Mayor Adams to Shut Water to Buildings That Refuse to Pay Bills

By Hamodia Staff

New York City building owners who repeatedly refuse to pay outstanding bills will soon have their water shut off, Mayor Eric Adams warned Wednesday.

Citing city officials, ABC7 reports that about 2,400 accounts citywide are chronically delinquent, and owe a total $102 million for water use.

The city will send out “Water Shutoff Notices” to the customers, and give them three options – pay the entire balance, enter into an agreement within 15 days of notice to pay it off in installments, or lose access to water.

Adams placed a ceremonial “shutoff” sticker on the outside of Hayden Hotel, which owes the city $400,000. Another hotel, The Draper, owes over $300,000; so does Dexter House on the Upper West Side.

Previous shutoff warnings given this year have led to the city bringing in $3 million from over 400 buildings.

“We gave these delinquent customers a chance to clear their water debts and save millions on interest through our water amnesty program, and while more than 100,000 took us up on our reasonable offer, a small percentage of customers incorrectly made the mistake of thinking they could get away with stiffing their fellow New Yorkers without any accountability,” Mayor Adams said at a press conference. “We’re not going to allow big commercial properties and others leave the rest of us holding their water bills.”

“DEP is serious about collecting the outstanding money owed from delinquent accounts and we will be shutting off water service for customers that don’t resolve their overdue bills,” DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said in a statement, according to ABC7. “Delinquent customers who refuse to pay their water bills force everyone else to pay higher rates. That is simply not right, and it must stop. Everyone must pay their fair share to support our critical water system.”

Additionally, Adams asked the City Council to permit the placing of liens on properties with outstanding bills.