§ 22079 Landlord Responsibility For Water Charges

• •If a tenant doesn't pay their water bill, the water company can't make the next tenant pay that old bill.
• •The water company can ask the landlord or property owner to be responsible for the water bill instead of the new tenant.
• •This rule is to protect new tenants from paying someone else's old water bills.

John moves out of his apartment and doesn't pay his last water bill. Later, Sarah moves into the same apartment.

The water company can't ask Sarah to pay John's old water bill. But they can tell the landlord that the water bill must be in the landlord's name, not Sarah's.