Houston Texas Man Charged Jaw-Dropping $50,000 Water Bill

A Texas man was left horrified after receiving a phone call from the city of Houston, informing him of his jaw-dropping $50,000 water bill charge.

JUST THE AVERAGE HOME ON THE BLOCK

In 2019, Michael Stovall started renting a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house in Houston. However, he was completely unaware of the baffling water meter fiasco that would soon unfold. 

THE METER MYSTERY

As Stovall got settled in, he discovered that the city had no record of his water meter's location so they had decided to just bill him- and the previous tenants, the neighborhood average.

$18,000 IN SHOCK

After a harsh winter storm in February 2021, the City of Houston's public works department contacted Stovall, claiming he owed back payments. "The woman I talked to was acting strange," Stoval described the phone call from the city. "They determined I owed $18,000 in back pay."

THE ONGOING BATTLE

Stovall contested the bill, deeming it excessive for a property without extraordinary water features- he had no pool, no hot tub, no jacuzzi; it was simply an average three-bedroom two two-bathroom home. 

"There's no yard, there's no pool, there's no jacuzzi," said Stovall. "It's just three bedrooms and two baths."

Despite his protests, his monthly bill continued to average $2,000, accumulating to nearly $50,000.

A RAY OF HOPE

Contacting local authorities and the media on October 18 prompted the city to reassess the situation. They later reduced the bill to a reasonable $300, recognizing that a broken meter had caused the astronomical charges.