Woman Buys Dream House, Discovers Later That She Inherited a Four-Figure Water Bill with It

A Dolton homeowner's joy of purchasing her dream house and living happily was cut short after she inherited an unpaid water bill of over $2000 with the apartment. Here is the story in full.

Today, owning a house is considered one of the most significant achievements and is always worth celebrating. However, acquiring her dream house cost Trina Downs more than she bargained for — a four-figure unpaid water bill.

In 2011, Downs purchased an apartment in Dolton, and as expected, she paid her quarterly water bill. Unknown to the woman, the house's previous occupant had piled up an unpaid water bill.

The unknown debt began to cause a problem for Downs, and the more she paid, the more issues she encountered. Finally, in 2015, the woman discovered the source of her problems. The tip-off was getting a miscellaneous bill of more than $1000.

At that point, Downs decided to get a billing statement and found out that she had inherited an unpaid $2,400 water bill with the apartment.

However, it is unclear if the process will take days, weeks, months, or even years.

It was shocking for the Dolton lady as she claimed closing documents showed that she purchased the house free and clear. During an interview with a Political Investigator, Dana Kozlov from CBS Chicago, the homeowner said:

"They had the stamp from the village. I had an attorney close to me, and everything was paid."

After discovering the water bill, Downs spent years struggling to get her account straightened and a refund of the money she had been paying.

In 2019, she went to the village's payment center to get answers, but rather than give her some; the Dolton officials called the police on the woman.

Downs is still fighting to resolve everything and has filed complaints with the Illinois Attorney General and the Cook County Inspector General.

The woman has also taken court action, but the issue remains unresolved to date. Downs told the outlet that she would not pay the water bill until she received a full refund of what she was owed.

There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel as the Dolton Mayor, Tiffany Henyard's assistant, is involved. She told CBS Chicago that Downs's issue resulted from a former administration.

According to the woman, current staff had met with the homeowner and reviewed her records to make sure she only paid for what she had used.

After the review is concluded, the staff of the Dolton Payment center will meet with Downs again. However, it is unclear if the process will take days, weeks, months, or even years.

Since CBS Chicago shared the interview of Downs on YouTube, it has garnered almost five thousand views and numerous comments. Fans and subscribers are optimistic that the woman will get justice and complete refunds, no matter how long it takes.