Vera Water and Power's
Training Manual for Property Owners & Managers
Contents Contact Info 01 Our History 02 Laws and Policies 03 What this means for your property 04 TenantMoveInsandMoveOuts 05 Account Timeline 07 Document Management 08 Government Interventions 09 We know we are different from other utilities and hope this information helps you navigate how Vera Water and Power works. CreditandArrangements 06
Contact Info General Questions Main Line : 509-924-3800 Front Office Supervisor and Closings Sara Broderius : 509-227-6817 moving@verawaterandpower.com Credit/Arrangements Izaac Metzner : 509-227-6823 arrangements@verawaterandpower.com After Hours Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m. 888-774-8272 1
Our History
We have been serving the Spokane Valley since 1908.
We are a publically-owned, not-for-profit utility, founded as an irrigation district.
We are a distribution utility.
Our water comes from the Spokane-Rathdrum Aquifer
Our electricity is generated by Bonneville Power Administration from the Columbia, Snake, and other NW Rivers.
We are governed by a board of directors consisting of customers within the Vera Water and Power District.
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Laws and Policies
RCW 87.03.445 or "the Lien Right"
All accounts delinquent (unpaid) beyond the terms stated in Policy No. 100's rules and regulations become a lien upon the real property involved. This also applies to accounts left unpaid by tenants and/or former owners.
Policy No. 100
This is a Board of Directors approved document that governs staff in their application of the District's policies and procedures. This policy can be viewed on our website, verawaterandpower.com.
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What this means for your property
The Benefit
Because VW&P does not collect SSNs or work with credit agencies, we are able to maintain some of the lowest rates in the region.
The Pinch Point
Property owners are responsible for ALL balances accrued at the property and unpaid renter balances will be transferred to the owner account.
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Tenant Move Ins and Move Outs
All changes in tenancy need to be emailed to moving@verawaterandpower.com
Remember that we do NOT backdate closing statements. Any issues or discrepancies will be between management and the tenant.
You will receive a copy of the tenant's final bill, and you will continue to receive copies of unpaid bills for 90 days.
After 90 days, any unpaid charges will be transferred to the property's house account. You will receive a transfer letter and THEN the balance will show on the next regular billing cycle statement.
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Credit and Arrangements
***All tenants will receive a one-time arrangement to avoid a disconnect. This arrangement will be for no more than 10 days.
Any other extensions need to be requested by MGMT on behalf of the tenant. We will not accept request from the tenant.
Please send your request to arrangements@verawaterandpower.com
Any unpaid balances can and will be transferred to the house account because of the lien right. Our collections process is typically very successful. If you choose to extend tenants, please keep this in mind.
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Account Timeline
Owners have 210 days to collect final balance before notice of impending lien is sent.
120 days later, a warning letter is sent to the owner before a lien is filed.
After attempting to collect the tenant's balance for 90 days, the tenant's balance is transferred to the owner's account.
10 days after the warning letter, if no payment was received, the assessment process begins and a lien is filed.
Fees are $906, plus 12% interest
Set-up fee of $5 charged once mgmt notifies VWP of tenant's occupancy 1 30 60 Customer's first regular bill $50 Customer's second regular bill $50 61 Account reminder sent on unpaid bill and first $2.25 fee charged 61 71 First bill still unpaid, a $20 door hanger charged and delivered to property 71 Account reminder sent on unpaid bill and first $2.25 fee charged 72 72 85 295 175 305 305 295 175 Mgmt notifies VWP of vacancy. Power’s reconnected and customer account is closed for total balance of $192.25
is sent. 60 30 1 85 DAY DAY 7 61 Owner copy is sent for the owner’s records 61
Notification
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Document Management
We are required to notify the property owner or manager:
when renters are late, and of the renter's final balance when the renter vacates the property.
This can create a lot of paperwork.
You will also receive statements for the house accounts in between tenants or when a balance is transferred to the owner's account.
You will have a customer number associated with the property. Please only pay on statements that have the owner's customer number.
All statements notifying you of the tenant's balances will have OWNER COPY in the upper right corner AND will have a customer number different from the owner's customer number.
We recommend that a file for each property unit (duplex side or apartment) be kept with the received documents in chronological order.
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GovernmentInterventions
Our intention is always to mitigate the potential fiscal risk to our property owners. The only time our policies will deviate is when state laws or mandates supersede our policies.
March 2020
July 23, 2023
GOVERNER MANDATE
Governor Inslee enacted an emergency mandate preventing utilities from disconnecting services due to non-payment.
HB 1329 prevents utilities from shutting off services for nonpayment during extreme heat events as defined by the National Weather Service.
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WA STATE HB 1329
LOCATION: 601 N. Evergreen Road, Spokane Valley, WA 99037
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 630 Spokane, WA 99216
PHONE:
888-772-8272
WEB: verawaterandpower.com
