What are my options?

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? I currently reside in Rhode Island.

We purchased our home from an estate sale and a few months later we started receiving letters/bills from a water heater company telling us to pay rent on a water heater that the previous owner originally had installed and had been paying on for over 10 years. They even went so far as to send me a contract and insist that I sign and return it. I did not sign it, and promptly had the water heater replaced with one I purchased from a local store.

The company who installed my water heater stated because of the age and style of the previous one, it would cost an extra $100 in removal fees; I declined, as it wasn’t my property to have removed.

I called the company and asked them to come and remove their water heater from my property as I purchased a new one. They said that they did not do that, and that whoever installed the new one will handle the disposal of the old one. I informed them that that was not the case and that I would have to pay extra for it to be removed. They refused to remove it.

They are seeking $99 from me in rental fees from the time I purchased the house until I replaced the water heater. Through numerous phone conversations I told them, that even though I never signed a contract with them, I would gladly pay them once the water heater has been removed from my property. Today I received a letter saying they are going to report this on my credit report, refer me to a collection agency and take me to court.

I want their property removed from my house, but I do not feel that I should have to pay to have it done, it's not mine, I didn’t sign anything, and I want it gone. Can you please explain to me what options I may have? Thank you very much.

[JETX]

Originally Posted by SMRussell

Can you please explain to me what options I may have?

Your 'options' really aren't much. Some are:

1) You can send them a very nice letter (certified RRR) explaining that their property is left abandoned and ask them to contact you within 5 business days to arrange to recover it, or it will start incurring storage fees of $10 per day. If not recovered within 30 days, it will be disposed of without recourse and you will pursue legal action to recover the fees incurred.

2) You can send them a very nice letter (certified RRR) explaining that their property is left abandoned and ask them to contact you within 5 business days to arrange to recover it, or it will be disposed of without recourse.

3) You can send them a very nice letter (certified RRR) explaining the circumstances and detailing that any false reports of your being obligated to them in anyway; by direct contact, collection, and/or reports to credit reporting agency, will be dealt with by your pursuing legal action against them, including a claim for 'defamation of credit'.

4) You can simply haul their crap to THEIR property and dump it.

[HomeGuru]

Better options from JETX.