Section 16481 Of Article 3. Utility Works And Services From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 7. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 3.
16481
. (a) This section applies if there is a landlord-tenant
relationship between the residential occupants and the owner,
manager, or operator of the dwelling.
(b) If a district furnishes individually metered residential
light, heat, water, or power to residential occupants in a detached
single-family dwelling, multiunit residential structure, mobilehome
park, or permanent residential structure in a labor camp, as defined
in Section 17008 of the Health and Safety Code, and the owner,
manager, or operator is the customer of record, the district shall
make every good faith effort to inform the residential occupants, by
means of written notice, when the account is in arrears, that service
will be terminated in 10 days. The written notice shall further
inform the residential occupants that they have the right to become
customers of the district without being required to pay the amount
due on the delinquent account. The notice shall be in English and in
the languages listed in Section 1632 of the Civil Code.
(c) The district is not required to make service available to the
residential occupants unless each residential occupant agrees to the
terms and conditions of service, and meets the requirements of the
district's rules. However, if one or more of the residential
occupants are willing and able to assume responsibility for the
subsequent charges to the account to the satisfaction of the
district, or if there is a physical means, legally available to the
district, of selectively terminating service to those residential
occupants who have not met the requirements of the district's rules,
the district shall make service available to the residential
occupants who have met those requirements.
(d) If prior service for a period of time is a condition for
establishing credit with the district, residence and proof of prompt
payment of rent or other credit obligation acceptable to the district
for that period of time is a satisfactory equivalent.
(e) Any residential occupant who becomes a customer of the
district pursuant to this section whose periodic payments, such as
rental payments, include charges for residential light, heat, water,
or power, where these charges are not separately stated, may deduct
from the periodic payment each payment period all reasonable charges
paid to the district for those services during the preceding payment
period.