SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — After paying single digits for water, one tenant in South Euclid received a notification threatening a water shut off.
Landlord Stephanie Vogel uses Cleveland Water.
She previously owned the home, prior to renting it out. Either way, the bill has always been paid.
“It’s Cleveland. It’s winter. I really don’t want my water shut off because I don’t want my pipes to freeze," she said.
Over the last five years, she said the bill has been $9.
The November shutoff notification claimed they needed a new water meter, despite getting a new meter in October.
“The meter had already been installed. He had been out of town. He had called the water department as soon as he knew there was an issue. They came out and they put the clear read meter on," Vogel said.
Then, the bills started trickling in, and her patience started drying up.
Vogel received a bill for more than $1,200 from Cleveland Water, asking for the nearly five years of back pay, claiming the old meter was not reading correctly.
“Why there was no attempt to read the meter, to get an accurate reading," she said. “They have not provided any reason for why the meter was not read for four and a half years.”
News 5 reached out to Cleveland Water for answers. A spokesperson said they are looking into the claims.
