muel Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 This is a wake up call to us all concerning clean water availability. This is a lousy experience for you for sure! I'd be careful about withholding rent... check the laws and your lease. If you were my renter a few things would be happening... I'd have a call in to the best available well drilling service to get your well serviced or a new one installed. If that isn't possible then I'd have to look at a water tank system. I'd be checking with the bank to get an equity line of credit if I had to so I could pay for it all. I'd also be sending you a letter warning you of nonpayment and if I didn't receive it according to the terms of our lease I would begin eviction proceedings at the earliest date. I would let you out of the lease if you just wanted to move and I would return the deposit according to the terms of the lease. If you wanted to move out temporarily and come back when there was water that would be fine too. As long as you are living there you owe me rent but I would not require rent while you were living elsewhere. I would probably be willing to pay for some drinking water to be brought in if it was a short term situation but if it is going to be months before water is available I'd say you should just leave as quickly and amicably as possible. The scary thought is when it isn't just you but all of your neighbors who are also without clean water! Take care and best of luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twk123 Posted July 6, 2016 Author Share Posted July 6, 2016 This is a wake up call to us all concerning clean water availability. This is a lousy experience for you for sure! I'd be careful about withholding rent... check the laws and your lease. If you were my renter a few things would be happening... I'd have a call in to the best available well drilling service to get your well serviced or a new one installed. If that isn't possible then I'd have to look at a water tank system. I'd be checking with the bank to get an equity line of credit if I had to so I could pay for it all. I'd also be sending you a letter warning you of nonpayment and if I didn't receive it according to the terms of our lease I would begin eviction proceedings at the earliest date. I would let you out of the lease if you just wanted to move and I would return the deposit according to the terms of the lease. If you wanted to move out temporarily and come back when there was water that would be fine too. As long as you are living there you owe me rent but I would not require rent while you were living elsewhere. I would probably be willing to pay for some drinking water to be brought in if it was a short term situation but if it is going to be months before water is available I'd say you should just leave as quickly and amicably as possible. The scary thought is when it isn't just you but all of your neighbors who are also without clean water! Take care and best of luck! Thanks muel. I am going to call my landlord today to work out rent. This has happened before and there is an amendment in our lease that covers not paying rent for days without water. He wants to blow out the well to see if it will work but its a long shot and then they will most likely have to re-drill. We are planning on moving soon anyway so now its just trying to figure out if we want to pack up and stay with family in CO or try to figure something else out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 It's good to have things in writing... that helps make things more clear! Things sometimes happen that just wind up costing everybody in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted July 6, 2016 Share Posted July 6, 2016 I'd also be sending you a letter warning you of nonpayment and if I didn't receive it according to the terms of our lease I would begin eviction proceedings at the earliest date. In almost every state you would lose. The landlord has to promise the premises to be livable and do repairs unless it flat out states that the tenant is responsible for all repairs, or a portion. A well running dry isn't one of them, and sending a threatening letter "ahead of time" could be considered bordering harassment in some states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Any update? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 And in some municipalities you are mandated to tap into city water (if available) when the well runs dry, they will not give you a permit to fix the well or drill a new one. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MORE KLIPSCH PLEASE Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Just caught your post twk123...... Man I feel your pain... we lost our well here at the house about 12 years ago... what a pain it was.... in the county we live in most people are on a well. The guy that drilled our new well lives right across the street from us. My wife and I gave him a call and that afternoon we were talking to him in his living room. The next day he came to the house with one of his drill trucks and a crew. This is one of those old guys that knows his chitt... This guy was drilling wells before I was born.... With the permits and the filling of the old well electric for the new pump and to have it piped into the house we didn't any change out of $7500... That was a hard hit for us.... but what ya gonna do.... not have H2O. Good luck to you... MKP :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybobg Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Sorry to hear twk. When I lived in the downtown area of SLC I had a well. It was artesian from the main aquifer under the valley. I loved the water right out of the well, but any storage period brought out a sulfur smell and occasionally iron stains on the clothes from the washing machine. The second owner after I sold the house added city water. He wasn't much of a do-it-yourselfer which is required to maintain the pumps and filters. Fact is, his lawn looks like sh*t now and his effort at xeriscaping are pitiful. I hate to go by the property any more due to how run down it looks compared to when I owned it. Then again, it ain't my property any more, I just hate that the neighborhood where I still have friends is suffering. Anyway, wells can be a blessing and a curse. Francis, up here in the mountains, now has well trouble that is restricting our water use. We consistently had what was judged as the best water in the state. Now, who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rxonmymind Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Out, out , out. Time to move. Have the landlord release you from the lease and vamoose to CO. Otherwise your pouring "good" money towards bad. I don't necessarily mean actual $$$$ but your time to gather water, shower, laundry, and more importantly STRESS on your wife. She may not show it being mentally tough but I assure you the body will. At this moment HER well being and that of the child should be priority #1. I'd be demanding either hotel room till this is fixed or break the lease & get out of Dodge. Those are the only two options for the landlord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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