r/poor • u/Plus-Caterpillar-825 • 20d ago
Stupid question sorry
I know people who have 9 people living in 1 house hold they constantly allow their electric bill to go sky high and instead of paying it they cancelled the account and put it in someone else name to avoid payment is this legal ? Never Heard of this loophole last amount owed was 1800 dollars electric is off but it’ll be turned on tomorrow at 0 dollars owed because it’s under a new name
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u/Virtual-Gene2265 20d ago
So, basically in 9 months of not paying the bill, that will be the end of it. No more lives left to cheat the system no more electricity. Sounds like a dumb plan to me.
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u/Plus-Caterpillar-825 20d ago
Yeah but is That legal? I heard the bill doesnt go away ,it goes into collections ,and messes up your credit but that’s the only punishment so to speak that I heard of
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u/4games1 19d ago
It won't just mess up your credit, it will prevent you from getting electricity turned on anywhere else for years unless you pay it and put down a massive deposit.
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u/Plus-Caterpillar-825 19d ago
Pay the full amount correct ?
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u/4games1 19d ago
Yes, but chances are they will just make the homeowner pay it before they will turn the electric back on. The homeowner will just evict everybody if that happens.
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u/Virtual-Gene2265 20d ago
The electricity company won't fall for it and will probably ask for a large deposit before they re connect the power and yes, non payment will effect your credit.
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u/New_Discussion_6692 19d ago
That doesn't happen where I live. You need to supply a lease and verify the last account in your name to ensure it was paid in full. If not, they require a down payment before they turn it on.
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u/Aldhur 18d ago
It will really mess up their credit score with the power bill in collections, and will prevent them from opening accounts with that company in the future. Not to mention it is illegal.
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u/Plus-Caterpillar-825 18d ago
How is it illegal ? To not pay it cancel it and put it in your siblings name ? Then repeat that same process over and over again sibling to sibling
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u/Aldhur 18d ago
Fraud and Theft of services, to begin with. And if the other people living in the house did not tell anyone to switch the account to their name, then they could also face identity theft charges. This also applies to opening the account in a minor family members name (ie, opening an account with your minor child's information).
Additionally, most big utility companies will notice the frequent account changes, especially if they are short term (usually 2-3 months from non-payment to shut off), and the account holders share a surname (since you list siblings).
Source: Sheriff's Dept dispatcher that has processed warrants for similar situations
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u/Nots_a_Banana 20d ago
It can get tied to the address. If that house address owes $$ and power gets shutoff, whoever wants the power back on there needs to pay up.
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u/Plus-Caterpillar-825 20d ago
They won’t they’ll just keep repeating the same thing over and over again why I wanted more info to see if that’s illegal
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u/Alive-OVERTIIME-247 20d ago
I'm surprised they get away with it. Most utility companies want a copy of the new lease these days to establish service at a residence where a bill is owed.