Can You Benefit from a Utility Third-Party Notification?

Sometimes a consumer may not have paid his or her utility bill for electric, gas, or water service. In this situation, the utility’s Third-Party Notification program serves as a safety net for consumers whose utility service could be disconnected.

Consumers who may benefit from the program include those who are elderly, disabled, homebound, chronically ill, or who may otherwise benefit from designating someone also to receive the utility’s notice of overdue utility bills that could result in disconnection of service.

The Third-Party Notification program is voluntary. The designated third party can be a trusted relative, friend, landlord or social service agency. The consumer and the designated third party will both receive copies of utility shut-off notices and any other delinquent payment reminders by mail. If the customer has given consent, the notification may also be sent by email. The utility will notify the consumer and the third party at least 14 days before disconnecting service.

When a third party contacts the utility about the shut-off notice, he or she will be told what can be done to prevent the service from being disconnected. The utility may also allow this person to set up a payment arrangement to help prevent disconnection of service.

The third party is NOT responsible for paying the bill unless he or she has agreed in writing to be a guarantor of the account. However, this program gives the consumer some backup for awareness that his or her utility account is past due.

To enroll, the consumer and the designated third party will be required to sign a form with the utility. For more details, or to enroll, please contact your utility.