Can someone lose their home they've paid for in full for not having a certain utility

[TATTEDKAT1503]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

My uncle has lived in the same house the entire 65 years he's been on this earth. His mother & father owned the same home for several years prior to that. Needless to say, it's been in the family for close to 100 years. The house is fully paid for & he is the legal owner of the home. Awhile ago, the water bill had reached an amount that was difficult for him to pay, over $2,000 I believe. So, considering he is really the only person living there, & there aren't any children in the home, he opted to let the city shut it off. I know this isn't the most pleasant idea to most of us, but it is what it is. His neighbors are aware of him having no water, in fact i think most of his surrounding neighbors are since my uncle is well known & liked throughout the community, but his neighbor behind him has been nice enough to let my uncle share his water from his home from time to time. Well, my uncle's brother, whom is a greedy & judgmental man, decided to call the city & complain about him not having any water. Now, there are talks of him having 72 hours to rectify the situation or he'll lose his home. Now if the city is not willing to some how work with my uncle, who is a veteran & upstanding citizen, on payment arrangements even in order to assist him in turning back on the water, can they legally kick him out of his own home? what exactlly are the laws in california for evictions on a home that is not in foreclosure? I'm lost & need something; a point in the right direction, or even someone who know's their stuff. Please help. Thanks

[latigo]

If the uncle loses his home it won’t be because of not using a given city utility, it will be because he fails to pay the tax assessments against his property and a tax foreclosure sale ensues.

After a certain period of delinquency on the water bill it will roll over and convert to a debit reflected on those real property taxes.

As hostile as his brother might be, he could not influence this taxing process.

[TATTEDKAT1503]

ok so basically, he can't lose his home. The property taxes are paid & all that. I don't know why he was told this, but this is what he was told by the city. Ok. This poses another question, what would give the city authority to kick him out?

[justalayman]

I suspect they will attempt to condemn the home and disallow his residency there due to the lack of water. Running water is a vitally necessary utility for basic health concerns. Without water, where is he going to the bathroom?

as to taking if the home; that would get to the lien on his property for the delinquent water bill. That could eventually cause him to lose ownership of the property

[FarmerJ]

If your able to find the funds to pay this old water bill for him then the only issue left is if the city govt can condemn the home for not having working water. If it was a rental home that would happen in a flash. But with owner occupant I imagine it might be slower. Unless this home is in what was once a rural area and has always had a outhouse on the property that stood for so long that it is still allowed even though new ones cannot be built, then Justa`s question is a concern re toileting that I too would say the city would have a concern. ( I have one here, its great to have it when the power goes off due to weather or other local outages) In his area is there a min charge for water no matter how little one uses ? If there is no min fee for monthly water /sewer no matter how little he uses once its back on it would make it harder for the city to prove a problem.