NYC Lawmakers Demand Action After Man Loses Home Over Unpaid Water Bill

Home Lost Over Unpaid Water Bill

• 🏠 Fillmore Brown, a homeowner for over two decades, is fighting to keep his Brooklyn home after it was auctioned off.
• ⚠️ The foreclosure occurred due to an alleged unpaid $5,000 water bill from 2019, which Brown claims he was unaware of.
• 💔 Brown discovered the sale when strangers attempted to change his door locks, despite having paid thousands of dollars towards his property since the bill's sale.

City's Role and Investor Foreclosure

• 🏦 The city sold the unpaid water debt to a private trust (a group of investors) as part of a routine practice.
• 📉 When the debt, including interest, was not settled, the trust initiated foreclosure proceedings.
• ✉️ Both the city and the trust claim warning notices were sent, but Brown states he never received them.

Political and Community Response

• 📣 Public officials, including the city's Public Advocate and local council members, are expressing outrage and calling the situation a "profound injustice."
• ⚖️ State lawmakers are labeling the incident a "crisis" and demanding changes in how the city handles unpaid utility bills.
• 📝 Calls are being made for an official investigation and new legislation to improve foreclosure notifications and prevent similar occurrences.

City Agency's Statement and Reforms

• 📢 The city agency responsible for water bills stated that water and sewer charges are legal liens against properties and that they handle these matters with care.
• 📊 The agency highlighted that unpaid bills can lead to higher water rates for all customers and mentioned recent reforms that have prevented 17,000 customers from having their liens sold this year.
• 😥 Brown expressed his distress, stating, "I don't want anybody to go through what I'm going through."