BROOKLYN HOMEOWNER LOSING HOUSE OVER UNPAID WATER BILL
By Dan Krauth
Friday, August 15, 2025 10:17AM ET
BROOKLYN (WABC) -- It's Filmore Brown's American dream -- the Brooklyn home he worked seven days a week for more than two decades to pay off.
"It's my only dream," said Filmore Brown.
He learned his dream home was sold out from underneath him when, in the middle of the night, strangers tried to gain access to his home.
He was later shocked to learn that those strangers had a legal right to be there.
"I don't want anybody to go through what I'm going through," said Brown. "I cannot eat, I cannot drink, and I cannot sleep."
He bought his home back in 1996 and paid off the mortgage in 2019. He says he didn't know he had an unpaid water bill for $5,000.
"I didn't know, I just would've paid it," he said.
The city takes action against people who have larger unpaid tax or water bills, selling the unpaid bills to a trust, or group of investors. It's then up to those investors to collect the money, with interest. If the balance isn't paid, the home can go into foreclosure and be bought at auction.
That's exactly what happened to Mr. Brown.
"It was stolen from me," he said.
New York City's Department of Finance said they sent numerous notices, warning Brown of a pending lien.
Brown says he didn't receive them.
Court documents show the investors served someone at his home with papers in November of 2020 during the height of the pandemic. The documents announced that they were initiating foreclosure proceedings.
Mr. Brown claims he didn't get the notice. He lives on the top floor of a three-unit home and rents out the lower two units to other families.
"I would've paid it, no problem," he stated.
He said he didn't know anything about this and I believe him," said Brown's attorney, Alice Nicholson.
The attorneys working on Brown's case said he has paid thousands of dollars in current taxes and water bills since his bill went into the trust.
"He just paid a water bill this year in the thousands of dollars, so it's just heart wrenching," said attorney Yolande Nicholson.
Nicholson said once his old bill was put into the trust, it didn't show up on his current bills. The two payment systems aren't connected.
"There needs to be some type of notification that there's another bill out there that needs to be paid," Nicholson said. "There needs to be more done to make sure that these hardworking older people who paid off their mortgage and have fixed incomes don't get into that kind of rut."
There are more than 6,800 that have been put into the trust for not paying water bills. Our ABC data team found a majority of them live in communities of color.
A spokesperson with the city's Department of Finance sent this statement in response to Brown's story:
"Our goal is never to see a homeowner lose their property. Last year, we implemented reforms to specifically prevent unfortunate situations like this from happening, by giving property owners more time, information, and resources to resolve their debts. For this year's lien sale, we strengthened our outreach efforts to make sure we reached as many owners as possible, working with non-profit groups and other City agencies to conduct door-to-door visits, direct phone calls, and other targeted communications.
Homeowners have several options for resolving their debt with the City, whether it's related to property taxes, water and sewer charges, or other municipal charges. This includes property tax exemptions for eligible residents, flexible payment plans, and other forms of assistance. Our priority is to connect property owners with these resources early, so they can protect their homes and avoid the lien sale altogether."
top to bottom im surprised more people dont realize that...