SAWS places lien on apartment complex with an over $93K past due bill

SAN ANTONIO — A local apartment complex is in some hot water with San Antonio Water System (SAWS) over a huge past due bill.

As a result of a more than $93,000 past due balance, SAWS has placed its first municipal utility lien on the complex saying they failed to pay for water and sewer services despite multiple attempts to collect the overdue balance. 

SAWS says the Oaks on Bandera Apartments (Eddleton Family Investments LLC) has a past due balance on three different service lines that exceeds $93,000.

“SAWS has enhanced our collection practices through strong collaboration with numerous stakeholders, including the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Apartment Association,” said Cecilia Velasquez, SAWS Vice President of Customer Experience and Strategic Initiatives. “These efforts have enabled more effective communication with property owners, increased site visits, expanded educational outreach to property managers, and broadened the options available for payment arrangements.”

This new lien authority, which was authorized by statute and granted by San Antonio’s City Council earlier this year, was put in place to try and get landlords to pay their bills and ultimately avoid utility disconnections that impact their tenants. 

The lien placed is a legal claim on the property to collect a debt owed if/when that property is sold. 

SAWS can also disconnect water service due to nonpayment. A disconnection would also result in an automatic violation of the city’s Proactive Apartment Inspections Program.

SAWS currently has more than 6,100 apartment accounts. 358 of those apartment complexes are eligible for disconnection because their bills are more than 60 days past due. Those accounts owe a combined past due amount over $2.6 million, according to SAWS.