struggling to pay their bills during the pandemic New York State created a moratorium a temporary relief from payment The moratorium stops water suppliers from shutting off someone s water because they can t pay their bills The moratorium allows all New Yorkers to 7 Get a DPA Call your water supplier right away to self certify that your household finances have changed because of COVID 19 This will stop all shut offs and give you the chance to set up a DPA so you can pay off your debt affordably over time File a complaint with the Department of Public Service DPS The DPS is where complaints for all water suppliers are sent Call the DPS to file a complaint if your water was wrongfully shut off your water supplier isn t working with you to self certify or get a DPA or if you re having trouble getting support because of a medical condition Even if you didn t have these options before the pandemic you have them now If you self certify with your water supplier you have these protections until December 21 2021 If you self certified OR you have a DPA and your water is shut off before December 21 2021 file a complaint After December 21 2021 these protections end Turn to the chart on page 2 to see what protections you ll have after the moratorium ends To stay updated about the moratorium go to utilityproject org 8

Every time you talk to your water supplier Write down who you spoke to when and how to reach them Get Support Send them a letter or email to confirm what you talked about Department of Public Service Ask for answers and agreements in writing Keep any documents they send you and make copies Follow up with them if you don t hear back from them 9 800 342 3377 dps ny gov If you think your water supplier is violating your rights or you need to file a complaint during the moratorium contact the Department of Public Service DPS Public Utility Law Project 877 669 2572 info utilityproject org If you have questions about your rights think they ve been violated or you need help filing a complaint or making a direct payment call the Public Utility Law Project PULP 10

PUBLIC ACCESS DESIGN This project was produced through Public Access Design a program of the Center for Urban Pedagogy CUP Public Access Design projects use design to make complex urban issues accessible to the people most affected by them CENTER FOR URBAN PEDAGOGY The Center for Urban Pedagogy CUP is a nonprofit that uses the power of art and design to increase meaningful civic engagement in partnership marginalized communities welcometocup org THE PUBLIC UTILITY LAW PROJECT Since 1981 The Public Utility Law Project of New York PULP has been the sole independent organization educating advocating and litigating on behalf of New York s low income utility consumers utilityproject org ARTHUR KIM is a product designer based in the cowboy state arthur kim com Support for this project was provided by The Tecovas Foundation and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and Council Members Brad Lander and Antonio Reynoso CUP Genea Foster Pilar Finuccio PULP Rosa Maria Castillo Kesper Richard Berkley Ian Donaldson DESIGN Arthur Kim SPECIAL THANKS Harriet Cornell Robert Hayes Colin McKnight Maribel Rivera Marva Threat Rita Gomez Amaya Cantero The Center for Urban Pedagogy 2021