New Queens homeowner soaked with $12,000 water bill

FAR ROCKAWAY, NY (WABC) -- When you buy a new home, you might not be thinking about the utilities, but making sure they're paid up can save you headache and a lot of money.

One Queens family found that out the hard way when the immigrants, just trying to live the American dream, bought their first home only to find out an old water bill that trickled down to them. And it was the size of their down payment.

It took years of saving for Charles and Francisca Welbeck to afford to buy the row house in Far Rockaway.

"It was like a dream come true," Charles said.

Their three kids were thrilled when they moved from Brooklyn last fall, but now the Welbecks fear they'll lose the home over a whopper of a water bill checking in at $12,571. It was the responsibility of their home's prior owner.

"We were shocked, because we had been here less than a month," Francisca said. "And the bill came in as $12,000."

DEP says the prior owner hadn't allowed anyone inside to read the meter since 2011. So for the past four years, it's been sending out estimated bills. Only on the day of the closing was the meter finally read.

"So the bill was for when she still owned the house," Francisca said.

So why are they getting charged for someone else's water? What they didn't know is the utility bills stay with the property, not the owner.

"They told me if I don't do anything about it, they're going to call the credit company and put it on my credit," Charles said.

Luckily, Charles' attorney had the seller put $500 in escrow and signed an agreement to pay any other outstanding water charges.

But a year later, the ballooning bill, with late fees, was up to $15,000 and still on them.

So 7 On Your Side tracked down the previous owner and her attorney. On Wednesday, the $500 escrow was released, for starters. And the seller owned up to the bill, promising to pay it in full, meaning the Welbecks will no longer have to carry the water.

Remember, with many water authorities, the bills stay with the property, not with the name. The way around this potential problem, real estate attorneys say, is do not close on a house unless you get a final meter reading. After we got involved, Charles attorney agreed to represent him for free in recovering this bill. He told us the prior owner agreed to pay in a few weeks, and if that doesn't happen, they'll take her to court.