Utility bills and property ownership: Who's responsible?

Here’s my question: am I actually required to pay for trash collection and local utility fees on a house that isn't even finished yet? It’s basically just bare walls right now—nobody lives there, nothing is happening on the property, and I haven't even been issued a trash bin. Yet, I keep getting these bills every single month. Is there any way to get these charges waived until the house is actually livable?

Under the municipal services act (Sections 20, subsections 2, 3, and 5):

"The service provider determines the pricing, calculation methods, and payment terms for all municipal services.
Fees for these services are paid directly to the provider, where the responsible party is either the property owner or the tenant, provided the owner has contractually transferred that obligation to them."

Look, if the service isn't actually being performed—meaning no one is even picking up the trash—there shouldn't be an obligation to pay for a service that doesn't exist, regardless of whether you own the house or not.

Brenda Gray5 said:Here’s my question: am I actually required to pay for trash collection and local utility fees on a house that isn't even finished yet? It’s basically just bare walls right now—nobody lives there, nothing is happening on the property, and I haven't even been issued a trash bin. Yet, I keep getting these bills every single month. Is there any way to get these charges waived until the house is actually livable?

Well, first off, just go ahead and request a trash bin 🤷
but if you really want to get these services canceled, reach out to Pfizer and file a formal request along with a signed statement. Basically, tell them that nobody is residing at the address [xy] and ask them to stop sending the bills. Usually, they'll send an inspector out to the property to verify everything is actually vacant before they pull the plug...