Unpaid water bill has been liened onto my property!

[lillymarlene]

I'm not sure what I should do. I just received my property tax bill today, and about $200 as a "special assessment" has been liened onto my property. ($83 for refuse, $112 for sewer, and $15 for interest.) This looks like my quarterly city "utility" bill with interest added on.

Though I have a back bill of about $600 that was supposed to be, but was somehow left out of my bankruptcy, I have been paying the current portion of my bill every quarter. Should I first check with my City Hall next week to see exactly what this is about? That maybe somehow my last payment was not credited, or they are trying to start on the "old" bill.

My property tax bill is also paid and included in my mortgage. My mortgage servicer is automatically sent a copy of my tax bill. Does this usually cause monthly payments to go up?

Then will this have any effect or cause problems with my Chapter 13, since I'm not supposed to incur any new debt? I know I will probably have to ask my attorney, but it's the weekend and I've always received such good advice on this forum.

I appreciate any replies.

[AngelinaCat]

Having no idea of what and how Massachusetts Property Law, etc., operates, I am going to start by saying: "Be on your attorney's front doorstep as soon as he/she opens for business. If need be, YOU greet them with the coffee pot...

Then, after you have thrown the 'Fright of the Week' into your attorney--first thing on a Monday Morning--go to City Hall and do likewise.

You are probably okay, and worrying too much. I might be 'egging you on' a little. But I have found in my long life, TBTG, that I would rather have to apologize for a major, front-scale assault, than picking up the pieces from one I did not launch at all.

My very best, Lily! Please let us know how it goes.

[justbroke]

If possible, I would also seek advice from my Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorney. Any debt due to the Water board/company prior to your Chapter 13, would be discharged entirely, some portion of it discharged partially, or fully paid by the plan. If it was left out, I would make sure that a claim is filed (which the Water board should have, but if they did not have the opportunity because they were not notified of the bankruptcy, then that could make their debt non-dischargeable).

I think that I have said enough. There are so many possibilities that only your attorney, who knows the intimate details of your case, claims, and other filings, could answer with a firm response.

[lillymarlene]

Thank you Cat and Justbroke. Tomorrow, since I'm working, I was planning on calling City Hall during my break, to make sure of the time that the Assessor's Office is available. Then I would go there right after work, and ask questions to see if they recorded my payment for the last quarter, and/or is this about the "old" bill. I'll call my attorney after work on Tuesday.

I'm still at the same temp job I've had since July and I have to be there at 7 A.M. every weekday morning and work to 3:30 P.M. The place is very rigid, I cannot use a cell phone on the floor at all, and I need time off for other things, so I don't want to ask. Then also if they ask for overtime I usually do it, since it seems if I say no, they don't ask again for a long time. It's not much, but jobs are so hard to come by at this age.