Ottawa Homeowners Shocked by Years-Old Water Bills from Previous Owners
Ottawa residents are being hit with unexpected water bills — not for their own usage, but for arrears dating back years from previous homeowners. In some cases, the amounts have ballooned due to years of accumulated interest, leaving new owners on the hook for hundreds of dollars.
Surprise Water Bills Spark Confusion and Frustration
Take Meg Dolland, for example. She received a letter asking her to pay $435 for just 10 days of water use—from March 2020, just before she took possession of her home. With interest rates compounding every 15 days, the cost has snowballed.
“Five years is unreasonable,” she told CBC News. “Let’s be adults here and acknowledge this is unfair.”
She’s not alone. After CBC reported on Robert Haslett’s $500 bill for a deceased previous owner’s water usage, several other Ottawa homeowners shared similar experiences. The city asked each homeowner to cover water charges from five to eight years ago, for homes they didn’t even own then.
The City’s Response to the Water Bills: It’s Not a Blitz
Despite the influx of letters landing in mailboxes, Ottawa insists this is not a targeted campaign. The city says it follows routine collection processes, tying water arrears to the property—not the person.
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“Water arrears attach to the property and cannot be written off,” said Joseph Muhuni, Ottawa’s deputy treasurer for revenue. The city claims it attempts to collect from former owners first but often struggles to do so.
Still, residents like John Dathan remain unconvinced. He was billed $369 for a two-week water usage period in 2017 and wonders why it took seven years for the issue to surface. “Why wouldn’t they have reached out to me earlier?” he asked.
A System Under Scrutiny
Some homeowners say the city failed to exhaust simple options. In one case, a resident said they could have easily helped locate the previous owner — if only the city had asked.
Others, like Ann Marcil, were surprised to learn that title insurance may cover such charges — but only if the problem is caught early. Marcil’s bill from 2018 has grown to $576.
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“It’s really perplexing,” she said. “They’ve really dropped the ball.”
What You Can Do
The City of Ottawa is advising residents who receive similar letters to:
- Check with your real estate lawyer about any water arrears at the time of purchase.
- Call 613-580-2444 or email revenue@ottawa.ca for questions.
- Review your title insurance policy, as it may help cover the cost.
However, real estate lawyers warn that certificates used to check for outstanding water charges are not foolproof — especially for amounts accrued just before closing.
For homeowners like Dana Thibeault, who is now responsible for over $500 in arrears from 2017, the lesson is frustratingly clear: even years after buying a home, you could still get the bill.
Should homeowners be responsible for utility bills from previous occupants years after moving in? Share your take in the comments.
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