Woman keeps getting water bills from City of Winnipeg for home she no longer owns

A Winnipeg woman says she’s still getting water bills for a home she hasn’t lived at in years. And despite her best efforts, they keep coming.

“I’m not going back to the house so… stop sending me notices,” said Maria Hrabarchuk.

Hrabarchuk moved out of her home on College Avenue more than two years ago, and kept getting water bills.

“In November of 2020, I had been living in the house for 10 years, I had let my insurance lapse mistakenly,” said Hrabarchuk.

“And there was a fire in the basement, a wire caught on fire and the house was destroyed.”

Side by side of Maria Hrabarchuk (right) and the Winnipeg home she formerly owned. (Mike Albanese/CityNews)

In March of 2021 she says the empty house was broken into and the water pipes were stolen. This caused further damage and prompted Hrabarchuk to take action.

“There was a flood in the basement that my neighbour informed me of, so I ran down, had the city turn the water off at the street. And I’ve been getting water bills ever since.”

She says the constant water bills from the city is bordering on intimidation.

“All the notices are nearly harassment already,” she said.

Hrabarchuk says the home has been foreclosed on, and she no longer has any claim to it, yet is still receiving water bills. She says she’s asked someone to go to the home and verify that it doesn’t have water but says she can’t get the city to take action.

“I’ve talked to them several (times),” she told CityNews. “Last year – maybe longer than that – nobody seems to be able to cooperate with me. I gave them a metre reading, they have that metre reading, and they keep sending me estimated bills. It’s affecting my score. I’m sure it will go into collections eventually.”

Maria Hrabarchuk’s former home on College Avenue that has been foreclosed on. (Mike Albanese/CityNews)

Standard practice, says the city

The city’s water and waste department told CityNews in an email that Hrabarchuk has not reached out to them since August 12, 2021.

Water and Waste says the explanation for the continuing bills is two fold: water and sewer charges can follow the water disconnection date if previous bills were estimated; and quarterly bills could include daily basic charges and waste diversion service fees.

“Although a property is vacant, according to the City’s Water By-law, the meter must remain installed until a permit is approved for demolition,” the department told CityNews in an email. “The resident should submit quarterly meter readings, to ensure automated billing does not estimate water consumption for billing purposes.

“When the City receives foreclosure documents, we cancel the former owner’s utility account. The former owner is billed for all utilities prior to the foreclosure date.”

Water and Waste says this is “standard practice.”

“This customer is being billed for an outstanding balance, and for the regular nominal charges/meter charge/diversion fee,” the email continued. “This will continue until the customer applies for a demolition permit and/or is no longer the owner of the property.”

But Hrabarchuk says getting bill after bill with warnings on them is stressful.

“I would like the departments to talk to each other,” said Hrabarchuk. “Can somebody who knows that the water is turned off talk to the billing department. I don’t think it’s too difficult.”

Maria Hrabarchuk’s former home on College Avenue that has been foreclosed on. (Mike Albanese/CityNews)