Water leak racks up tens of thousands of dollars in charges, DeKalb renter has no water

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County family is living without running water after a leak on the property they’re renting racked up a huge water bill.

When they received a water bill over $82,000, they called Channel 2 Action News.

They thought that when a private contractor found the leak and repaired it, everything else would work out.

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But now they don’t have any water service and they’re on the hook for $10,000.

Cymeve Garrett was fighting back tears as she explained to Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes about how she ended up with an $82,000 water bill.

She started renting a Stone Mountain duplex about a year ago.

Her first bill was $1,000.

She called the watershed department and they came out but said they didn’t find any leaks.

Then they came back a second time and said they found a leak and repaired it.

But they said she would have to wait until her next bill to find out how much she owed.

Her next bill was $10,000. The one after that was more than $82,000.

The property owner, who lives in California, started calling the watershed department, along with the renter.

Meanwhile, the property owner hired a private contractor to fix the final leak and to check for more.

Fernandes spoke to a local nonprofit that advocates for renter’s rights.

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They said eventually this bill could fall on the property owner, but right now the renter is being held accountable because she’s the one on the watershed account.

“I don’t know what to do. I have no clue,” Garrett said. “I cannot afford this. Why would I have to pay $10,000 for some water?”

A spokesperson for the watershed department told Fernandes they’re looking into how this happened.

Fernandes also got in contact with an organization working with several renters like this family because they’re in similar situations.

There will be a town hall meeting on Tuesday.

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