WATER SERVICE DISCONNECTION AND RECONNECTION

Rule 7.1 Disconnection. The following shall be legitimate grounds for the District to cut-off water supply to consumers:

 

• non-payment of water bills on disconnection date indicated in the notice of collection (on the sixth day after the due date);
• illegally installed or pilfered meters;
• illegal connection or connections existing without official authority or registration with the District;
• any form of meter tampering;
• misrepresentation of facts committed by the consumer in relation to his water service connection application; and
• If the District finds after due notice that the continued connection of a service line is detrimental to the operation of the water district;

 

Violations enumerated under items 2-4 are without prejudice to filing of appropriate legal charges to person or persons found to have committed the aforementioned acts under the penal provision of Presidential Decree No. 198.

Rule 7.2 Discontinuance of Service Connection Dangerous to the Health of the Customer. The District will not terminate residential service for non payment upon certification by a licensed physician and/or surgeon that said termination will be life threatening and the Customer is financially unable to pay for service within the normal payment period and is willing to enter into an amortization agreement with the District for the delinquent amount due.

Rule 7.3 Service connections which are disconnected due to non-payment of water bills and/or other accounts may be the subject of a legal suit to be filed by the District if consumer concerned refuses to settle properly his accounts with the District.

Rule 7.4 A consumer may apply for a voluntary disconnection of his service connection at any time he desires so upon his written request or his duly authorized representative;

Rule 7.5 In the following instances, the District may also disconnect any service connection, after due notice and appropriate processes are observed:

• In case of ownership dispute, any legal owner of a house, establishment, or lot property where a service connection is located may request for disconnection, provided, the following requirements must be submitted: (a) Proof of desistance on the part of the consumer, if applicable; and/or (b) court order affirming that he/she is the legal owner thereof;
• In case where a new owner of a house, establishment, or lot property where a service connection is located, the consumer must secure a new authorization and/or waiver of consent otherwise said connection shall be disconnected upon written request by the new owner or shall be categorized under temporary service connection pending compliance of the said requirement;
• A Customer’s service may be discontinued for non payment of a bill for service previously rendered to them at any other location served by the District;
• Discontinuance of Service when Trying to Avoid Payment of District Bill. The District may discontinue or deny service for non payment of a bill where the District determines that the same person or persons continue to occupy the service address. However, the District will not deny service to the renters of a Premises whose owners or prior unrelated tenants have delinquent unpaid bills;
• Discontinuance of Service Due to Fraud. The District may refuse or discontinue service if the acts of the Customer or the conditions upon the Customerss Premises are such as to indicate an intent to defraud the District;
• Discontinuance of Service at More Than One Location. If a Customer is receiving service at more than one location, service at any or all locations may be discontinued if bills for service at any location are not paid within the time specified above, except that a residential service account shall not be discontinued for failure to pay bills for non-residential service;
• Discontinuance of Service when District’s Business Office is closed. Service will not be discontinued by reason of delinquency in payment for District services on any Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or at any time during which the business offices of the District are not open to the public.

Rule 7.6 Discontinuance of Service at a Mother Metered Multiunit Residential Structures, Apartment Complex, Condominiums, Subdivisions, etc.For discontinuance of service to residential occupants under this Rule who are mother metered by the District, and the owner, manager, or operator of the structure or establishments is listed by the District as the Customer of record, the District shall make every good faith effort to inform the residential occupants, when the account is in arrears, to inform by means of written notice, that service will be discontinued.

A written 15-day notice of discontinuance shall be posted on the door of each residential unit prior to discontinuance; except that, if it is not reasonable or practicable to post the notice on the door of each residential unit, the Utility shall post two copies of the notice in each accessible common area and at each point of access to the structure or structures.

Rule 7.6 Service reconnection.It shall mean reconnection of disconnected water meter due to some reasons specified under Rule 7.1, and due to transfer of residence and/or tapping point.
Rule 7.7 No service reconnection shall be made without the consumer or his duly authorized representative paying first his outstanding accounts with the District and/or payment of reconnection fee and/or appropriate charges. Payment of arrears on installment basis through a promissory note may be allowed by the District on a case to case basis. Reconnection fee as applied by the District are as follows: (a) P 150.00 – reconnection fee if disconnected within a month; (b) P 200.00 – reconnection fee if disconnected after a month.

In instances where reconnection is requested only three months after from the date of disconnection, request for reconnection shall personally be done by the consumer or by his duly authorized representative.

Rule 7.8 Use of Water Without Application For Service. When a new occupant who has not applied for water service, takes possession of a Premises with an existing active service connection, the occupant shall notify the District of such findings within one working day.

In the event the occupant use water service, or fails to notify the District of such findings within one working day of occupancy, the occupant will be billed for consumption back to their move in date and the owner shall be billed for any unresolved usage.

If the Premises are unoccupied, or the District has not been notified of a new tenant by the owner, property manager, occupant or other representative of the owner, and water service is in use, the owner of the property shall be held responsible for payment of the bill. It is the responsibility of the owner to verify that the District service has been transferred into the name of the new occupant and to settle disputes of responsibility between the occupant and the owner.

In the event that the occupant is charged for usage where the amount charged will be determined by the District, the amount billed will be based upon either the meter reading or on the basis of the estimated consumption for the length of time service was received by the occupant without proper application.

Rule 7.9 When the District finds that water is being used without proper application, the District may terminate the service without further notice. Any amount due in excess of the amount billed to the occupant shall be billed to the owner.

Rule 7.10 Only authorized District personnel are permitted to reconnect the service at the meter. If the occupant reconnects water service, a self-reconnection fee may be imposed.