Utilities bills - not current

[jessegirl]

I am NOT current with my utilities like cable, electric, cell phone etc. what happens if i am not current and then we file? Does that matter?

[Cali]

Are you including them in your BK?

[jessegirl]

I don't know. I haven't filed yet. If I did include them on the BK, what happens after I out them on the BK? Will I not be able to get utilities then? Will they shut off my utilities?

[Cali]

If you are behind now, you might want to catch up because they will turn whatever off.

If you include them in BK, they can:

1. refuse you future service
2. make you pay the amount you owe them before you filed
3. make you pay a huge deposit amount
4. make you pay amount owed and huge deposit

[Dollar Bill]

I know of a story here on this forum of someone who included them in her bk.

Once she moved in the same city, she had to get the same utilities back from the same company. They charged her a very high deposit because she included her other bills in the BK.

[JRScott]

Generally if you include them in your bk they will require a substantial deposit to offer you new services.

[jessegirl]

Can I go into the BK still owing them money and not put them on the creditors list to be discharged? I pay every month, but not the requested amount. I am trying to get caught up, but its seems i can't cause Car ins, homeowners ins and property taxes due end of this month, plus i owe the attorney. Oh, when the S*** hits the fan it stinks!!!!!!!!

[Cali]

You have to list all creditors.

[jessegirl]

So i guess i have to try and get them up to date before we file.

[JRScott]

that's best yes that way you don't have to list the utilities

[BKParalegal]

In the 1300 or so BK's we have drafted, not once did we ever list utility bills as a debt, unless we were discharging the debt. When we did list them, on most-but not all, they asked the client for a security deposit (typically less than what they owed if they paid the past balance), but they had never shut off the utility, unless the client didn't pay the deposit after 30 days or so.

Good Luck

[Flamingo]

I am NOT current with my utilities like cable, electric, cell phone etc. what happens if i am not current and then we file? Does that matter?

Jessegirl....a lot depends on the utility company itself as to its policies and procedures. You may have seen the recent postings on here regarding Verizon and some issues that arose as to that company after the person filed, not including Verizon in the filing and those payments apparently were current. Pull out your cell phone and cable contracts that you received when you signed up for service and check the clauses that will be listed as to non or late payments. There may be bankrtupcy clauses also as appear in some Verizon contracts as recently discussed on here. You can call your electronic company anonymously for information also or view your bill or their website for further information. To be on the safe side, it would be to your benefit to get those bills current so that you won't have anything to worry about. Have you discussed with your attorney?

[AngelinaCat]

I just went back over our BK paperwork because I couldn't remember if we had listed our utilities or not. We did not, except for the electric company, which we did because there is a space in the paperwork to include any deposits made to a utility. Our electric company made us pay a HUGE deposit just to keep the electricity on. This was about a year before we filed, and had fallen so far behind in the payments that they made us pay this deposit. Which to us was a huge penalty, because when you can't pay $400.00, why does anyone think you can pay $796.00?

Anyway, that was done, and in the stuff we have to buy back from the BK estate is this deposit discounted now to $500.00. I have never understood this, and can't get an answer anywhere.

However, it looks like everything is working out in the end, because after the notices of our Discharge went out, we got a statement from the utility giving us a credit of about $1300.00.......

I dunno.......

[BROKENN]

However, it looks like everything is working out in the end, because after the notices of our Discharge went out, we got a statement from the utility giving us a credit of about $1300.00.......

I dunno.......

Wow, I don't think any of my education included that form of higher math

But I am glad you ended up with a credit in that ledger!

[justbroke]

If you include them in BK, they can:

1. refuse you future service
2. make you pay the amount you owe them before you filed
3. make you pay a huge deposit amount
4. make you pay amount owed and huge deposit

non-bankruptcy law. While you may think the deposit is "high", it's a set amount. In most States, it's based on the average usage per month, over a six month period. Then they double that. So if you use $300/month in electricity averaged over six months, your deposit would be $600.00.