Selling house in 2023 and Irish Water

[ClarkCeant]

Hello,
What is the situation today for someone selling a residential property and the monies supposedly owed to the company known as 'Irish Water'?
Do you still have to get some sort of certificate from IW to state that you are discharged from debts to Irish water?
I am not on a group water scheme as I live in the town but never paid them at the time and seem to remember them paying people back in the fiasco a few years back??

I know that if you refuse to engage with IW the solicitor is bound to take the money out of your sale proceeds but then I read that Irish water requests your new address and then pays you back the sum? What is the situation with this company anyway? Shocking carry on

 

[Dermot]

I cannot remember Irish Water having collected any money from private residential households. I am pretty sure that if you drop an email to Irish Water giving your name and address and eircode to them you will get a statement that you have no outstanding balance. Did you register your house with Irish Water back in the day.

 

[Marsupial]

Given that the Irish Water website (recently, for some asinine reason, renamed "Uisce Éireann") states that "All Domestic Water Charges have been refunded. Cheques have been issued to account holders for the full amount paid." It seems unlikely that you owe anything to IW.

 

[ClarkCeant]

Thank you all for the replies. To Dermot, I ignored Irish Water and did not register with them. They wrote me their bills which I also ignored. On another note I was always interested in how they got my name and am sure it was the Revenue office that provided my details to them. I seem to remember that at the time other people were complaining about the breach of personal information. Can't say I am surprised though. What surprises me is that IW seems to have a huge budget all the same yet no customers!

 

[Leo]

What surprises me is that IW seems to have a huge budget all the same yet no customers!

IW have vast numbers of customers, a large part of the population are served by them for water and waste treatment. Just as a result of the whole debacle around their formation, they are now fully funded by all taxpayers, including the very many who are unable to avail of their services.

On another note I was always interested in how they got my name and am sure it was the Revenue office that provided my details to them.

They didn't. Property ownership in Ireland is a matter of public record.

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

Just as a result of the whole debacle around their formation, they are now fully funded by all taxpayers, including the very many who are unable to avail of their services.

People forget there were three (largely unrelated) policies which the government attempted to implement at the same time:

1. Taking responsibility for waste and wastewater treatment away from local authorities and giving it to a single state body (Irish Water);
2. Charging residential users a charge for water which had previously been provided for free.

Both (1) and (2) could have been done without the other but in the public mind they are conflated.

 

[ClarkCeant]

IW have vast numbers of customers, a large part of the population are served by them for water and waste treatment. Just as a result of the whole debacle around their formation, they are now fully funded by all taxpayers, including the very many who are unable to avail of their services.


They didn't. Property ownership in Ireland is a matter of public record.

I assumed this too: however the letters they sent to me were were addressed to a place I was temporarily living at - with the address of the concerned property referenced in the letter. A few other people had the same situation. They concluded it was revenue who provided the info to Irish Water.

 

[T McGibney]

I assumed this too: however the letters they sent to me were were addressed to a place I was temporarily living at - with the address of the concerned property referenced in the letter. A few other people had the same situation. They concluded it was revenue who provided the info to Irish Water.

Revenue don't provide information to anyone, except in very limited and tightly defined cases as designated by legislation to facilitate publication of defaulters lists.