Rule 4901:1-17-06 | Refund of deposit and release of guarantor.
(A) After discontinuing service, the utility company shall promptly apply the customer's deposit, including any accrued interest, to the final bill. The utility company shall promptly refund to the customer any deposit, plus any accrued interest, remaining, unless the amount of the refund is less than one dollar. A transfer of service from one customer location to another within the service area of the utility company does not prompt a refund of the deposit or a release of the guarantor.
(B) The utility company shall review each account holding a deposit or a guarantor agreement every twelve months and promptly refund the deposit, plus any accrued interest in accordance with paragraph (A) of this rule, or release the guarantor, if the account meets the following criteria:
(1) The customer has paid his/her bills for service for twelve consecutive months without having had service disconnected for nonpayment.
(2) The customer has not had more than two occasions in the preceding twelve months on which his/her bill was not paid by the due date.
(3) The customer is not delinquent in the payment of his/her bills at the time of the review.
(C) The utility company shall promptly return the deposit, plus any accrued interest in accordance with paragraph (A) of this rule, upon the customer's request at any time the customer's credit has been otherwise established or reestablished, in accordance with this chapter of the Administrative Code.
(D) Once the customer satisfies the requirements for release of the guarantor, pursuant to paragraph (B) of this rule, the utility company shall notify the guarantor in writing, within thirty days, that the guarantor is released from all further responsibility for the account.
(E) If a guarantor submits a written request to the utility company for a release of financial responsibility related to a customer's account, the utility company shall, within ten calendar days, advise the customer who provided the guarantor that the guarantor's responsibility to the customer's account will end by a specific date (thirty days from the receipt of the guarantor's request). The utility company shall also advise the customer that prior to the specific end date of the guarantor's responsibility, he/she must reestablish creditworthiness through an alternate means as prescribed by paragraph (A) of rule 4901:1-17-03 of the Administrative Code, or be subject to disconnection according to the applicable disconnection rules in Chapter 4901:1-15 of the Administrative Code (waterworks and/or sewage disposal) and Chapter 4901:1-18 of the Administrative Code (gas and natural gas).
Last updated February 28, 2023 at 9:37 AM
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